Supported Decision Making Advisory Group meeting summary May 2026

The Supported Decision Making Advisory Group (SDMAG) met on Wednesday, 6 May 2026. The meeting was held online.

Focus of the meeting

The focus of the May meeting was:

  • Feedback on the supported decision making staff training module.
  • Feedback on the support needs assessment.

The meeting also included updates from:

  • NDIA
  • NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.
  • Department of Health, Disability and Ageing about the National Disability Advocacy Program.

NDIA update

Feedback on the Supported decision making staff training module

Over 7,000 NDIS service delivery staff have completed the supported decision making online training module. The NDIA asked SDMAG members, Disability Representative and Carer Organisations, and NDIA staff for feedback on this training module.

The NDIA gave an update on the key themes of feedback received so far. This feedback will help improve many learning programs for NDIS staff.

Members provided additional feedback in the meeting, including:

  • It was good to see how their feedback has improved training for supported decision making.
  • The NDIA should plan ahead for supported decision making.
  • Legal processes do not always recognise or support families who are already helping participants to make good decisions. This can cause confusion between the law and real-world practices.

NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission update

The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission (NDIS Commission) are reviewing rules about restrictive practices and behaviour supports. The NDIS Commission wants to make sure the rules are still right for people today.

The NDIS Commission worked with participants and Inclusion Australia to develop new Supported Independent Living (SIL) Practice Standards.

The new SIL Practice Standards:

  • Use advice from people with disability and their families to explain what good SIL support looks like.
  • Focus on what people say matters most to them in shared living settings.
  • Include a new Supported Decision Making Practice Standard. This shows how participants can use supported decision making in their lives.

Member feedback included:

  • Strong support for how the NDIS Commission worked with participants to create the new SIL Practice Standards.
  • Participants need to have a say in who supports them in their home.

National Disability Advocacy Program update

A new Commonwealth Individual Disability Advocacy Program will soon replace the current National Disability Advocacy Program. These programs help people with disability get support to advocate for themselves.

  • The new Commonwealth Individual Disability Advocacy program will start on Monday, 16 November 2026.
  • The new program will still keep the same kinds of supports.
  • The government is still working on the final design of the new program.
  • There will be a transition period into 2027. This will help make sure supports continue until the new program is ready.

Members feedback included:

  • Advocacy is often too focused on the NDIS. Advocacy must help participants use other systems like health, education and justice.
  • People with disability often have more than one problem at the same time. Advocacy needs to help with all parts of their life, not just the NDIS.

Support Needs Assessment

Two SDMAG members took part in a practice support needs assessment, they shared their experience and feedback at the meeting. Testing will help the NDIA improve the support needs assessment before it becomes part of the new way of planning in April 2027.

Member feedback included:

  • It was good to get information before the assessment, but the information needs to be easier to understand.
  • The assessments need to use more plain language. People need more time to understand how to answer the questions.
  • The experience was mostly positive. The assessors were helpful and took time to get to know the participant.
  • The assessment was long and tiring. Some people may need to do the assessment over multiple meetings.
  • It was hard to answer some of the personal questions.
  • It was hard to know if the assessor understood and recorded the answers correctly.

Next meeting

The next SDMAG meeting is scheduled for 29 July 2026.