NDIS Navigator specialties: what the Review recommended

Will NDIS Navigators have specialties?

By Clickability · Originally published 5 November 2024

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Ask for the help you need, rather than a proposed job title

Describe the task you need help with: understanding a plan, comparing housing options, rebuilding routines or finding community services. Then ask your current NDIS contact what support is available. A recommended Navigator specialty is not evidence that the service has launched in your area.

If you already receive support coordination or recovery coaching, ask how the actual arrangement will continue before cancelling it. You can compare support coordination services by experience, communication and independence. Keep the distinction between that current service and the Review’s proposed model clear.

Original article and dated context

We know that the NDIS is creating a fair amount of uncertainty at the moment, so we're unpacking all the latest updates - including the recommended introduction of the NDIS Navigator.
In the first part of our NDIS Navigator series, we shared why the Federal Government is introducing Navigators and what they'll mean for you. Today, we'll dig a little deeper.
Specifically, we want to explore whether there will be different types of Navigators to support you for different circumstances. The short answer is yes. Let's see how.

[Clickability update, October 2026: These are proposed specialisations in the NDIS Review recommendations, not six established service entitlements. The statement that the answer is “yes” describes the proposed model, not confirmed local availability.]

What are the different types of Navigators?

We need to remember that NDIS Navigators were part of the recommendations made in the NDIS Review. Not all these changes are agreed upon, so it's not certain what they'll look like in practice.
However, the NDIS Review strongly recommended that there should be different types of Navigator, with the following specialisations:
  • General Navigators: support for all people with disability to access information and mainstream and NDIS services.
  • Specialist Navigators: support for NDIS participants who have complex support needs, in a similar vein to specialist support coordination.
  • Psychosocial Recovery Navigator: support for NDIS participants who have a psychosocial disability, in a similar vein to psychosocial recovery coaching. This would also be available to those who aren't NDIS participants.
  • Housing and Living Navigators: support for NDIS participants who want to trial housing and living options. This would include negotiating with chosen providers on the participant's behalf.
  • Shared Support Facilitator: support for NDIS participants who share housing and living options with others.
  • Lead Practitioner (for children and families): support for children and families, available to NDIS participants and those who might not be eligible to receive NDIS funding.
As we can see, the intent is to provide more supports to more people, including those who might not be NDIS participants - ensuring that the NDIS isn't the only lifeboat in the ocean. NDIS Navigators will do just that.

What's next for the NDIS?

Already, the NDIA are introducing changes to the scheme, including the release of the new NDIS supports list - enforcing what participants can and can't spend money on.
The Navigator is still a recommendation, with its introduction likely to happen after we see some of the more pressing changes officially adopted.
Do you think the Navigator is a good idea? Let us know! We'll be back soon with more information on the NDIS Navigator.

Clickability editorial update: October 2026

Use the proposed roles to identify gaps in today’s support

The recommended specialties offer a useful way to ask whether someone is receiving the right kind of help. Housing negotiation, psychosocial recovery and connection to mainstream services require different knowledge. Identify the missing function and an available pathway, rather than promising a future position will fill the gap.

Explain which work is covered by an existing funded arrangement and which referrals sit outside it. Use current support coordination guidance to describe your present role. Do not present the proposed Navigator model as an automatic replacement of someone’s coordinator or LAC.

For the updated timetable and current support choices, read what has changed since the navigator proposal.

Questions readers ask

Can I book every Navigator specialty listed here?

The list describes Review recommendations, not confirmed operational services or local availability. Official guidance

Should I cancel my support coordinator because Navigators were proposed?

A proposal is not a change to your individual arrangement. Check the current services and any actual transition instructions first. Official guidance

Find support coordination for the questions you have now

Describe the help you need through Clickability’s matching service. Compare reviewed and rated profiles and ask about relevant experience and conflicts of interest.

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