Navigating Uncertainty: The Impact of Delays in Foundational Supports for Non-NDIS Participants

The promised foundational supports for people with disability who don't qualify for the NDIS have been subject to ongoing delays. For service providers, this uncertainty creates significant planning challenges.

Understanding Foundational Supports

Foundational supports are intended to provide earlier intervention and community-based support for people with disability outside the NDIS, reducing future scheme costs while improving outcomes.

Financial Planning Challenges

Revenue Uncertainty: Providers cannot forecast income from services that don't yet exist

Investment Hesitation: Infrastructure and workforce investments are difficult to justify without clear timelines

Market Positioning: Strategic decisions about service offerings remain in limbo

Operational Implications

• Workforce planning becomes reactive rather than strategic
• Service model development stalls
• Community relationships weaken without funded touchpoints

Strategic Responses

1. **Diversification**: Don't rely solely on anticipated government funding 2. **Flexible Workforce Models**: Build capability that can pivot when clarity emerges 3. **Scenario Planning**: Prepare for multiple policy outcomes 4. **Advocacy**: Engage in policy discussions to shape implementation

Providers must balance preparedness with prudence—ready to move when policy crystallizes, while protecting financial sustainability in the interim.