Use this guide as a decision sequence.
Check the linked primary sources for your current circumstances. Record decisions, owners and evidence rather than treating general information as legal, clinical or employment advice.
1. Decide whether and how to document the agreement
The NDIA recommends written service agreements so participants and providers understand what they have agreed. It does not describe written agreements as mandatory in every case, although a written agreement is required for Specialist Disability Accommodation.
Record the participant’s preferred communication and decision-support needs. A signed document is not useful if the person did not understand it or could not participate in the decision.
2. Use a service-specific starting point
Support Coordination, direct support, allied health and SIL involve different responsibilities, evidence and risk boundaries. Choose an agreement designed for the service, then remove optional sections that do not apply. Do not let a broad clause quietly expand the provider’s actual scope.
For SIL, distinguish support delivery from SDA and tenancy responsibilities. For clinical work, identify the practitioner scope and consent pathway. For Support Coordination, make provider choice, conflicts and billable activity clear.
3. Make prices and cancellations concrete
Use a schedule that states the support, unit, current price, travel approach, non-face-to-face activity and cancellation arrangements. Check the current NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits and do not hardcode an old price as if it remains current.
Explain how changes will be agreed and recorded. The agreement, schedule, service booking or funding confirmation, invoice evidence and progress records should tell the same story.
- Confirm plan management and funding before service starts.
- Record the price source and effective date.
- Explain travel, reports and non-face-to-face work where relevant.
- Set a clear variation and review process.
4. Cover problems, changes and exit fairly
Include accessible complaint routes, incident and emergency contacts, privacy and information-sharing choices, conflicts, missed services, changes, suspension, transition and exit. Terms should not remove rights that apply under Australian Consumer Law.
Avoid absolute no-refund wording. Consumer guarantees cannot be excluded, and the correct remedy depends on the problem and circumstances.
5. Review before each new use
Before adoption, check names, entities, services, dates, prices, notice periods, local-law decisions, optional sections and references. Give each party an accessible copy and store the agreed version with later variations rather than silently overwriting it.