Therapy reports are one of the most powerful tools in securing the right supports under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). They provide decision-makers with the evidence they need to approve funding, while also guiding families, support coordinators, and participants themselves in putting a plan into action. A new guide from VALID, Victoria’s peak organisation representing people with intellectual disability, sets out 10 steps for writing reports that truly make an impact.
1. Understand the NDIS context
Unlike older disability systems, the NDIS focuses on building capacity and independence. Reports need to reflect this difference. They are not just clinical summaries but practical documents that link a participant’s goals with the supports they need to achieve them.
2. Write in plain language
Reports should be clear enough for anyone to understand. Planners, families, and support workers all rely on them. Using plain language ensures recommendations are accessible and don’t lose meaning when shared or translated.
3. Provide evidence for everything
The NDIS bases its decisions on evidence. Strong reports connect therapy recommendations to measurable outcomes. For example, an OT might show how improved mobility directly increases independence at home or participation in community activities.
4. Make clear, strong recommendations
The most helpful reports place recommendations upfront, clearly linking them to participant goals and specifying exact quantities — whether that’s therapy hours, frequency of sessions, or the type of equipment required.
5. Understand and prove ‘reasonable and necessary’ for all supports, not just allied supports.
Funding is only approved if supports meet the six “reasonable and necessary” criteria set out in the NDIS Act. Excellent reports explicitly address each one: goal-related, socially and economically beneficial, value for money, effective, not the responsibility of families, and not better funded by another system.
6. Explicitly respond to the criteria
Each recommendation should explain how it meets the six criteria, for all supports, not just allied health focus. This ensures that the link between goals, supports, and outcomes is transparent and easy for planners to follow.
7. Focus on outcomes
Reports must demonstrate how therapy leads to tangible improvements and what risks arise if supports are not provided. Including measurable outcomes and “success statements” helps show the real-world benefits.
8. Stay within scope
Therapists should stick to their field of expertise and draw on best-practice evidence. Reports should be informed by collaboration with other practitioners, but not extend beyond one’s professional boundaries.
9. Focus on readability
Structured templates, clear headings, and concise writing make it easy for NDIS decision-makers to find what matters most: recommendations and supporting evidence. Functional impacts should be described rather than only listing diagnoses.
10. Be appeal ready
Reports may be used in reviews or even appeals. Writing with this in mind ensures recommendations are robust enough to stand up in formal settings, and therapists are prepared to defend their professional opinions if needed.
VALID’s message is clear: great therapy reports are not just paperwork. They are essential advocacy tools that empower people with disabilities to access the supports they need and take control of their own lives.
Read VALID’s guide in full here: https://www.devotedsupports.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/10-steps-to-excellent-NDIS-therapy-reports_compressed.pdf
