NDIS Funding Guide · Early childhood · Table 51

Early childhood social work addresses psychosocial and environmental barriers affecting a child with disability and their family, often helping sustain functional participation and support networks.

Based on the NDIS Pricing Schedule 2026–27, effective 24 September 2026, Table 51, page 81. Reviewed 20 October 2026. All prices are maximum amounts in AUD and subject to change.

What is this NDIS support?

Early childhood social work addresses psychosocial and environmental barriers affecting a child with disability and their family, often helping sustain functional participation and support networks.

Early childhood context: Appendix 5 of the schedule covers evidence-based early childhood intervention for children aged 0–9 years, including children aged 0–6 with developmental delay, and their families. Services should build participation and capabilities through the child's ordinary routines and the people around them. Where a professional also appears in the general therapy appendix, use the ECI-specific family only when it matches the child, support and funding purpose.

Good early intervention records describe a meaningful everyday task, what the child can do now, the strategies used in the session, how the family or educators will practise them, and what change will be reviewed. Simply listing activities is not a sufficient explanation of functional progress.

When is it appropriate to use this support?

For a professional social work intervention that directly benefits the child's disability-related outcomes and is appropriately funded.

When it is not appropriate

Generic service referral, routine care coordination, general adult family therapy and non-clinical advocacy should not automatically use ECI social work therapy codes.

Who can deliver it?

Membership of the Australian Association of Social Workers.

Confirm the practitioner's actual registration, accreditation, membership or experience requirements for the service, not just the provider's business name. They must be capable of delivering the work safely and within any applicable NDIS practice standards.

Every listed 2026–27 code and maximum price

6 support code entries are listed in Table 51. The national, remote and very remote amounts apply according to the location of the support. The support item unit shown in the table matters. Fractional hourly fees follow the actual time spent on eligible support; do not charge for a full hour where only a shorter service was supplied.

Travel, indirect time, telehealth and cancellation

The table lists provider travel time under 15_621_0118_1_3_PT at $97.00/hour nationally ($135.80 remote; $145.50 very remote). This is a distinct billing purpose from direct service at $193.99/hour nationally. The presence of a travel code does not guarantee the travel is eligible or pre-agreed; confirm the current 2026 claiming conditions and actual journey.

For ECI professional items, the suffixes identify different claim purposes: _NF for eligible non-face-to-face work, _TH for telehealth, _RR for NDIA-requested reports and _CA for cancellations when the relevant rules permit. They do not mean ordinary paperwork, a missed session or a routine report can automatically be billed.

The attached September 2026 pricing schedule does not contain every non-labour travel code or all the detailed conditions for adding kilometres, tolls, parking or other charges. Providers and participants should consult the official current NDIS support catalogue and published claiming guidance rather than assuming the rate used in a previous year remains valid.

The NDIS has separate national, remote and very remote maximums where listed. Geography is based on where the support is delivered, accounting for the schedule's isolated-town modification. The 2026–27 schedule's maximums already include any GST.

Practical example

A social worker works with caregivers and early childhood partners on ways to reduce environmental stress affecting a child's participation in routines and community life.

The provider's records should explain the activity, the plan-related objective, who delivered it, the time and location and the item used. Where a separate indirect activity or travel charge is proposed, the participant should understand and agree to the relevant arrangement in advance.

Common questions

Original source and current guidance

NDIS Pricing Schedule 2026–27 · NDIS support catalogue · Complete NDIS price guide overview.

Beyond Health Services publishes this independent educational guide. The schedules and official rules take precedence, and future updates can change the price.