Social participation supports for autistic young people (Provider advocacy)

Submission 288

Submission to the Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs

National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations)

Bill 2026

About Spectrum Space

Spectrum Space delivers non-therapeutic (strengths-based), neuro-affirming social programs for autistic children and young people in and around the Perth metropolitan area.

We currently support around 300 participants, providing structured, interest-based programs designed specifically to foster peer connection, belonging, and social confidence.

Our programs are not clinical interventions. They are deliberately designed as safe, consistent environments where autistic young people can form and maintain meaningful friendships, often for the first time.

Our Position

We are deeply concerned that the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026, combined with planned policy settings, will result in large-scale reductions to social and community participation funding, with devastating consequences for the participants we support.

While these reductions are not explicitly written into the legislation, the Bill:

• Enables broad ministerial powers to reduce funding across support categories
• Allows system-wide cuts to be implemented via instruments without parliamentary scrutiny
• Removes review rights for participants These mechanisms will directly enable significant reductions to the supports that underpin social connection, inclusion, and mental wellbeing.

Key Issue: Cuts to Social and Community Participation

The Government has announced that, from October 2026:

• Social, civic and community participation supports may be reduced by up to 50%

• These changes will be implemented through the powers created in this Bill These particular supports are essential for building skills, maintaining routines, staying connected to community and participating in everyday life. For the participants we support, these are not optional supports, they are the primary mechanism through which social participation is possible at all.

  Spectrum Space | Ground Floor, Corner of South Terrace & Alma Street, Fremantle WA 6160 | PO

  Box 255 South Fremantle WA 6162 | Phone 08 9431 2111 | info@spectrumspace.org.au |

spectrumspace.org.au

AW ADM F043

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Submission 288

Real-World Impact on Spectrum Space Participants

For the ~300 young people attending Spectrum Space: Loss of safe, accessible social environments

Autistic young people are frequently excluded from mainstream environments due to:

• sensory overwhelm
• social communication differences
• bullying or prior negative experiences Our programs are intentionally designed to remove these barriers.

If funding is reduced, many participants will lose access to an environment where they feel safe to engage socially.

Breakdown of emerging friendships and peer networks

As noted in previous organisation submissions to Government:

• Friendship and belonging are fundamental developmental needs

• These relationships require consistent, ongoing support to develop Short-term or reduced funding will:

• disrupt continuity

• prevent relationships from forming

• dismantle existing peer networks Increased social isolation and mental health impacts

There is strong evidence that autistic children experience:

• higher rates of loneliness

• increased anxiety and depression

• long-term mental health risks associated with isolation Removing social participation supports will:

• increase isolation

• reduce protective factors (belonging, routine, peer connection)

• lead to greater reliance on crisis, mental health, and clinical services This does not reduce cost - it shifts it to other systems.

Mainstream systems cannot replace these supports

It is unrealistic to assume that mainstream providers or community programs will “pick up” this work.

Mainstream environments:

• are not designed for neurodivergent needs

• lack trained staff and appropriate structure

• often unintentionally exclude autistic participants Our programs succeed because they are:

  Spectrum Space | Ground Floor, Corner of South Terrace & Alma Street, Fremantle WA 6160 | PO Box 255

  South Fremantle WA 6162 | Phone 08 9431 2111 | info@spectrumspace.org.au | spectrumspace.org.au

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Submission 288

• neuro-affirming
• strengths-based
• intentionally designed for this cohort These supports cannot be replicated without equivalent funding and design.

System-Level Concern: Cuts Before Alternatives Exist

Foundational Supports Gap

The Government has indicated that Foundational Supports will eventually replace or supplement some supports currently delivered through NDIS-funded social and community participation.

However:

• these supports are still being designed and are not yet fully operational;

• there is no confirmed timeline for comprehensive national rollout;

• there is limited detail about what services will be available, for whom, and at what level of intensity; and

• there is no evidence that they will meet the needs of participants who require structured, specialist social programs, including autistic young people

The success of NDIS reforms assumes the availability of alternative supports; however, these systems are still incomplete and evolving, and not yet able to replace existing supports at scale. This presents a risk of gaps where essential supports are reduced without a viable alternative.

Without careful sequencing, this will result in:

• immediate loss of access to supports;
• increased social isolation;
• deterioration in mental health and wellbeing; and
• increased pressure on families and other service systems

Planning and Flexibility

Participants’ need for social connection is ongoing but may fluctuate during key life stages, including transitions between school years, adolescence, and periods of mental health vulnerability. Planning frameworks must remain flexible enough to respond to these changes without delays or gaps in support.

Workforce and System Capacity

These programs also rely on a skilled workforce experienced in neuro-affirming practice, which cannot be rapidly replicated or replaced within mainstream services without sustained investment.

Evidence and Outcomes

Many of the outcomes achieved through structured social participation supports, such as increased confidence, improved emotional regulation, and reduced isolation, are well evidenced through lived experience and longitudinal observation, even where large-scale clinical trials may be limited. Decision-making frameworks that prioritise narrow definitions of evidence risk excluding supports that are effective in practice and critical to participant wellbeing.

Participant Impact

• Story One: “…was unsure about her autism and felt ashamed of being different. When she came back from THMP after the first time she was so happy and well regulated. She found others just like her who

  Spectrum Space | Ground Floor, Corner of South Terrace & Alma Street, Fremantle WA 6160 | PO Box 255

  South Fremantle WA 6162 | Phone 08 9431 2111 | info@spectrumspace.org.au | spectrumspace.org.au

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Submission 288

understood her and were appreciative of her when she was just being herself. She didn’t have to mask her need to stim and push down her impulses in order to fit in – she felt like she could just be herself. And she loved that many of the mentors were autistic too. She talked about wanting to be like them when she grew up. 10 is a hard age as kids start to form cliques and try to be ‘cool’ to fit in and when you still have such strong desire to be in your own imaginary world but your peers start to shame you for this, you internalise embarrassment and shame. We did wonder how she would ever be able to start to gain independence from us, especially as she is so vulnerable to being led by others and to being taken advantage of by others. Being around peers at Spectrum Space who were just like her was so powerful. For us as parents, we have never been able to send her to something independently without her coming home with high needs to regulate and recover, but coming back from THMP she was so relaxed and comfortable…”

For this participant, Spectrum Space is the only environment where this child has safely been able to be her true self (i.e. without ‘masking’). Removing access risks reintroducing the shame, exhaustion and social vulnerability that previously defined her daily life.

• Story Two: “This program has enabled our family to have respite, whilst teaching my child social skills, life skills and friendship building in a safe and supportive environment…Since attending, my child’s confidence has increased, he is participating in his community and his general mood has increased significantly. He will now try new things/visit unfamiliar places…My son loves going and it now enables me to spend quality time with my other two children who often are not able to do particular activities because of their brother’s sensory and behavioural issues. My son’s confidence as increased and he is not spending less time at home in his room isolating himself away from others”…

For this participant, Spectrum Space provides the structure and safety needed to build confidence, reduce isolation and participate in everyday life - without it, he is at high risk of returning to withdrawal and disengagement.

Note: these examples are not exceptional, they are typical of the participants we support every day. For many autistic young people, meaningful social participation does not occur spontaneously in mainstream environments. It requires structured, consistent, and appropriately designed supports. Reducing access to these supports does not reduce need. It removes the mechanisms through which need is met, increasing the likelihood of isolation, disengagement, and mental health decline.

Impact on Families

The impacts of these changes extend beyond participants to their families. Reductions in funded supports will increase reliance on families to fill gaps in social and community participation. This is not sustainable. Families already provide substantial informal care, and further expectations risk burnout, reduced workforce participation, and diminished wellbeing across the family unit.

Why This Matters

The impacts outlined above extend beyond service access, they affect safety, development, and long term life outcomes. Social participation is also a critical safeguarding mechanism. When autistic young people are connected to structured, supported environments, there is increased visibility, oversight, and protection against isolation, a known risk factor for abuse, neglect, and exploitation.

Reducing access to these supports increases the likelihood that vulnerable young people become socially isolated, placing them at greater risk and reducing protective oversight.

Social and community participation supports are often misunderstood as discretionary or “nice to have.”

For the young people we support, they are:

• the gateway to friendships

• the primary setting for social learning

• a key protective factor for mental health

• a foundation for long-term independence and inclusion Spectrum Space | Ground Floor, Corner of South Terrace & Alma Street, Fremantle WA 6160 | PO Box 255

  South Fremantle WA 6162 | Phone 08 9431 2111 | info@spectrumspace.org.au | spectrumspace.org.au

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Submission 288

Removing or significantly reducing these supports will result in:

• increased isolation
• declining mental health
• reduced functional capacity over time
• increased long-term system costs Autism is a lifelong neurodevelopmental disability, and while support needs may change over time, the need for environments that enable participation and belonging is ongoing.

These outcomes demonstrate that functional capacity for autistic young people is highly dependent on environment and support. Removing appropriate supports does not reveal independence, it reduces the ability to function and participate.

Recommendations

We recommend that the Committee:

1. Prevent cuts to participation supports Amend the Bill to ensure that:

• no broad reductions to social and community participation supports can occur via rules or legislative instruments made under proposed section 45C (and related provisions in Schedule 1 Part 4); and

• funding decisions remain individualised, evidence-based and responsive to participant need, rather than being subject to system-wide caps or category limits

2. Delay any reductions until alternatives exist Require that:

• no reductions to social and community participation or capacity building supports take effect until Foundational Supports are fully operational, adequately funded, and demonstrably able to meet participant needs; and

• continuity of support is guaranteed during any transition period, ensuring that no participant experiences a gap, reduction, or loss of essential supports

3. Recognise social participation as essential, not discretionary Embed within the legislation or associated NDIS Rules that:

• supports that build social capacity, connection, and participation must be recognised as directly related to disability, even where they are non-clinical and strengths-based in nature

• social and community participation supports are core, essential supports, not discretionary or lower-priority categories; and

• funding for these supports must reflect their critical role in maintaining mental health, social inclusion, developmental outcomes, and long-term independence.

4. Strengthen transparency and oversight Ensure that:

• participants must retain clear rights to review and appeal funding decisions, including where changes occur through rule-making or system-wide adjustments

• any system-wide funding changes made under proposed section 45C or related rule-making powers are subject to full parliamentary scrutiny, including the ability for disallowance; and

  • participants, families, and providers are given adequate advance notice and genuine

consultation prior to any changes that affect funding levels, eligibility, or support categories.

Spectrum Space | Ground Floor, Corner of South Terrace & Alma Street, Fremantle WA 6160 | PO Box 255

South Fremantle WA 6162 | Phone 08 9431 2111 | info@spectrumspace.org.au | spectrumspace.org.au

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Submission 288

Conclusion

Spectrum Space exists because mainstream systems have often fallen short in meeting the social needs of autistic young people.

The proposed funding reductions risk dismantling the very supports that:

• enable participation
• foster belonging
• protect mental health
• and build the confidence, skills and independence young people need to engage meaningfully in their communities.

For the 300 participants we support - and many more across Australia - this is not a marginal change.

Programs like Spectrum Space do more than provide social opportunities. They:

• improve wellbeing and emotional regulation
• build confidence and self-identity
• develop social and communication skills
• support greater independence over time
• and lay the foundations for future education, employment and community participation Without these supports, these outcomes are not simply delayed, they are at risk of being lost entirely.

This is the difference between:

• connection and isolation

• inclusion and exclusion

• capability and dependency

• long-term participation and long-term system reliance We urge the Committee to ensure that the NDIS continues to uphold its foundational purpose of

  enabling people with disability to participate fully in their communities and build meaningful,

independent lives.

Cutting social participation supports does not reduce need, it undermines the pathways that lead to independence and contribution, and relocates need into mental health systems, families, and crisis services at far greater human and economic cost.

Submitted by: Spectrum Space

Date: 28 May 2026

Spectrum Space | Ground Floor, Corner of South Terrace & Alma Street, Fremantle WA 6160 | PO Box 255

South Fremantle WA 6162 | Phone 08 9431 2111 | info@spectrumspace.org.au | spectrumspace.org.au

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