Essential Fields for Statement Templates

KB Type: Research Theme
Domain Area: Practice
Confidence: Researched (Andrew via NbLM, RS-03)
Depth Hint: Standard
Version: 1.0 — 2026-04-23
Status: Active

Grounding Summary

A legally robust Participant Statement template must simultaneously capture the participant's voice to satisfy Section 33(1) of the NDIS Act 2013 and provide the strict evidentiary requirements needed by an NDIA delegate to approve funded supports under Sections 33(2) and 34(1). To be highly effective under the 2024 amendments and the 2026 PACE Framework, the template must link requested supports directly to goals, provide clinical evidence of effectiveness, and explicitly offer a value for money justification. A robust template also bridges legacy systems and new frameworks by capturing Primary and Secondary Disability diagnoses using ICD-10 or ICD-11 medical codes alongside PACE functional impairment classifications. Five blocks of information are required: participant identity and clinical context, environmental and personal context, goals and aspirations, evidence and support justification, and budget architecture and risk management.

Detail

What Fields Must Be Captured

A comprehensive Participant Statement template requires five distinct blocks:

Block 1: Participant Identity and Clinical Context

This block captures the foundational information about the participant:

Name, date of birth, contact details
Primary and Secondary Disability diagnoses (ICD-10 or ICD-11 codes)
Functional Impairment types under the PACE framework (Intellectual, Cognitive, Neurological, Sensory, Physical, Psychosocial)
Current plan details and review date

Block 2: Environmental and Personal Context

This block documents the participant's life circumstances, satisfying Section 33(1)(b) and Section 34(1)(e)-(f):

Living arrangements and housing vulnerabilities
Informal and Mainstream Supports — what family, friends, and mainstream systems currently provide
Evidence that informal supports are exhausted or unsustainable for specific needs
Engagement with health, education, and justice systems

Block 3: Goals, Objectives, and Aspirations

This is the participant's voice, prepared by or with the participant as required by Section 33(1):

Long-term aspirations (2-5 year horizon)
Short-term goals (current plan period)
Objectives that break goals into actionable steps
Mapping to NDIS Outcome Domains

Block 4: Evidence of Effectiveness and Good Practice

This block provides the evidentiary foundation for Section 34(1)(d):

Summary of allied health reports and clinical assessments
Functional Capacity Assessment outcomes
Progress against previous goals (from Progress Report)
Why requested supports are effective and beneficial, having regard to current good practice

Block 5: Budget Architecture, Risk Management, and Plan Administration

This block addresses the 2024 amendments (Section 33(2A)):

Proposed Support Categories and funding amounts
Recommended Funding Periods with risk management rationale
Digital Lock or Stated Supports requests with justification
Preferred Plan Management style (self-managed, plan-managed, NDIA-managed)

The Bridging Function

The template must bridge two systems:

Legacy NDIA systems — still rely on ICD diagnostic codes and Primary/Secondary Disability fields
PACE Framework — emphasises functional impairment types and the 21 Support Categories

A practitioner-ready template captures both, ensuring compatibility with NDIA's current CRM while fully aligning with the new framework.

Legislative Basis

Reference	Provision	Relevance
NDIS Act 2013 s33(1)	Participant's statement of goals and aspirations	Requires goals, objectives, aspirations, and environmental/personal context.
NDIS Act 2013 s33(2A)	Budget specification requirements	Mandates total funding amount, categorised components, and funding periods.
NDIS Act 2013 s34(1)	Reasonable and necessary criteria	All six criteria must be evidenced in the template.
NDIS Amendment Act 2024	Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1	Introduced budget architecture requirements.

Participant Statement — the legally mandated first part of an NDIS plan
Documenting Environmental and Personal Context — detailed analysis of Block 2 requirements
Goals and Aspirations — the participant's voice captured in Block 3
Functional Capacity Assessment — clinical evidence for Block 4
Value for Money — the s34(1)(c) justification requirement
PACE Framework — the new budget architecture framework

Open Questions

How should templates balance the participant's plain-English voice with the technical requirements needed by NDIA delegates?
What is the optimal structure for capturing the "Translation Matrix" that maps goals to Support Categories and Outcome Domains?

Entity Tags

entity: rs-03-t3-statement-templates
type: Research Theme
domain: Practice
confidence: Researched
source: RS-03

Change History

Date	Change	Source
2026-04-23	Initial article created from RS-03 T3 source	NbLM RS-03 Theme 3 analysis

essential-fields-statement-templates