Understanding the NDIS
NDIS Participant Rights and Responsibilities: What to Expect
NDIS participants have rights when receiving disability supports. Understanding those rights helps you make informed choices, raise concerns and agree on respectful services.
Rights when receiving NDIS support
Participants have the right to choice and control, privacy, dignity, respectful communication and supports that respond to their needs and preferences. Support should be delivered safely and in a way that recognises culture, identity, communication and personal boundaries.
You can ask what a service involves, what it costs, who will deliver it and how your information will be used. You can seek accessible information, bring a trusted person to a discussion, request a different worker where possible, and say when a support does not feel right. Consent and preferences matter throughout service delivery.
These rights do not mean every requested support is funded by the NDIS. Funding still follows the plan and NDIS support rules. A provider should explain its service and charges clearly rather than promising that the NDIA will pay.
What providers must do
The NDIS Code of Conduct requires NDIS providers and workers to act with respect for individual rights, provide supports safely and competently, act with integrity and transparency, raise and act on concerns about quality and safety, and take reasonable steps to prevent and respond to violence, exploitation, neglect and abuse.
Registered providers also have obligations under relevant registration conditions and NDIS Practice Standards. The exact requirements depend on the service. Ask how a provider recruits and trains workers, manages incidents, protects information and responds when a participant is unhappy.
A provider should give information about fees, cancellation terms, travel and the service agreement before support starts. If an invoice does not match the agreed service, ask for an explanation and keep a copy of the correspondence.
Your role in clear and respectful arrangements
Participants can help services run smoothly by sharing relevant information needed for safe support, letting providers know when appointments change, and checking invoices or records according to their plan management arrangement. These practical responsibilities do not remove the provider’s legal and safety obligations.
Use a service agreement to record what the provider will do, how and when supports are delivered, the price and additional charges, cancellation terms, payment and claiming arrangements, privacy, complaints and how either party can end or change the service. It should use language the participant understands.
For example, if a worker is expected to assist with meal preparation, agree what tasks the participant wants support with and how the worker should respect the participant’s routines and preferences. If an agreed task changes, discuss and document it instead of assuming the original agreement covers it.
If something goes wrong
Start by telling the provider what happened and what outcome you want, if it feels safe to do so. You can ask for the provider’s complaints process, make a complaint in writing or have someone help you. Keep dates, names, messages, invoices and details of what occurred.
You can also contact the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission about provider quality or safety concerns. The Commission can explain how to raise a complaint. If someone is in immediate danger, contact emergency services. For advocacy, the National Disability Advocacy Program may be able to connect participants with an advocate.
You should not be punished for raising a genuine concern. If you worry that a provider may stop supports in response, ask about continuity and complaint protections, and seek advice from the Commission or an advocate.
A practical rights and safety checklist
- Do I understand the support, price and cancellation terms?
- Have I agreed to who will deliver it and what information will be shared?
- Does the provider know my communication and safety preferences?
- Do I know how to complain and who to contact if there is a risk?
- Are invoices and records consistent with the service I received?
Review this checklist when your support changes or a new provider starts. If there is a power imbalance, communication barrier or safety concern, involve a trusted advocate or supporter of your choice.
Frequently asked questions
Can I refuse a support or worker?
You can express preferences and ask to change an arrangement. The service agreement and practical availability matter, but a provider should discuss options respectfully.
Who can I complain to about an NDIS provider?
You can complain to the provider and/or the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. Use emergency services for immediate danger.
Are participants responsible for provider safety?
No. Participants may share relevant information and follow agreed arrangements, but providers remain responsible for meeting their obligations and delivering supports safely.
Official sources and further reading
- NDIS Code of Conduct
- NDIS Commission: Make a complaint
- Participant Service Charter
- Working with providers
A practical next step
Keep the service agreement and complaint contacts somewhere accessible, and discuss concerns early when it is safe to do so. Write down what matters to the participant, agree who will take each action, and keep a record to review after the support has started.
