The way the NDIS understands a person's support needs is set to change.
As part of the NDIS's new approach to planning, the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) is introducing a new Support Needs Assessment, using the I-CAN v6 tool as its foundation. Rather than relying so heavily on participants gathering multiple pieces of supporting evidence, the new approach is designed to provide a more consistent way of understanding what support a person needs in their everyday life.
For participants and families, the name "I-CAN" might sound like another complicated NDIS acronym. But the idea behind it is relatively simple: understand the person, understand their support needs, and use that information to help develop their NDIS budget.
So, what exactly is changing?
What Is an I-CAN Assessment?
I-CAN stands for the Instrument for the Classification and Assessment of Support Needs. It is a strengths-based assessment tool developed by the Centre for Disability Studies and has been researched and used in Australia for more than 20 years.
The NDIA is using I-CAN v6 as the foundation for its new Support Needs Assessment. The NDIA's version is a customised implementation of the tool rather than simply adopting the original assessment unchanged.
The assessment is intended to look at a person's life more broadly and understand what support they need, rather than simply focusing on a person's diagnosis or impairment.
This is an important distinction. Two people with the same disability may have very different support needs depending on their circumstances, environment, abilities and existing supports.
It's About More Than What You Can or Can't Do
One of the most important ideas behind the new approach is its focus on support needs.
The assessment is designed to have a conversation about different areas of a person's everyday life. This can include things such as communication, mobility, learning, self-care, self-management and participating in the community.
Rather than simply asking, "Can you do this?", the conversation can explore questions around how you do something, what support you need, how often you need it and what happens when that support isn't available.
This matters because disability doesn't always look the same from one day to the next.
Someone may technically be able to complete a task but require significant prompting, supervision, assistance or additional time to do it safely and consistently. A good assessment needs to capture that reality—not just whether a person can perform a task independently in ideal circumstances.
What Could Be Different About the Planning Process?
The Support Needs Assessment is intended to become an important part of the NDIS's new planning approach.
The NDIA says the assessment will provide a more consistent and reliable way to gather information about a participant's support needs and help inform the development of a fairer and more flexible NDIS budget.
One potential benefit is that participants may not need to carry as much of the responsibility for collecting extensive supporting evidence every time they go through the planning process.
Instead, a trained assessor will guide the participant through the assessment and discuss their circumstances directly. It is important to acknowledge that the disability community have expressed concerns about the assessment and the skills and experience of those who will be delivering it,
It is crucial that individual circumstances are taken into account rather than a standardised ‘one size fits all’ approach. Participants should still have opportunities to explain their experiences, identify the supports that make a difference and ensure the information recorded reflects their everyday life.
What Will an I-CAN Assessment Actually Look Like?
The assessment is expected to involve a guided conversation with a trained assessor, rather than being something participants simply complete on their own. Participants can also have supporters involved in the process where appropriate.
During testing of the new approach, participants were guided through the assessment questions and given opportunities to check the information with their supporters. The NDIA has been testing the process with participants to assess accessibility, comprehension and the overall participant experience.
The I-CAN framework uses a rating system to help describe the frequency and level of support a person requires across different areas of life.
This could help create a more structured picture of someone's support needs.
It is also important to remember that the assessment is not intended to replace every other form of information or professional input. The new planning approach is still being developed, and the NDIA has indicated that it will continue refining the process as it is implemented.
When Will I-CAN Start and What Should Participants Do Now?
The NDIA's current information says Support Needs Assessments are being introduced from April 2027 as part of the new way of planning.
For participants, there is no need to suddenly arrange an I-CAN assessment independently. The NDIA has previously advised that current plans will remain in place until a participant moves to the new planning approach, and participants will be given information before changes affect them.
For now, it can still be useful to keep track of the support you receive and how your disability affects your everyday life.
Think beyond a list of diagnoses or services. Consider the practical details: What support do you need? How often do you need it? What happens when you don't have it? What helps you participate in your home, work, education and community?
These are the kinds of real-life experiences that can help paint a clearer picture of your support needs.
A New Assessment, With a Bigger Picture in Mind
The introduction of I-CAN represents a significant change in how the NDIS plans to understand participants' support needs.
There are potential benefits to having a more consistent, strengths-based approach that looks at the person and their circumstances rather than relying primarily on diagnosis or extensive supporting evidence. At the same time, its success will depend on how well the assessment captures the complexity of people's lives and how the information is used when making funding decisions.
The new system is still being developed and refined, so there will likely be more information and guidance as implementation progresses.
For participants, the key takeaway is simple: I-CAN is not something you need to figure out alone. As the new planning approach rolls out, the NDIA will provide more information about when and how it will apply to you.
