Setting Reasonable Expectations for Your Service – A guide for NDIS Service Providers

Snez Kosanovic
May 10
7 min read

[Image Titled] Setting Reasonable Expectations for Your Service. Resource from My Right 2 Voice - Specialist Disability Services — Setting Reasonable Expectations for Your Service - Resource - My Right 2 Voice - Specialist Disability Services

Purpose of This Guide - Level 2 Support Coordinators and NDIS Service Providers

This guide is designed to support Level 2 Support Coordinators and NDIS service providers in Victoria in navigating situations where clients', families', or care teams' expectations may not align with the scope of your service, the available NDIS funding, or what is possible within the broader NDIS service system.

It provides practical strategies for managing these expectations respectfully and setting healthy, sustainable boundaries that uphold professional standards and promote ethical service delivery.

This guide aims to:

Recognise situations where participant or care team expectations may not align with the scope of your role, available funding, or what is possible within the broader NDIS system.
Offer practical strategies for managing these mismatched expectations.
Help set respectful professional boundaries, promote psychological safety, and ensure the sustainability of the support coordination role.

Understanding the Scope of Your Service

Each provider has specific responsibilities defined by their service agreement and relevant NDIS registration groups. These services may include:

Therapeutic supports
Daily personal activities
Community participation

Understanding the Scope of Level 2 Support Coordination

As Coordinators, it's essential we have a clear and shared understanding of what falls within the scope of Level 2 Support Coordination (Coordination of Supports) and just as importantly, what doesn’t. This ensures consistency, maintains role integrity, and supports participants to get the most from their NDIS plans.

Core Responsibilities – What’s In Scope

Level 2 Support Coordination is primarily about building the participant’s capacity to navigate the system, make informed choices, and sustain effective supports. This includes:

NDIS Plan Implementation

Assist participants to understand the structure and intent of their NDIS plan.
Clarify budget categories and explore how their funding aligns with their goals.

Connecting with Supports

Facilitate access to a mix of informal, mainstream, and funded supports.
Identify and introduce participants to appropriate providers and community networks.

Capacity Building

Support the participant to develop the confidence and skills to manage their supports more independently over time.
Promote self-direction and informed decision-making.

Monitoring Support Delivery

Check in on service quality and participant satisfaction.
Help address service gaps or challenges through practical problem-solving.

Preparation for Plan Reviews

Work with the participant to gather outcomes and relevant documentation from providers.
Assist in articulating what’s worked, what hasn’t, and what’s needed in the next plan.

Out of Scope – What’s Not Part of the Role

While we play a pivotal role in coordination, it's important to recognise and respect the boundaries of Level 2 Support Coordination. This helps prevent blurring of boundaries and keeps accountability clear.

Direct Service Provision

Support coordinators do not deliver therapies, personal care, or daily living supports.

Case Management (in the traditional sense)

We're not crisis responders or long-term case managers managing all aspects of a person’s life.
Complex crisis intervention and high-risk support typically fall under Specialist Support Coordination.

Financial Administration

We do not pay invoices or manage participant funds; this is the role of a Plan Manager.

Substituted Decision-Making

We support informed choices, but we do not make decisions on behalf of participants.

Legal Advocacy

We do not represent participants in legal disputes or NDIS appeals, though we may refer to appropriate advocacy services.

In Practice: Staying Within Scope

Focus on building capacity, not reliance.
Always be clear about the distinction between facilitating and doing.
Work collaboratively with other professionals but avoid duplication or role overlap.
Document actions clearly to reflect support coordination tasks, not therapeutic or financial management roles.

Support coordination at Level 2 is about connecting, empowering, and sustaining, not controlling or rescuing. When we stay in our lane, we strengthen outcomes, build trust in the system, and empower participants to take the lead in their own lives. Being clear about your service scope supports both staff wellbeing and participant clarity.

Common Misalignments of Expectations

Misunderstandings about the Support Coordination role can arise from a lack of clarity within the participant’s network. Examples include:

Availability: Reduce misunderstanding around operating hours & after-hours responses.
Task Requests: Being asked to complete unrelated duties or personal tasks (e.g., personal errands, attending medical appointments, providing advocacy, or transport).
Care Team Assumptions: Other professionals/providers thinking that the Support Coordinator will act as case manager or decision-maker.
Funding Gaps: Expecting intensive support when only minimal hours are available.
Role Confusion: Participants confuse Support Coordination with advocacy, legal support, or therapeutic intervention.

Why This Happens?

Often, this can happen when participants and their networks are navigating complex and sometimes overwhelming systems, often with limited support or inconsistent messaging from various professionals across systems. Support coordinators are frequently seen as the “go-to” person, an understandable but problematic default when roles aren't clearly defined. Other times, assumptions are made based on past experiences with different services, or simply because boundaries haven’t been explicitly discussed or reinforced.

There may also be a genuine desire for help that stretches beyond what Support Coordination can sustainably provide, and this can reflect unmet needs rather than a lack of consideration. Recognising that these misalignments are rarely intentional helps us approach them with empathy and clarity.

Why It’s Important to Address Misalignments

Addressing these misunderstandings early is crucial. Not only does it protect the support coordinator's capacity and wellbeing, but it also helps build healthier, more respectful working relationships. Clarity:

Reduces Reliance: Encourages participants to build broader networks of support, rather than defaulting to one individual for everything.
Prevents Rupture: Clear boundaries reduce the likelihood of conflict, burnout, or disappointment. This is especially important in moments of stress or crisis.
Promotes Empowerment: Participants can make more informed decisions when they understand who does what and why.
Supports Professional Boundaries: It reinforces the purpose and integrity of the support coordination role, avoiding role dilution or ethical grey areas.

By recognising these issues early and addressing them transparently, you not only maintain trust but also safeguard your own energy and effectiveness. This proactive honesty shows that you're committed to both integrity and sustainability. Setting clear expectations isn't just a strategy for managing time, it’s also a powerful way to model what respectful, balanced care looks like. It reinforces boundaries, prevents burnout, and signals to others that mutual respect and realistic commitments are non-negotiable. In doing so, you create a healthier dynamic for everyone involved, where accountability and empathy coexist.

How to Approach Difficult Conversations

Use the 3 Cs Framework: Clarify, Contextualise, Collaborate

Clarify your role, limitations and responsibilities early, often, clearly and kindly. Use plain language:
- My role is to help you understand your NDIS plan and get the right supports in place, as support coordinators, we don’t deliver services ourselves."
Contextualise the situation/issue using the participant’s NDIS plan, service agreement, funding limits, or broader system constraints:
- "This plan includes 30 hours for support coordination over the next 12 months. To stay within this budget, we need to prioritise what matters most to you."
Collaborate with the participant and care team to find shared solutions:
- "Let’s talk with your allied therapist to see how we can best meet this need together."

Avoid positioning yourself as the gatekeeper. Instead, show that you are part of a team working within the structure of the NDIS. Always lead with empathy, transparency, and a solutions-focused approach.

Setting Boundaries Respectfully and Safely

Setting boundaries protects both the participant and the Support Coordinator. Done respectfully, it builds professional trust and prevents burnout.

Sample Boundary Scripts

Scenario	Response
Participant calls repeatedly after hours	"I understand this is important to you. I’m available during business hours, and for emergencies we can explore services that offer 24/7 support."
Asked to do something outside scope	"That sounds like something another provider might be able to support. I can help you connect with someone who can assist."
Team expects you to coordinate everything	"I'm funded to coordinate NDIS supports, but we each play a role in the participant's care. Let's clarify who is best placed to manage which part."

Always speak from a place of care, while being clear about what you can and cannot do.

Tips for Ongoing Success

Be proactive: Set expectations from the start through service agreements and initial discussions.

Keep it participant-centred: Focus on building their capacity rather than solving every problem yourself.

Document communication: Keeping clear notes helps if issues arise later.

Know your escalation points: Have contacts ready for LACs, plan managers, or emergency services.

Use supervision and peer support: Reflective practice helps navigate emotional labour and professional dilemmas.

Promoting a Sustainable Role

Boundaries aren’t about withholding care, they're about ensuring ethical, person-centred support can continue.

Overextending yourself may lead to:

Burnout and high turnover.
Inconsistent support for participants.
Reduced ability to serve others effectively.

A sustainable support coordinator:

Works collaboratively, not in isolation.
Respect's role scope and encourages others to do the same.
Maintains transparency with participants about available hours and priorities.
Uses each participant’s plan strategically to promote independence.

Remember: Boundaries are professional, not personal. They help deliver better outcomes for participants and keep support coordination ethical, equitable, and effective.

If you're ever unsure, reach out to your supervisor, professional networks, or the NDIS Commission for guidance.

Need support setting clear boundaries?

If you or your team are navigating tricky expectation-setting with participants, families, or care teams, and want help clarifying scope, strengthening communication, or improving sustainable practice, submit an enquiry to collaborate or to learn more about our services.

Our specialist support team is here to guide on your journey, every step of the way.

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