NDIS PACE for Support Coordinators: Reports & Referrals
For support coordinators, a useful PACE workflow connects the participant’s goals, the request for service, reporting obligations and the services still needed. Start with the actual request and plan, rather than assuming every participant has the same deadlines or portal permissions.
This guide covers coordination work. For the participant’s sign-in and plan-use questions, share our NDIS participant portal guide.
The myNDIS Provider Portal
Use the official provider portal through the NDIS website. Confirm that you have the right organisation access, participant relationship and consent for the task. If information is missing, check the relationship and permissions with the participant and NDIA rather than asking for their login details.
The NDIA connection guidance explains how a participant selects a coordinator and how the request for service reaches the provider. A Carevo referral does not replace that process.
Submitting Reports Through PACE
The current NDIA reporting guidance identifies an initial implementation report, mid-term reporting and a reassessment/evaluation report. It describes the initial report as completed eight weeks after the plan begins or the coordinator accepts the request for service. The request sets out reporting requirements and deadlines: record those rather than applying a generic timetable.
Reports can be attached in the my NDIS provider portal. Use the official instructions and reporting templates linked on that page. Do not assume a particular screen label or automatic confirmation will be identical for every account.
A practical submission check is to confirm the participant, reporting period, file and destination; save the submitted version and any receipt or status available. If a submission fails, keep a record and ask the NDIA how to resolve it. Do not make the participant responsible for submitting the coordinator’s report.
Turn an unmet need into a provider brief
When a report identifies a gap, separate the evidence for the NDIA from the information a prospective provider needs. A whole plan or clinical report is rarely an appropriate first enquiry attachment.
| Brief field | What to record |
|---|---|
| Service needed | The practical task or support to arrange |
| Location and timing | Suburb, delivery preference, proposed start and schedule |
| Provider fit | Relevant experience, communication or accessibility requirements |
| Funding check | The applicable support and any question still to resolve |
| Permission | What the participant agrees may be shared and who can be contacted |
| Next step | Who will compare replies with the participant and follow up |
Use the printable provider comparison worksheet to keep a shortlist and unanswered questions together. Label capacity and start dates as unconfirmed until a provider has actually confirmed them.
Find providers for your client. Describe the service, location and timing, then compare responses with the participant. Share only information you are authorised to share. The enquiry does not submit an NDIA report or change funding.
Budget Visibility and Plan Structure Changes
Check the current funding period, relevant support budget, pending claims and existing commitments before arranging a new schedule. A displayed balance should not be treated as money with no other commitments. The NDIS support catalogue guidance explains period rollover and restrictions on future funding.
If a plan manager is involved, agree who will check invoices and who will discuss service gaps with the participant. See plan management versus coordination.
Understanding PACE Check-ins
Prepare the participant’s account of what is working, what is missing and what they want to change. Keep completed actions distinct from planned actions and record unresolved barriers. Do not describe a check-in as automatically replacing a reassessment or granting new funding. Ask the NDIA which process applies to the issue.
Keep the participant’s choice visible
Record the options discussed, what the participant prefers and any reason a shortlisted provider cannot proceed. Explain relationships between your organisation and recommended providers. A referral should not be represented as a guaranteed start or a decision made on the participant’s behalf.
When changing coordinators, use the NDIA handover guidance and the current service agreement. Agree responsibility for outstanding reports, provider contacts and information sharing.
More Resources for Support Coordinators
- Implementation report and example.
- Progress report template.
- New participant onboarding checklist.
- Case notes template.
- Referral and information-sharing template.
Looking for a support coordinator yourself?
Compare support coordinators for your needs after checking the support funded in your plan. This is different from referring your client for other services.
Register your practice
To create a provider profile, sign up for Carevo. Practice registration is separate from the participant referral questionnaire.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I find reporting deadlines?
Check the request for service and current NDIA reporting instructions. Record the applicable deadline for the participant rather than assuming all reports follow one schedule.
Does a Carevo referral submit my implementation report?
No. Submit reports through the NDIA process. Carevo is for requesting provider responses where the participant needs services.
Should I send a whole plan to every prospective provider?
Start with the information needed to establish whether a provider may fit, and only share information with authority. Confirm the purpose and consent before sharing more detailed records.
For support coordinators and referrers
Find providers for this participant
Put the next step in the plan into action. Describe the services, location and timing once, then compare responses from relevant providers with the participant.
Only share details you are authorised to share. The participant chooses their providers. Already using Carevo? Your enquiries are in the app.
Co-founder & CTO · Updated
Buddhika is the co-founder and CTO of Carevo, with more than 15 years in software engineering. Before Carevo he was an engineer at Coviu, the Australian telehealth platform spun out of CSIRO that is now used by 100,000+ allied health professionals to deliver care to NDIS participants and aged-care recipients.
