COURSE OVERVIEW:

Welcome to the Core Responsibilities & Obligations in NDIS Plan Management course. This comprehensive program has been developed to strengthen your understanding of the essential financial, administrative and ethical duties required to deliver safe, accurate and participant-centred plan management services under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

Plan management plays a vital role in helping participants manage their NDIS funding, access supports and maintain choice and control over how their budgets are used. This course begins by introducing the purpose of plan management within the NDIS, clarifying what plan managers do and do not do, and explaining how plan management differs from support coordination and self-management. It also provides an overview of the regulatory expectations that govern high-quality, compliant and accountable plan management practice.

Setting up plan management supports effectively is essential to supporting participant understanding and financial clarity. This section examines how to explain the full scope of plan management services, establish clear roles and boundaries, clarify budgets and funding availability, and negotiate reimbursement or invoicing arrangements. Learners explore how to ensure service agreements are accessible, culturally appropriate and easy for participants to understand, and how to set up communication and reporting preferences that align with participant needs.

A key responsibility of plan managers is administering the participant’s NDIS funding. This section outlines how to track and monitor budgets, ensure funds are used appropriately, detect underspend or overspend early, and provide guidance that helps participants maximise the value of their funding. It also explores the importance of financial planning support and ensuring that all administrative processes comply with NDIS rules.

Financial administration is central to plan management. This section explains how to validate invoices, confirm that supports were delivered, claim using the correct support items, pay providers promptly, reimburse participants for eligible expenses and manage late invoices or rejected claims. Learners develop an understanding of how accurate, efficient and compliant financial processes protect participant budgets and maintain trust.

Compliance with NDIS Pricing Arrangements and claiming rules is critical. This section examines how to check services against price limits, use the correct support item codes, ensure supports meet NDIA rules and participant goals, and reject non-compliant or improper claims. Learners also explore how to communicate rejected claims clearly and manage refunds when required.

Plan managers are responsible for providing regular financial reporting. This section covers monthly statements, real-time updates, audit-ready financial summaries, reassessment-related reporting and final statements when transitions occur. It highlights the importance of providing financial information in accessible and participant-friendly formats.

Strong record-keeping and documentation practices are essential for compliance and audit readiness. This section outlines how to maintain accurate financial records, store service agreements, keep invoices and communication logs, and meet privacy and retention requirements. Learners gain an understanding of how thorough documentation supports transparency and safeguards participants and providers.

Providing financial guidance and NDIS budget education helps participants build confidence and independence. This section discusses how to explain plan structures, price limits, flexibility rules, provider types and informed-decision principles. It underscores the importance of upholding choice and control while enabling participants to understand how their funding can be used safely and effectively.

Some participants may be funded for training in plan and financial management. This section examines how to provide training on tracking budgets, understanding invoices, reading price limits, navigating the NDIS portal and interpreting service agreements. Learners explore how financial literacy education can support participants moving toward greater independence or potential self-management.

Ensuring safe, ethical and compliant financial practices is a fundamental obligation. This section outlines how to follow the NDIS Code of Conduct, identify misuse of funds or fraud, avoid conflicts of interest, respond to concerns such as abuse or exploitation, and support participants to use appropriate complaints pathways. Ethical vigilance is essential to maintaining the integrity of plan management.

Maintaining independence and managing conflicts of interest is a core responsibility. This section explores how plan managers act impartially, declare conflicts, avoid influencing provider choices and ensure participants retain full choice and control. It also covers risks associated with dual roles and how to prevent compromised independence.

Privacy, cybersecurity and data protection are vital in financial administration. This section explains how to protect participant information, comply with privacy law and NDIS Commission requirements, use secure data systems and manage cyber risks, fraud prevention and identity safety.

Effective communication supports clear decision-making and financial transparency. This section explores how to use the participant’s preferred communication method, provide accessible information, notify participants of spending risks, manage invoice disputes and support participants through major plan changes.

Plan managers are also responsible for supporting smooth transitions between providers. This section outlines how to respect notice periods, provide final statements, transfer pending invoices and ensure continuity of financial administration while cooperating fully with incoming plan managers.

A clear and fair complaints process is essential to participant rights. This section examines how to resolve concerns, document handling actions, support escalation to the NDIS Commission when needed and ensure all participants feel safe raising issues related to their plan management experience.

Finally, the course concludes with a focus on compliance obligations under the NDIA and NDIS Commission. This section explores the Practice Standards, Code of Conduct, worker screening, incident management, documentation rules and provider audit requirements that underpin lawful, accountable and high-quality financial administration.

By the end of this course, you will be equipped with the knowledge, frameworks and professional standards required to deliver safe, ethical and compliant NDIS plan management that strengthens participant autonomy, financial wellbeing and funding integrity.

Each section is complemented with examples to illustrate the concepts and techniques discussed.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

By the end of this course, you will be able to understand the following topics:

1. Introduction to Plan Management Responsibilities

• Purpose of plan management within the NDIS
• What plan managers do and do not do
• Differences between plan management, support coordination and self-management
• Key regulatory expectations

2. Establishing Plan Management Supports and Service Agreements

• Explaining the full scope of plan management services
• Clarifying roles, boundaries and responsibilities
• Explaining participant budgets and how they may be used
• Confirming funding availability across categories
• Negotiating reimbursement and invoicing arrangements
• Documenting everything in a service agreement
• Ensuring accessibility and participant understanding
• Setting up communication and reporting preferences

3. Administering the Participant’s NDIS Funding

• Tracking, allocating and monitoring budget categories
• Ensuring funds are used appropriately and efficiently
• Identifying underspend or overspend early
• Advising participants on budget use and value maximisation
• Supporting financial understanding and planning
• Keeping administration aligned with NDIS rules

4. Financial Administration: Processing Invoices, Claims and Payments

• Validating invoices
• Ensuring supports were delivered
• Claiming via the NDIS portal using correct support items
• Paying providers promptly after claim approval
• Reimbursing participants for eligible out-of-pocket costs
• Processing late invoices
• Correcting errors or rejected claims

5. Ensuring Compliance With NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Claiming Rules

• Checking services fall within NDIS Price Limits
• Using correct support item codes
• Ensuring supports align with the participant’s goals
• Confirming support types fit NDIA rules (reasonable and necessary)
• Rejecting non-compliant claims (unlawful, duplicative, non-delivered, out-of-scope)
• Explaining rejected claims clearly
• Refunding improper claims to NDIA if required

6. Participant Budget Reporting and Financial Updates

• Monthly spending statements
• Real-time budget updates where possible
• Statements for reassessments or audits
• Account summaries on request
• Final statements when participants transition to a new plan manager
• Providing reports in accessible formats

7. NDIS Record-Keeping and Documentation Requirements

• Maintaining accurate financial records
• Storing service agreements
• Keeping invoices, receipts, claims and evidence
• Keeping communication logs related to funding decisions
• Meeting privacy, confidentiality and retention requirements

8. Providing Participant Financial Guidance and NDIS Budget Education

• Explaining how NDIS plans function
• Supporting participants to understand price limits
• Clarifying flexibility rules across supports
• Explaining differences between types of providers
• Helping participants make informed financial decisions
• Respecting and upholding choice and control

9. Providing Training in Plan and Financial Management (When Funded)

• Teaching participants to track budgets
• Understanding invoices
• Reading price limits
• Using the NDIS portal
• Understanding service agreements
• Building financial literacy as a pathway to potential self-management

10. Ensuring Safe, Ethical and Compliant Financial Practices

• Following the NDIS Code of Conduct
• Identifying misuse of funds or fraudulent activity
• Avoiding conflicts of interest
• Taking action on concerns: fraud, abuse, neglect, exploitation
• Supporting participants to access complaints pathways

11. Managing Conflicts of Interest and Maintaining Independence

• Acting impartially in financial decisions
• Declaring all conflicts of interest
• Avoiding steering participants toward preferred providers
• Ensuring participants retain full choice and control
• Avoiding dual-role risks that may reduce independence

12. Maintaining Privacy, Cybersecurity and Data Protection

• Protecting participant financial and personal information
• Complying with privacy law and NDIS Commission requirements
• Using secure systems for data transfer and storage
• Managing cyber risks, fraud prevention and identity safety

13. Communicating Effectively and Responsively With Participants

• Using participant’s preferred communication method
• Explaining information in accessible formats
• Responding promptly to enquiries
• Notifying participants about spending risks or anomalies
• Supporting resolution of invoice disputes
• Providing guidance during major plan changes

14. Managing Transitions Between Plan Managers

• Respecting notice periods
• Providing final statements
• Sharing pending invoices and claims
• Ensuring continuity of financial administration
• Cooperating fully with incoming plan managers

15. Managing Complaints, Disputes and Participant Concerns

• Having a clear complaints process
• Resolving issues directly where possible
• Documenting all complaint-handling actions
• Supporting participants to escalate to the NDIS Commission if required

16. Compliance With NDIA Financial Rules and NDIS Commission Requirements

• NDIS Practice Standards
• NDIS Code of Conduct
• Worker Screening
• Incident management obligations
• NDIA compliance expectations for financial administration
• Provider audit obligations

COURSE DURATION:

The typical duration of this course is approximately 4-5 hours to complete. Your enrolment is Valid for 12 Months. Start anytime and study at your own pace.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

You must have access to a computer or any mobile device with Adobe Acrobat Reader (free PDF Viewer) installed, to complete this course.

COURSE DELIVERY:

Purchase and download course content.

ASSESSMENT:

A simple 10-question true or false quiz with Unlimited Submission Attempts.

CERTIFICATION:

Upon course completion, you will receive a customised digital “Certificate of Completion”.