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NDIS-funded Therapy in Schools

Policy last updated

26 October 2026

Scope

  • Schools

On this page

Date:
22 Jan 2020

Policy

Policy

This policy outlines how schools can manage requests for National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)-funded therapy delivered on school grounds.

Summary

  • Schools must consider if NDIS-funded therapy at school would be safe, practical and appropriate.
  • The principal decides if NDIS-funded providers can deliver therapy at school. For more information, go to the Guidance tab.
  • NDIS-funded supports help a student with their everyday needs related to their disability. These supports are not for educational purposes. The Department of Education (the department) is responsible for supports for students to access their education. For information on supports for students with disability, including reasonable adjustments, go to the Students with Disability policy.

Details

Background

The NDIS helps Australians with disabilities, their families and carers. The Commonwealth Government is responsible for the NDIS.

The National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) runs the NDIS. The NDIA decides who can use the NDIS and what funding they get. This is based on a person’s lifelong functional impairment.

The NDIS does not cover services that are reasonable and necessary for children to take part in education. These remain the responsibility of the department.

For information about accessing the NDIS, visit The NDIS and schools(opens in a new window).

NDIS-funded therapy for students on school grounds

The NDIS allows children with disability and their parents/carers to choose how and when they access disability services and supports. The department is committed to supporting NDIS participants and their families to get the most out of the NDIS.

Parents/carers can ask their school principal to allow an NDIS-funded provider to:

  • deliver therapy to a student on school grounds
  • observe a student in the classroom or school environment
  • attend a Student Support Group meeting to improve the support given to the student.

NDIS-funded therapy can provide valuable benefits and complement holistic student planning and support processes at the school. Victorian government schools are encouraged to accommodate these requests where appropriate to help support students with disability.

Schools must consider a range of factors when deciding whether on-site NDIS-funded therapy would be appropriate to support a student with disability.

Principal decision making

Principals are encouraged to approve requests for NDIS-funded therapy to be delivered on school grounds, unless there are practical, legal or educational reasons to refuse.

Principals must consider:

  • a student’s needs and individual circumstances
  • student access to the curriculum
  • Child Safe Standards and duty of care, including supervision while NDIS-funded therapy is being provided
  • practical and administrative capacity
  • anti-discrimination obligations.

For more detailed information, refer to Key considerations on the Guidance tab.

Principals can permit or refuse entry to any person on Victorian government school premises. The final decision to approve or refuse a request rests with the principal.

Schools must make reasonable adjustments for students with disability under anti-discrimination laws. This is to support students with disability to obtain their education on the same basis as their peers. This is a requirement even if the student does not get NDIS support.

As NDIS-funded therapy does not replace or duplicate the responsibilities for schools to provide reasonable adjustments, there is no legal obligation on principals to approve a request for therapy on school grounds.

For further information, refer to Students with Disability.

Requirements for NDIS-funded therapy

NDIS-funded providers delivering therapy at school must:

  • only observe the student whose parent/carer has given consent
  • only take written notes about the student receiving therapy
  • only take audio recordings, video recordings and photographs of the student receiving therapy and only if they have written consent from the student's parent/carer
  • only use written notes, audio recordings, video recordings and photographs for therapy purposes
  • not take audio recordings, video recordings or photographs of other students
  • follow any reasonable instructions or directions from the school.

School policies

Schools must develop their own policies and procedures to effectively screen, manage and supervise all visitors. These policies apply when NDIS-funded providers visit the school. For more information, refer to the Visitors in Schools policy.

Definitions

Terminology used throughout the policy and guidance is defined below.

Mature minor
A student who the principal has deemed to be mature minor under the department’s Mature Minors and Decision Making policy. A mature minor may also make a request or give consent for themselves.

Parents and carers
A natural or legal parent, a person who has legal responsibility for the student and allowed to make decisions about their health and wellbeing, or an informal carer.

Principal
The school principal. For the purposes of this policy, this may include a principal nominee, such as a member of the school leadership team.

Provider
A therapy provider or practitioner employed by an external disability service.

Relevant legislation

Contact

For general information about the NDIS:

For specific queries about the NDIS and your school, please contact your your senior education improvement leader.

For more information about this policy, contact the Inclusive Education Division team at: ndis@education.vic.gov.au.

Guidance

Responding to requests for NDIS funded therapy in schools – guidelines for principals

This guidance contains the following chapters:

  • Step 1: Get information and consent
  • Step 2: Make a decision
  • Step 3: Communicate the decision
  • Step 4: Make arrangements for approved therapy at school
  • Step 5: Manage the arrangements

Step 1: Get information and consent

Principals may receive requests from parents/carers for NDIS funded providers to deliver therapy to a student. This can happen at school (in person or virtually), during, before or after school hours.

Before making a decision about NDIS-funded therapy at school, principals must:

1. Part 1 of the request form completed by the NDIS provider

When parents/carers make a request, the NDIS-funded provider must complete part 1 of the Request form and parents and carers consent form (DOCX) (staff login required)(opens in a new window).

The NDIS provider must provide:

Parents/carers are encouraged to work with the NDIS provider to fill out the request form. This includes explaining why they want the therapy to take place at school.

2. Part 2 of the request form completed by parent/carer

Part 2 of the request form requires:

  • the parent or carer to consent to the request
  • the student’s personal and health information being provided to the school.

Consent may be provided by:

3. School receives the form

Once the principal receives the form, they must:

  • consider the request following the guidance in Step 2: Make a decision
  • aim to respond to within 10 business days
  • retain the completed request form and supporting documentation securely on the student’s file. This must be done following privacy and record management requirements.

Step 2: Make a decision

Step 2: Make a decision

When deciding whether to approve a request for NDIS-funded therapy on school grounds, principals must consider:

  • the individual student’s circumstances
  • the Child Safe Standards
  • duty of care and supervision
  • student access to the curriculum
  • practical and administrative capacity
  • the school’s responsibilities and anti-discrimination law
  • the Charter of Human Rights.

Requests must be decided on a case-by-case basis, considering the student’s individual circumstances.

When making a decision, principals must:

1. Individual student’s circumstances

Principals must consider the student’s best interests, including:

  • the student’s family and social circumstances
  • if therapy during school hours will support the student’s wellbeing, participation or learning. For example, if a student gets tired easily, they might benefit from therapy during school hours instead of after
  • if there are barriers to getting therapy outside school hours.

The main focus in making a decision must be the student's best interest. Convenience for NDIS providers or parents/carers is a secondary consideration.

Key questions for the principal to consider

  • Has the provider outlined the aim of the therapy?
  • Is the request in the best interests of the student or for the benefit of another party (for example, the working hours of the provider)?
  • Will the student still get the therapy they need if the request is declined?
  • Will there be any serious negative effects for the student if the therapy request is declined?

2. Child Safe Standards

The Child Safe Standards are compulsory minimum standards for organisations that work with children. They aim to help protect children from abuse.

The Child Safe Standards require schools to:

  • have strategies, policies and procedures in place to ensure the school is a child-safe organisation
  • have strategies to identify and reduce or remove risks of child abuse
  • have appropriate practices in place to reduce the risk of child abuse.

When considering a request for NDIS-funded therapy at school, principals must:

  • consider any child safety risks
  • assess whether any risks can be addressed.

For more information, read the Child Safe Standards policy or go to the department’s Guidance on implementing the Child Safe Standards in schools(opens in a new window).

Key questions for the principal to consider

  • Does the provider have a current Working with Children Check?
  • Will the provider agree to follow the school’s child safety policies and child safety code of conduct?

3. Duty of care

Duty of care means principals and teachers must take reasonable steps to reduce the risk of any reasonably foreseeable harm to students. Principals and teachers have duty of care when NDIS-funded therapy happens at school during school hours.

Schools must consider if they can meet duty of care to all students if NDIS-funded therapy happens at school.

This includes:

  • providing safe and suitable premises for students for therapy to occur
  • providing adequate student supervision during school hours. For example, school staff having line of sight of therapy sessions
  • requiring the NDIS provider to hold and maintain a Working with Children Check. This includes providing evidence to the school of a valid WWCC per the school’s Visitors policy (staff login required)(opens in a new window)
  • meeting their requirements under the Child Safe Standards as explained in the above section.

Refer to Duty of Care for more information.

Supervision of students during school hours

Schools must provide appropriate supervision to lower the risk of harm to a student. Schools must consider this as part of a risk management assessment and child safety.

Spaces for therapy must:

  • be accessible
  • maintain privacy (for example, by avoiding spaces where other students are present)
  • not be disruptive for a student or class
  • allow school staff to see the NDIS provider work with the student while they continue their work
  • not be in secluded areas of the school where possible.

An example of a good space is a room with glass walls or windows. It should be in a busy area of the school, so staff can walk by and watch the session.

Read Child Safe Standard 6: Suitable staff and volunteers(opens in a new window) and Standard 9: Physical and online environments(opens in a new window).

Requests for therapy on school grounds outside of school hours

School staff are not required to supervise NDIS-funded therapy at school outside of school hours.

Principals can say no to NDIS-funded therapy at school outside of school hours. This may happen when there are:

  • concerns about the level of supervision that can be provided at these times
  • issues accessing school buildings when staff aren't on duty.

A principal can consider approving NDIS-funded therapy at school outside of school hours when:

  • an adult family member or carer agrees to supervise and be present at the therapy (each session, for the whole session)
  • there are no practical issues with approving such a request. School staff will be at the school to open up before the therapy or lock up after the therapy ends.

If schools approve NDIS-funded therapy at school outside of school hours they must:

  • agree on the arrangements between the school council and the NDIS-funded provider including completion of the licence agreement. For more details, go to Step 4: Make arrangements for approved therapy at school
  • requiring the NDIS provider to hold and maintain a Working with Children Check. This includes providing evidence to the school of a valid WWCC per the school’s Visitors policy (staff login required)(opens in a new window)
  • take steps to avoid the school extending duty of care obligations to therapy outside school hours. This includes informing the parents/carers in writing that:
    • the therapy is not organised or managed by the school or the school council
    • the therapy is not a school activity
    • the parent/carer chooses the NDIS provider
    • the parent/carer is responsible for deciding if the provider is suitable for their child
    • school staff and the school council are not responsible for supervision
    • the parent/carer or another adult family member must be present and supervise the therapy (each session, for the whole session)
    • school staff and the school council are not responsible for supervision
    • the school might stop the NDIS-funded therapy at school if the parent/carer doesn't attend the sessions
    • the parent/carer chooses the NDIS provider
    • the parent/carer is responsible for deciding if the provider is suitable for their child.

Therapy sessions conducted outside school hours should not be scheduled during school supervision periods. For example, sessions should conclude at least 10 minutes before the start of the school day and commence no earlier than 10 minutes after the end of the school day. The school sets its supervision periods in its local Yard Duty and Supervision policy.

Key questions for the principal to consider

  • Is the therapy request for during or after school supervision hours?

If the request is for therapy during school supervision hours:

  • Can the school provide a safe and suitable location for the therapy to take place?
  • Will a staff member have a line of sight to the therapy? For example:
    • a classroom breakout space or corner
    • an adjunct room with a glass window
    • staff having a full view of a computer for online therapy.
  • If the therapy is in an isolated space, does the school have staff they can allocate to supervise it?

If the request is for therapy is outside school supervision hours:

  • Will an adult family member or carer supervise and be present at the therapy?
  • Will school staff be able to open the building before the therapy or lock up after the therapy ends?

4. Student access to the curriculum

The main purpose of school is to provide education to students through delivery of the curriculum.

When assessing a request for NDIS-funded therapy in school hours, principals must consider:

  • the requirements of the curriculum under school registration standards, including mandated content and minimum time allocations for some subjects
  • the impact of therapy on the student’s access to learning
  • if regularly held, the impact of missing the same class every week to attend NDIS-funded therapy
  • the impact of therapy on classroom activities and other students
  • the effect of additional adults in learning environments
  • whether the therapy at school will minimise disruption to the student’s education. For example, travelling to and from therapy during school hours may be more disruptive for the student than having the therapy at school.

Key questions for the principal to consider

  • Is the therapy time-dependent? For example, is the therapy a support that must take place during school hours?
  • What impact will there be on the student’s access to the curriculum or other key benefits of the educational program if they are taken out of class?
  • Will the needs of other students in the class and the classes being run by teachers in the school be disrupted by the therapy?
  • Does the student’s learning program have flexibility to accommodate therapy?

5. Practical and administrative capacity

Principals must consider whether the school has the capacity to have therapy on school grounds, including:

  • availability of suitable spaces
  • supervision requirements
  • administrative and operational impacts
  • the needs of other students and staff.

Key questions for the principal to consider

  • Does the school have appropriate available space to accommodate the therapy?
  • Is the school equipped to deal with additional administration that allowing therapy might entail (in particular, specialist schools with more NDIS participants)?

6. School responsibilities and anti-discrimination law

Schools must make reasonable adjustments for students with disability. This is to allow them to access their education on the same basis as their peers without a disability. Reasonable adjustments for students with disability are required:

  • under anti-discrimination laws
  • even if the student does not get NDIS support
  • even if the student does not get Disability Inclusion Funding and Support.

Go to making reasonable adjustments guidance for more details.

The NDIS may fund various specialised supports for a student’s disability needs. However, NDIS-funded therapy and specialised supports are not required to help a student access education.

NDIS-funded therapy does not replace the requirement for schools to provide reasonable adjustments to access their education. This means that principals do not have a legal obligation to approve a request for NDIS-funded therapy at school.

For advice on a school’s anti-discrimination obligations, contact Legal Division at legal.services@education.vic.gov.au.

Key questions for the principal to consider

  • Are there any anti-discrimination obligations that are relevant to this therapy request?
  • How will the therapy impact the school’s support and reasonable adjustments for the student?

7. Charter of Human Rights

When considering a request, principals must:

For advice about Charter obligations, contact Legal Division at legal.services@education.vic.gov.au.

Key questions for the principal to consider

  • Have relevant human rights been considered when assessing and deciding the request?

Finalising decision

Principals must make their decision on a case-by-case basis. They must think about all the key considerations, including relevant local school policies.

If principals need help, they should contact their senior education improvement leader (SEIL) first. For more help, principals can email the Inclusive Education Division at ndis@education.vic.gov.au.

Step 3: Communicate the decision

Step 3: Communicate the decision

Regardless of the decision, principals must aim to respond to the request within 10 business days.

Accepting the request

To accept a request, principals advise the parent/carer that the request has been approved using the template available on the Resources tab.

Accepting requests outside of school hours

If schools approve NDIS-funded therapy at school outside of school hours, they must take steps to avoid extending duty of care. The principal must outline the school's role and responsibilities in the License Agreement. The License Agreement must also inform the parents/carers of their responsibilities, including supervision. For more information, read: Duty of Care: Requests outside school hours.

Declining the request

To decline a request, principals must advise the parent/carer that the request has been declined using the template available on the Resources tab.

Complaints and dispute resolution

Schools must manage complaints following:

The first step is for schools to acknowledge the complaint in a timely manner and work with families to resolve concerns at the school level wherever possible.

If a resolution can't be reached at the school level, the principal will forward the complaint to the department’s regional office. Refer to Complaint Resolution for more information.

If principals need support, they can contact their Community Liaison Officer or SEIL.

Step 4: Make arrangements for approved therapy at school

Step 4: Make arrangements for approved therapy at school

Arrangements must be in place before NDIS-funded therapy can start. Principals must:

  • consider whether an optional meeting is required between the NDIS-funded provider and parent/carer
  • finalise the agreement between the NDIS-funded provider and school council
  • ensure the arrangement meets child safe standards.

1. Consider an optional meeting with the NDIS provider and parent/carer

Schools can hold a meeting with the parent/carer and NDIS-funded provider. This can help the school and provider have a shared support approach for the student. The meeting can confirm plans for the therapy, including:

  • therapy goals for the student. This can help the school and provider have a shared support approach
  • schedules and location of therapy
  • supervision arrangements
  • communication processes. For example, if the provider changes an appointment or if the student is away, the provider and parent/carer must let the school and each other know
  • expected standards of behaviour set out in the Child Safe Standards and the Child Safety Code of Conduct(opens in a new window)
  • if the family wants the NDIS-funded provider at Student Support Group meetings
  • the agreement for the NDIS provider to use school premises including any fees payable by the provider, as documented in the license agreement
  • the information sharing deed, as documented in the license agreement.

If a meeting happens, the school must take minutes of the meeting outcomes and keep a record securely on the student’s school file.

2. Put an agreement in place

Agreement between provider and school council to use school premises

Before therapy at school can start, the provider must sign the license agreement.

The license agreement:

  • is between the school council and the provider
  • includes an Information Sharing Deed
  • sets out the conditions of access to school premises
  • explains the rights and responsibilities of everyone involved
  • must be stored securely with access restricted to authorised staff. For example, stored electronically or as a hardcopy in a locked filing cabinet. Go to Records Management for more details.

Schools can find a license agreement template and a guide to help them complete it on the Resources tab.

The agreement contains important provisions, including:

  • the provider must have public liability insurance
  • the provider must follow all reasonable instructions and requests from the principal
  • allowing the principal to set up appropriate supervision plans. This includes appointing a staff member to supervise therapy sessions if needed
  • payments from the provider to cover costs for having the therapy on site.

If a provider delivers therapy to more than one student:

  • only one agreement is required
  • each student must have a parent/carer consent form completed
  • each student must have a therapy request and consent form completed.

If a student has multiple providers:

  • one agreement can cover multiple providers if they are employed by the same company or incorporated association
  • if providers are from different companies, each provider requires their own license agreement, parent/carer consent form and therapy request form.

If one provider is replaced by another from the same company or incorporated association:

  • parent/carers are required to complete a new consent form relating to the new provider.

For more advice, contact the Legal Division at legal.services@education.vic.gov.au.

Charging providers a fee to cover costs

Schools can charge the NDIS-funded provider a reasonable fee to use school rooms or equipment. The fee may be charged on a per year, per term, per day or per session basis (for example, one hour).

The NDIS-funded provider must pay this fee directly to the school. The cost must not be passed onto families. Families should not be charged extra fees, including gap fees, because a provider is being charged to deliver therapy at the school.

Determining a fee

Schools are responsible for calculating a reasonable amount to charge providers.

Schools can decide the cost of allowing providers to use school facilities. The specific circumstances of each school may vary.

Fees charged may cover (but are not limited to):

  • administration costs including time spent managing Agreements, undertaking paperwork, invoicing providers for license fees, scheduling appointments and managing the timetable of NDIS providers delivering support at school
  • staff supervision and oversight costs during sessions to support student safety
  • maintenance costs, for example, regular expenses incurred for the upkeep and repair of facilities to manage school assets
  • cleaning costs, such as the costs of school cleaning of spaces used for therapy.

The fee must be approved through school council.

Any fee should:

  • be modest and reasonable
  • reflect actual costs incurred by the school and not be revenue raising
  • consider whether the provider delivers therapy to more than one student at the school. Any fee could be capped at an annual cost for access to the school for multiple students
  • be communicated to families and providers.

Information sharing deed

The information sharing deed makes sure the school gets the information it needs. This helps the school support and educate students, while also meeting its legal duties. Parents/carers give consent for NDIS providers to share information in the parent/carer consent form in the request form.

The information sharing deed is in Annexure A of the agreement.

The information sharing deed explains:

  • what information the NDIS provider must share with the school
  • how the NDIS provider will share information
  • when the NDIS provider will share information.

Principals or their delegate must:

  • make changes to the information sharing deed so it states:
    • how often the NDIS provider will share information
    • how the NDIS provider will share information
  • discuss the requirements of the agreement with the NDIS provider.

When NDIS providers share information with the school, schools must:

  • keep the information confidential, as with student health records
  • follow their privacy and record keeping obligations.

For advice on completing the agreement or the Information Sharing Deed, principals can contact the Legal Division at legal.services@education.vic.gov.au.

3. Ensure the arrangement meets Child Safe Standards

If approving a request, schools must:

  • provide NDIS-funded providers with:
    • a child safety induction covering the school’s child safety policies
    • the school's Visitors policy
    • details on the supervision arrangements
  • make sure NDIS-funded providers understand and agree to follow the school’s Child Safety Code of Conduct and all child safety requirements
  • make sure students receiving therapy and their parents/carers know about the Complaint Resolution policy. This includes ensuring students know how to talk to a trusted adult if they feel unsafe or have concerns
  • inform parents/carers if they have concerns about their child’s welfare or safety
  • be watchful for changes in student behaviour that may indicate abuse
  • follow the Four Critical Actions(opens in a new window) if there’s an incident, disclosure or suspicion of child abuse
  • respond appropriately and promptly to any incidents or concerns about the NDIS provider’s conduct with children
  • terminate arrangements with NDIS providers if their conduct is serious or continues. For advice, contact Legal Division at legal.services@education.vic.gov.au.

Record keeping

Summary of who is responsible for completing each document

Request form

NDIS-funded provider with support from parent/carer

Parent consent form

Parent(s), carer(s), informal carer(s), an adult student or mature minor

Agreement to use the school premises

School council and NDIS-funded provider (including their company or incorporated association, if applicable)

Information sharing deed

NDIS-funded provider and school principal (or delegate)

Step 5: Manage the arrangements

Step 5: Manage the arrangements

Students receiving services from school-based staff or Student Support Services

Principals are encouraged to let school-based providers and Student Support Services (SSS) staff know about NDIS-funded therapy at school. This helps coordinate intervention for the student.

Reportable Conduct Scheme

Under the Reportable Conduct Scheme(opens in a new window), principals must:

  • report all allegations of child abuse and reportable conduct by any adult engaged by the school or school council, including NDIS-funded providers
  • immediately report allegations of reportable and notifiable conduct to the department's Conduct and Integrity Division.

Conduct and Integrity will report these allegations to the Commission for Children and Young People.

Go to Reportable and Notifiable Conduct for more information.

Complaints about NDIS-funded service providers

If a school gets a complaint about an NDIS-funded provider, they must:

  • acknowledge the complaint
  • direct complaints to the NDIS Commission at 1800 035 544 or how to make a complaint about a provider
  • consider if the school needs to take action, such as:
    • reviewing the arrangement and whether it is appropriate to continue. If the principal is considering ending the agreement, they can get advice from the Legal Division
    • sending a letter or having a discussion with the provider to remind them of the school's expectations.

If a complaint is about the actions of the school, the school must follow the Complaint Resolution policy and their local school complaints policy.

Resources

Resources

The following resources have been developed to help schools respond to requests for NDIS-funded therapy at school:

For information about the NDIS and schools refer to:

Resources to support students considering post-school options

Information for teachers of students with disabilities of school-leaving age is available from: Leaving school and career planning - students with disability(opens in a new window).

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