Ask DSC: What qualifications does a Specialist Support Coordinator need?

Question: I’ve been working as a support coordinator for 6 years. I’m thinking of branching into Specialist Support coordination. Do I need any particular qualifications?

It’s a question we often get from people tangled up in the NDIS web “What qualifications do I need to be a Specialist Support Coordinator?” So, you’re not alone in wondering. Let’s break it down: the facts, the future, and the fine print (without the boring bits).

First, what exactly is Specialist Support Coordination?

Specialist Support Coordination (SSC) is the big leagues of support coordination. It goes beyond connecting participants with services and is about tackling high-risk, high-complexity situations. It’s for participants who face significant barriers to using their NDIS plans. SSCs are there when things are messy, complicated, or urgent.

The job of a SSC is to cut through the chaos, design service plans, build resilience, and help everyone work together like a well-oiled machine- even when the wheels feel like they're falling off.

So… do you need a qualification?

Short answer: yes and no.

According to the NDIA’s Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits document, SSC must be delivered by an “appropriately qualified and experienced practitioner”. They even give examples: psychologist, occupational therapist, social worker, or mental health nurse.

But there’s no single qualification mandated. Instead, you need:

Qualifications that suit the participant’s needs.
Professional experience to back it up.

The NDIA expects SSCs to be experts in their field, whether this means a degree in psychology, social work, mental health nursing, occupational therapy, etc, or the equivalent experience and training to match the contexts you’re working in.

Importantly, if a participant is Plan or Self Managing their NDIS funding, SSCs do not need to be registered with the NDIS. (But keep reading for some juicy news about that changing soon...)

If you're registered, there are extra expectations

If you’re providing Specialist Support Coordination to participants who Agency-managed their funds (i.e. where the NDIA manages the money), you must be a registered provider. That means meeting standards, including those outlined in the Supplementary Module: Specialist Support Coordination from the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. While technically these standards only apply to registered providers of Specialist Support Coordination, they offer more insight into expectations of experience and qualifications.

These standards expect you to:

Demonstrate deep knowledge of complex risk factors: SSCs must understand the specific risks each participant faces and have the expertise to develop strategies to mitigate these risks. This demands genuine, practical experience working in high-risk, high-complexity environments.
Involve participants in planning: SSCs must work alongside participants to assess their situation, plan their supports, and make crisis plans. This shows the need for strong communication skills, cultural competence, and a capacity for trauma-informed practice.
Consult with networks and services: It’s not enough to just know the NDIS. SSCs must navigate mainstream services, collaborate with multiple providers, and ensure that every player involved understands what’s needed. It’s important to be able to coordinate and influence across systems, like health, education, justice, etc.
Match participants with the right services: SSCs must be able to critically assess which services are suitable, based on a participant’s complex needs. This calls for an understanding of provider capability and a high degree of professional judgment.
Proactive engagement and crisis response: SSCs must coordinate participants’ support during times of crisis or change, to ensure continuity of support and reduce disruption. The ability to respond quickly and maintain service integrity during chaos is non-negotiable.
Monitor and report effectively: SSCs are responsible for ongoing plan monitoring, assessing progress, documenting outcomes, and fulfilling NDIA reporting requirements. This requires strong organisational skills, attention to detail, and an understanding of compliance requirements.

In short, the role demands serious professional skill, strategic thinking, and experience working with complexity and risk.

It’s more than qualifications: It’s Duty of Care

Let’s get serious for a moment. Just because there’s no single, neat qualification required doesn't mean you can wing it. Specialist Support Coordinators have a Duty of Care- legal and ethical- to make sure they are genuinely up to the job.

That might mean:

You have the skills and knowledge needed to handle the participant’s risks and barriers.
You know when a situation is outside your expertise and you refer or escalate accordingly.
You understand crisis management and complex service environments.

Working outside your capabilities isn't just risky for participants, it could leave you personally liable. If you cause harm by acting outside your scope of expertise, you could be personally responsible for the consequences and even have financial or legal claims made against you. While this article is not legal advice, it’s important to understand that professional negligence claims can and do happen in the disability sector. Having strong professional indemnity insurance, a clear understanding of your limits, and excellent documentation practices is crucial to protecting yourself, as well as the participants you support.

The future: Mandatory registration is coming

If you’re currently an unregistered SSC flying under the radar- heads up! Changes are coming.

In August 2024, the Commonwealth Government announced that Support Coordinators will soon need to be registered.

While the new registration model hasn’t been finalised, here’s what the NDIS Commission proposed in a recent consultation paper:

All Support Coordinators (levels 1, 2, and 3) will be required to register under Registration Group 0132 (Specialist Support Coordination).
You’ll only be approved to deliver Specialist Support Coordination if you complete the Core and Specialist Support Coordination Modules.
Unregistered providers will have 3 months to submit a registration application once the new rules kick in.
Providers registered under Group 0132 are all set. Providers registered under 0106 will be transitioned across.
The Commission is also planning to create a brand-new NDIS Practice Standard for Intermediary supports (Support Coordinators, Recovery Coaches and Plan Managers).

Consultations kicked off in late 2024, but full details (and transition dates) are still to be finalised. You can track updates here.

Wrapping up

Right now, becoming an SSC is about having the right qualifications and experience for the participant you’re supporting. It's about developing real expertise, professional judgment, and strong ethical standards.

In the future, the bar will be raised even further, with mandatory registration and new practice standards soon to be in place. If you want to continue delivering high-quality Specialist Support Coordination, the time to prepare is now.