People with Disability Australia (PWDA) has welcomed the announcement of a new support needs assessment tool for the NDIS.
The NDIA announced last week it had procured a license for the new tool, the Instrument for Classification and Assessment of Support Needs (I-CAN) version 6.
It said the tool will be applied alongside questionnaires assessing each individual’s personal and environmental circumstances, and further targeted assessments will be used for people with more complex disability support needs.
The University of Melbourne has partnered with the Centre for Disability Studies to provide the I-CAN.
The two organisations will work with the NDIA to use and modify the I-CAN tool to ensure it is fit-for-purpose within the NDIS.
The new framework will be introduced in stages from mid-2026 so participants can provide real-time feedback.
‘Holistic assessments’ through I-CAN
PWDA said it was encouraged by the decision to licence the I-CAN version 6 tool and to adapt it in collaboration with the disability community.
It views this as an opportunity to move away from a clinical or deficit-based model, and towards a holistic assessment of people’s lives, support needs and wellbeing.
“We are pleased to see a commitment to a person-centred, rights-based assessment process that understands people with disability as whole people — not just diagnoses. This is a critical foundation for genuine reform,” said Alexandra Bignell, Board Director, PWDA.
“We welcome the commitment to ongoing co-design with people with disability, their supporters and representative organisations as the tool is developed, adapted, implemented and evaluated.”
Questions remain
While the I-CAN tool is not new, PWDA said careful codesign, modification, piloting and evaluation of its application in the NDIS will be needed.
PWDA welcomed the codesign approach and centering of lived experience during the rollout but asked for transparency about the involvement of people with disability in this process.
It said some questions about the I-CAN tool’s application still need answers, including:
- What qualifications will assessors be required to hold, and how will training be delivered?
- Will participants still have the option for reports and recommendations from their trusted providers considered?
- How will the needs assessment report be translated into a participant budget?
- How will complexity be defined and identified, particularly where budget size does not reflect complexity or risk?
- How will the tool be accessible to all participants, adapted for people with communication support needs, and include support for decision making?
“We are cautiously optimistic about the announcement. PWDA will closely monitor the next stages and will engage in all opportunities for co-design. The new needs assessment process must ensure no one is worse off and be a foundation for a fairer NDIS that genuinely supports people with disability to thrive,” said Bignell.