Skills and characteristics of a good support coordinator for people with disability and complex needs: scoping review.

Abstract

PURPOSE: Support coordinators play an essential role in Australia's National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), supporting participants to navigate the scheme. Limited research describes the skills and attributes of effective support coordination, and the barriers and facilitators to high-quality support. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A scoping review of the published literature from 2012 to 25 March 2025 was conducted using MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, ProQuest, Scopus, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and Informit. A focused search strategy was used to identify grey literature via Google Advanced Search and specific websites. RESULTS: Ten peer-reviewed papers, (seven qualitative, three commentary) and 37 grey literature documents were identified. Results from peer-reviewed papers highlighted inhibitors to effective support coordination, desirable attributes of a support coordinator, and provided guidance on best practice. The grey literature revealed the need to regulate training, professional development, and quality standards for support coordination. It also highlighted flaws in NDIS processes and the need for additional hours and paid professional development. CONCLUSION: The absence of well-defined role expectations for support coordinators contributes to confusion amongst stakeholders. Enhancing role clarity and establishing clear expectations are essential.