National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 701
To Whom It May Concern,
I am the director and sole clinician of Climb On Occupational Therapy, a small paediatric occupational therapy practice supporting young children and families across regional and rural communities on the NSW South Coast. I provide developmental and neuroaffirming supports for children with developmental delay and neurodivergent support needs.
I support the need for a sustainable NDIS and recognise the importance of improving consistency, safeguarding participants, and reducing fraud within the scheme. However, I am concerned that several proposed changes within the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 risk creating significant unintended consequences for children, families, providers, and communities, particularly in regional and rural areas.
In practice, many families are already struggling to access timely developmental supports. Long waitlists, workforce shortages, travel barriers, and service gaps are common. Families often access support only after extended periods of stress, school difficulties, emotional dysregulation, exclusion from community participation, or breakdown within family systems.
While the reforms place significant emphasis on future Foundational Supports and early childhood reform pathways such as Thriving Kids, many of these systems are not yet operational or workforce-ready, particularly outside metropolitan areas. There is a substantial risk that NDIS access may tighten before alternative systems are adequately established.
I am particularly concerned about the proposed tightening of access criteria, the increasing focus on “functional capacity” assessments in controlled contexts, and the requirement that impairments demonstrate permanence despite many neurodevelopmental presentations fluctuating across environments and developmental stages. Many young children function very differently depending on relationships, regulation, sensory load, environmental demands, and caregiver support. Assessing children outside the context of their real environments risks underestimating support needs.
The proposed restrictions around reassessments are also concerning. Families frequently seek reassessment because a child’s developmental needs change rapidly, educational placements break down, caregiver capacity changes, or previously manageable situations become unsafe or unsustainable. While reducing inappropriate reassessment requests is reasonable, stricter thresholds may unintentionally delay necessary support adjustments during critical developmental periods.
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 701
From a provider perspective, there is also concern about the cumulative impact of these reforms on small private practices and workforce sustainability. Many regional communities rely heavily on small independent providers because larger organisations are either unavailable or unable to recruit staff locally. Increased administrative burden, uncertainty around future funding models, and reduced service flexibility may contribute to further workforce loss and provider closures.
This would not only affect providers themselves. It would directly affect children, parents, schools, preschools, and communities already struggling to access support.
Early developmental support is not simply about reducing future NDIS costs. In my experience, timely and relationship-based support can significantly improve a child’s regulation, participation, confidence, school engagement, family functioning, and long- term developmental trajectory. Supporting caregivers and educators to better understand and respond to a child’s needs often creates meaningful functional improvements well before formal developmental milestones shift.
If families lose access to flexible and developmentally informed supports, there is likely to be increased downstream pressure on schools, mental health systems, paediatric services, and families themselves.
I respectfully encourage the Committee to carefully consider the practical realities facing regional families, frontline clinicians, and small providers during implementation of these reforms.
Practical Recommendations
• Ensure Foundational Supports and Thriving Kids services are genuinely established and workforce-ready before significantly tightening NDIS access.
• Maintain practical flexibility around reassessments for children with changing developmental and family circumstances.
• Recognise the importance of developmental, relationship-based, and neuroaffirming approaches when assessing functional capacity and support needs.
• Consider the impact of reforms on regional and rural workforce sustainability and service availability.
• Continue meaningful consultation with frontline clinicians, families, and small providers during implementation.
• Preserve a mixed ecosystem of supports, including experienced small private providers embedded within local communities.
Thank you for the opportunity to provide feedback on the proposed legislation.
National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 Submission 701
Sincerely,
Claire Sutherland (she/her)
Director/Paediatric Occupational Therapist
W: www.climbonot.com or check out my Facebook page here