Evidencing Complexity and Significant Support Needs: An Essential Guide for Support Coordinators

Effectively evidencing and managing high complexity is a core responsibility for every NDIS Support Coordinator. We reveal how you can master this requirement.

By Mary Ingerton, Managing Director at Support Coordination Academy.

As a Support Coordinator, you no doubt understand the weight of your written words.

They matter. A lot.

To receive the right supports and funding, your clients rely on your reports being clear, comprehensive and outcome-focused.

How exactly do you achieve this result? We are here to answer that question.

In this comprehensive article, we detail:

• Why Evidencing Complexity Matters
• Assessing Complexity
• Documenting Complexity Effectively
• Strategies for Effective Reporting
• NDIS Reporting Best Practice

Strengthen your professional practice and advocacy efforts with this handy guide.

Why Evidencing Complexity Matters

There are several reasons why evidencing complexity matters. Among them are the following:

To Advocate Effectively for NDIS Participants

Support Coordinators act as intermediaries between participants and the NDIS. Advocacy in this context means providing clear, accurate evidence that reflects a participant’s situation and justifies their support needs based on the complexity of their situation.

Poorly documented reports can result in participants missing out on crucial supports. Clear evidence ensures their complexity is recognised and funded appropriately.

To Meet NDIS Expectations

The NDIS expects Support Coordinators to provide objective, detailed and outcome-focused reporting. In your role, you must:

• Use NDIS-aligned language
• Articulate different levels of complexity
• Demonstrate the impact on participants’ daily lives

Meeting these requirements helps avoid delays, plan cuts or unnecessary plan reviews.

To Navigate Systemic Barriers

Participants with complex needs often navigate multiple service systems. This can include housing, education, health, mental health, justice and child protection.

Support Coordinators must document how these systems create barriers and affect access to supports.

Failing to do so can mean participants fall through the cracks.

To Strengthen Professional Credibility

Sound documentation and evidence-based reporting not only benefit participants, but they also build your reputation.

Local Area Coordinators (LACs), NDIS planners and service providers are more likely to refer participants to Support Coordinators known for professionalism and quality service.

To Protect Yourself and Your Organisation

Evidence-based documentation protects you in case of complaints, disputes or investigations by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.

It demonstrates decisions are grounded in facts, not assumptions.

To Promote Sustainable Practice

Supporting participants with high complexity can be emotionally challenging.

Consistent documentation and structured reporting help prevent burnout by making participant progress and systemic barriers easier to identify, track and address.

Assessing Complexity: Key Definitions

Here, we cover two key definitions: complex support needs and high and complex support needs.

Complex Support Needs

These participants:

• Require support across multiple life areas or domains such as housing, health or employment
• Generally, involves coordination between 2-3 service systems
• May have barriers accessing appropriate services, but with well-organised support, they can often engage with systems and build capacity to increase their independence

Example:

• A participant has an intellectual disability with a secondary diagnosis of epilepsy
• The participant relies on an ageing parent for informal support, but this support is no longer viable
• The participant lives at home and is keen to explore home and living options
• Requires assistance to navigate NDIS processes, manage routines, medication and appointments and is eager to access Supported Employment

High and Complex Support Needs

These participants face persistent and intensive challenges across multiple areas and domains. They may experience significant systemic barriers, including:

• Trauma histories
• Service disengagement
• High risk of harm
• Involuntary involvement in systems such as child protection or justice

The intensity and persistence of these issues often make accessing support extremely difficult without additional and targeted supports and a well-coordinated support network to ensure everyone is working towards the same goal.

Example:

• A participant has a schizoaffective disorder, an acquired brain injury (ABI) and substance use disorder
• The participant has multiple hospital admissions per year due to mental health challenges
• The participant is a substance user and distrusts service systems due to past trauma
• Their ABI affects their memory, executive function and impulse control
• The participant is often excluded from mainstream services due to aggressive behaviours during episodes

 

Documenting Complexity Effectively

Your report must show why standard supports are insufficient. This includes supports that require increased funding or additional hours for Support Coordination to manage a crisis that requires an intensive level of support. Key components include:

1. Demonstrate Functional Impact

Explain how complex barriers such as mental health, homelessness or justice involvement affect the participant’s functional capacity, engagement and ability to use supports effectively.

 2. Inform Planning and Reviews

Build a detailed picture of the participant's lived experience to support plan decisions, especially for reviews or change of circumstances.

 3. Support Advocacy and Interagency Collaboration

Use documentation to advocate for access to mainstream services, crisis housing or mental health care.

Make sure everyone in the support network understands the participant's needs and goals.

 4. Ensure Continuity of Support

When multiple providers or staff are involved, detailed documentation ensures that future Support Coordinators or allied professionals understand the complexity and history of a participant’s support needs.

 

Strategies for Effective Reporting

Use these methods to strengthen your reports:

Timeline of events: This helps the NDIA understand that challenges are not isolated incidents but part of an ongoing, complex situation that justifies sustained, intensive support.

Identify barriers: Explain how these barriers create risk for a participant and why standard supports are not sufficient and why specialised, flexible approaches are necessary.

Map the support network: Identify who is in the participant’s support network and detail how you’ve tried to coordinate between them, as well as where collaboration has failed or been refused. This illustrates the breadth and complexity of coordination efforts required and identifies systems where Support Coordinators are bridging major gaps.

Capture the participant’s voice: Use direct quotes and observed behaviours that reflect their experience, frustration or desire for change.

Gather third-party evidence: Include allied health, medical or service provider documentation.

 

NDIS Reporting: Best Practice Tips

When completing NDIS reporting, it is critical that a Support Coordinator knows how to write effective evidence-based reports. Consider the following:

1. Use Clear, Objective Language

Avoid emotive and subjective language:

• Instead of: "The participant is very challenging."
• Use: "The participant demonstrates behaviours of concern resulting in service withdrawal on three occasions in the past 12 months."

Be clear about how the participant’s impairment impacts on and create barriers to accessing supports to complete daily activities.

Identify the supports that have been put in place and how they have built or maintained the person’s capacity for increased independence or reduced risk.

 2. Link Back to Goals

Clearly link requested supports to a participant’s NDIS goals and how the supports can assist the participant to overcome barriers and pursue their goals.

This aligns with the NDIS principle of providing individualised funding to assist a participant to pursue their life goals and live a good life and is a requirement under the reasonable and necessary decision-making criteria. 

 3. Maintain Consistency Across Reports

Evidence provided should be consistent across the participant’s support network or stakeholder group.

Example: if an Occupational Therapist (OT) recommends psychology support due to difficulties with emotional regulation, this should align with a psychologist’s report that supports the same recommendation and outlines how the participant’s capacity can be developed.

Ensure there is a clear connection between the participant’s complex barriers and the supports recommended to address and overcome these challenges.

In summary, effective evidence and documentation are the cornerstone of quality Support Coordination. They ensure participants receive the supports they need and reflect your professionalism, advocacy and commitment.

 

Need Support? We’re Here for You

If you have any questions about this topic or require other assistance as a Support Coordinator, contact us today.

Our NDIS experts are on hand to assist you and your clients.

To help you build your skills, Endeavour Foundation has partnered with Support Coordination Academy to offer free webinars for Support Coordinators.

Sign up today to register your interest in these popular online professional learning sessions.

Support Coordination Academy provides essential training and resources for Support Coordinators across Australia.