In short. You are allowed to change providers. You do not need permission from your current one. Check your service agreement for the notice period, line up the new provider before you give notice, and the two of them can usually manage the handover between them. The main risk is a gap in your supports, and it is avoidable with about two weeks of planning.
First, the thing nobody says out loud
Changing providers is normal. It is not disloyal, it is not ungrateful, and it does not make you a difficult participant.
People stay too long with a provider that is not working because they think leaving will be a fight, or because the provider has become the person who knows their routine and starting again feels exhausting. Both of those are real. Neither is a reason to stay somewhere that is letting you down.
Your funding is yours. It follows you.
When is it worth changing?
Some of these are fixable with a conversation first, and it is worth having that conversation. Others are not.
Worth raising first:
- The worker is not a good match, but the provider is otherwise fine. Ask for a different worker. A decent provider will do this without fuss.
- Shifts are at awkward times. Ask for a roster change.
- Communication is patchy. Ask who your single point of contact is.
Usually time to leave:
- Shifts get cancelled and nobody tells you.
- A different stranger turns up every week.
- Nobody answers the phone, or you always get a call centre.
- You raised a complaint and nothing changed.
- They said yes to supports they are not registered for.
- You do not feel safe or respected.
If it is that last one, you can also raise it with the NDIS Commission on 1800 035 544, whether or not you leave.
Step 1: read your service agreement
Your service agreement is the contract between you and your provider. It will say two things that matter here.
The notice period. Commonly two weeks or 28 days. It should be the same both ways. If your provider can end the agreement with two weeks and you need to give eight, that is a lopsided agreement and worth questioning.
Any exit costs. Some agreements allow a charge if you end early. This is more common in supported independent living arrangements, where the provider has staffing commitments built around your roster.
If you cannot find your service agreement, ask for a copy. You are entitled to it.
Step 2: line up the new provider first
This is the step that prevents a gap.
Do not give notice and then start looking. Find the new provider, confirm they have capacity for your actual days and hours, and get a start date in writing. Then give notice, counting backwards so the new supports start as the old ones end.
When you talk to the new provider, tell them you are switching. Say so plainly. A provider who handles transfers regularly will have a process, and one who gets awkward about it is telling you something.
Ask them:
- Do you have capacity for these specific days and times, not just in general?
- When could you realistically start?
- Will you talk to my current provider about the handover?
- What do you need from me to get going?
Step 3: give notice, in writing
Email is fine. Keep it short and keep a copy. You do not owe anyone an explanation.
Hi [name], I am writing to give notice to end my service agreement with [provider], effective [date], in line with the [x] week notice period in our agreement. Could you please confirm receipt and let me know what you need from me to finalise things. Thank you for the support you have provided.
You can be warmer than that if you want to be. You do not have to justify the decision, and a provider who presses you for reasons is out of line. If they ask for feedback and you want to give it, that is your choice and it can genuinely help the next person.
Step 4: what transfers, and what does not
Usually transfers or can be requested:
- Your NDIS plan and funding. These are yours, they are not held by the provider.
- Support plans, risk assessments and care plans written about you. Ask for copies. You have a right to your own records.
- Any equipment funded through your plan that belongs to you.
- Medication charts, communication profiles, behaviour support plans.
Usually does not transfer:
- Your support workers. They are employed by the provider. Sometimes a worker moves with you if they choose to and there is no restriction stopping them, but you cannot rely on it and you should not assume it.
- Provider-owned equipment.
- Service bookings, which need to be ended and remade.
Ask for your records early. Requesting them a week before you leave works better than requesting them a week after.
Step 5: sort out the service bookings
How this works depends on how your plan is managed. There is more on the three options in our guide to registered and unregistered providers.
NDIA-managed. The old provider ends the service booking. The new provider makes a new one. If the old booking is not ended, it can lock up funding the new provider needs. Chase it.
Plan-managed. Tell your plan manager the date of the change and give them the new provider’s details. They handle the rest.
Self-managed. You end one arrangement and start the other. Keep the invoices.
If you have a support coordinator, this is exactly the sort of thing they are funded to manage. Ask them to run it.
Step 6: overlap if you can
If your funding and your provider agreements allow it, a short overlap of a week or two is the safest version of this. The new workers learn your routine while the old ones are still there, and if something goes wrong you have not already burned the bridge.
It is not always possible, particularly in supported independent living. Where it is possible, take it.
What if it goes wrong?
The old provider will not release your records. Ask in writing, citing your right to access your own information. If they still refuse, raise it with the NDIS Commission on 1800 035 544.
They are charging you for the notice period without providing supports. Check the agreement. If it does not allow that, dispute it in writing.
The new provider is not ready on the start date. Ask the old provider for a short extension. Most will agree, and it is a reasonable request.
You are left without supports. Call your support coordinator first. If you do not have one, call your local area coordinator or the NDIA on 1800 800 110. If it is a safety issue, say that clearly.
A short checklist
- Read the service agreement, note the notice period and any exit fee
- Find the new provider and confirm capacity for your actual days and hours
- Get a written start date
- Request copies of your support plans and records
- Give notice in writing, counting backwards from the new start date
- Tell your plan manager or support coordinator the change date
- End the old service booking, make the new one
- Arrange an overlap if you can
- Confirm the first shift the day before it happens
If you are switching to us
We do this regularly and it is not awkward. Tell us the days and hours you actually need, not the ones on paper, and we will tell you honestly whether we can cover them and from when. If we cannot, we will say so rather than take the referral and hope.
We will talk to your outgoing provider about the handover if you would like us to, and we would rather have a two week overlap than a clean break with a gap in the middle.
Serenica Support is a registered NDIS provider, registration number 4-LOHEV53, delivering eleven registration groups across Sydney. The full list with numbers is on our services page, and what happens after you contact us is set out in what happens next.
General information only. This is not advice about your plan or your service agreement. For questions about your own plan, speak to your support coordinator, your local area coordinator, or the NDIA on 1800 800 110. For concerns about a provider, the NDIS Commission is on 1800 035 544.
Thinking about changing? Tell us what is not working and what you need instead. Make a referral or call 1800 770 781.