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KindPath Collective Inc

Service and Client Matching Policy

Version 1.1 | Effective: 24 September 2026 | Review: 24 September 2027 | Owner: Director

1. Purpose

To decide, openly and consistently, whether KindPath is the right match for a prospective participant's support needs right now — and to make that decision on the same grounds we'd be comfortable defending in public, not on any basis we'd only admit to privately.

2. Legislative and standards basis

NDIS Practice Standards, Core Module: Provision of Supports — Access to supports. NDIS Code of Conduct point 3 (supports delivered safely, competently, and within scope). Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth).

3. Policy statement

KindPath keeps one version of the truth about how it decides who it supports — there is no internal criteria that differs from what's published here. If a matching decision isn't something we'd say to the person's face and stand behind publicly, it isn't a valid reason.

Matching is decided on capacity and safe scope of practice, not on how straightforward, low-risk, or likely-to-succeed a person's situation is. KindPath does not screen out prospective participants because their needs are complex, their goals are hard to achieve, or supporting them would be difficult — those are often exactly the people advocacy exists for. What KindPath does screen for is whether it can currently deliver support safely and competently, given that KindPath is a small, currently-unregistered sole-trader practice, not a large multidisciplinary provider.

KindPath works by referral. This is a capacity decision, not a matching criterion: keeping the caseload small is what lets KindPath stay with each person over time, and a referral means someone already involved can help with a safe handover. Because a referral requirement can fall hardest on people with no existing service connection, KindPath never turns someone away with nothing. Anyone who contacts KindPath directly is helped to find a way in. In exceptional cases, the Director may accept a direct request without a referral (see section 5).

4. Matching criteria

A referral is a match when, at the time of intake, KindPath can honestly say yes to all of:

  1. Capacity. KindPath has an available worker with time to take this on without compromising the quality of support already committed to existing participants.
  2. Safe scope of practice. The support needed doesn't require registered-provider capability, clinical/specialist qualifications, or formal multi-worker coordination that KindPath doesn't currently have (for example: specialist behaviour support involving restrictive practices, complex clinical/health-care needs requiring registered nursing, or support requiring rostering across many workers at once).
  3. Reach. KindPath can actually get to the person — in person on Bundjalung Country / Northern NSW, or remotely where that suits the support type and the participant.
  4. No unmanaged conflict of interest. Where a referral involves a personal or family connection to a KindPath worker (see the Conflict of Interest Policy — currently a live, disclosed situation, not a hypothetical), the match decision is not made by that worker alone.

None of the following are matching criteria, and never will be: disability type or diagnosis, complexity or severity of need, likely NDIS outcome, how much funding the person has, or how easy the person is to work with.

5. Procedure

  1. Referral. Referrals come from someone already supporting the person, for example a support worker, support coordinator, case manager, GP or local community service, or a family member or carer. The referrer confirms that the person knows about the referral and agrees to it. If that isn't clear, KindPath records only what it needs to contact the referrer, and checks consent with the person directly at first contact, consistent with the Consent and Capacity Policy and the Information Management and Privacy Policy.
  2. Direct contact from the public. Someone who contacts KindPath without a referral isn't left without help. They're told plainly that KindPath works by referral and why. They're offered practical help to find a referrer (their GP, a local community service, or the Disability Gateway on 1800 643 787). If the need is urgent, they're pointed straight to 000 or the services on the website's Get help now page. The contact is logged under step 6.
    • Director exception. In exceptional cases, the Director may accept a direct request without a referral. This applies where no referrer is reasonably available (for example, the person has no current service or family connection and can't readily get one) and waiting for a referral would leave them without support they need. The reason for the exception is recorded in the log under step 6. The request then goes through the same initial conversation and matching criteria as any referral.
  3. Initial conversation. Whoever makes contact is asked what support they're looking for, in plain language, before anything else.
  4. Matching conversation. The Director checks the four criteria above against what's known so far. Where a personal/family conflict of interest is present, the Conflict of Interest Policy's independent-input requirement applies before a decision is finalised.
  5. Decision, given honestly. One of three outcomes, told to the person directly and in plain language:
    • Yes, and we have capacity now → proceed to intake under the Support Planning and Service Agreements Policy.
    • Yes, but we're at capacity → the person is told this plainly, given a realistic estimate of when capacity might open, and offered other options (support coordinator, NDIS Provider Finder) rather than being left waiting with no information.
    • Not a safe or appropriate match right now → the specific reason is given honestly (not a vague "not a good fit"), and KindPath helps with a warm handover to a more suitable provider where possible, consistent with the Transitions (Entry and Exit) Policy's approach to handovers.
  6. Documented. Every matching decision (yes, waitlisted, or no) is logged with its reason. So is every direct contact, whether it was helped toward a referral pathway or accepted as a Director exception. That way patterns can be reviewed under Quality Management and Continuous Improvement, including any drift toward avoiding complex referrals and any sign that the referral requirement is keeping out people with no service connection.

6. Roles and responsibilities

  • Director: makes and documents matching decisions; decides and records any direct-request exceptions; seeks independent input whenever a personal or family conflict of interest is present, per the Conflict of Interest Policy; reviews logged decisions periodically for any pattern of avoiding complex or high-need referrals, and reviews logged direct contacts for whether people without an existing referrer are finding a way in.

7. Related documents

Support Planning and Service Agreements Policy · Transitions (Entry and Exit) Policy · Conflict of Interest Policy · NDIS Code of Conduct Policy · Person-Centred Supports Policy · Consent and Capacity Policy · Information Management and Privacy Policy

8. Review

Annually, and immediately on any material change to KindPath's capacity (a new worker, NDIS Commission registration achieved, a service line added or closed). The first review after version 1.1 specifically considers whether working by referral is still the right approach, using the direct-contact log from section 5.

9. Version history

Version Date Change Reason Approved
1.0 7 September 2026 First issue. — Director
1.1 24 September 2026 Initial contact changed from open contact (including self-referral) to referral-based, with family members and carers able to refer. Added referrer consent, help for people who make direct contact, a recorded Director exception for direct requests, and logging and review of direct contacts. KindPath keeps a deliberately small caseload so it can stay with each person over time. The public website was updated on 24 September 2026 to describe the referral pathway, and this policy must match what is published (section 3). Director, noted for committee ratification once active