Your support worker keeps cancelling.
You’re not alone — and you don’t have to put up with it.

First: your frustration is completely valid

When a support worker cancels at the last minute — or just doesn’t show up — it can feel like your needs don’t matter. You may have been told it’s just “how it goes” in the sector. That’s not good enough.

Support is supposed to be reliable. Your NDIS plan funds it because it’s essential to your daily life. If your supports are regularly not happening, that is a service delivery problem — and there are real steps you can take.

Why does this happen so often?

To be honest about it: the disability support sector has a high rate of worker turnover. Staff move between employers, pick up multiple casual roles, and sometimes exit the sector altogether. That’s a structural reality, and it affects the whole industry.

But two situations make it significantly worse:

• Solo independent workers and platform arrangements — when your “provider” is a single person or a gig-style platform, there is no backup. If that person is sick, has a personal emergency, or simply decides to stop, there is no one to send in their place.
• No roster transparency — when you don’t know who is coming or when until the last moment, last-minute cancellations hit harder and there’s no way to plan around them.

These aren’t excuses — they’re things you can ask about directly when choosing a provider. A provider with a real staff team can send someone else when your regular worker is unavailable. A solo worker or platform usually cannot.

What you can do right now

1. Raise it directly with your provider

If you haven’t already, contact your provider and put it in writing — even a text or email is enough. Describe the pattern: which shifts, how many times, what the impact has been. Ask specifically:

• What is their process when a worker cancels?
• Can they guarantee a backup worker?
• What will change to prevent this happening again?

Having it in writing creates a record, which matters if you later need to escalate.

2. Tell your support coordinator or plan manager

If you have a support coordinator, this is exactly the kind of problem they should be helping you solve. Let them know what’s been happening. They can advocate on your behalf, contact the provider directly, and help you explore alternatives if things don’t improve.

Your plan manager can also be a useful ally — they have visibility of what’s being billed, which can sometimes surface patterns worth investigating.

3. Know that you can make a complaint

If talking to your provider doesn’t lead to real change, you can make a formal complaint to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. The Commission handles complaints about registered and unregistered providers, including issues with the reliability and quality of supports.

4. You can also give feedback to the NDIS

You can raise concerns with the NDIA directly through the myplace portal, by calling 1800 800 110, or through your Local Area Coordinator. This is separate from the Commission’s complaints process and is particularly relevant if the issue is affecting your plan or access to supports.

If it’s not improving: you can change providers

You have the right to change NDIS providers at any time. You don’t need the NDIA’s permission, and you don’t need to justify it to your current provider. The only requirement is giving the notice period set out in your service agreement — usually two to four weeks.

Changing providers does not require a plan review. Your funding stays in your plan — your plan manager or support coordinator simply updates the service booking to reflect the new provider.

For a full step-by-step guide including a notice email template, see our guide: How to switch NDIS providers in Sydney.

What good support actually looks like

Reliable support isn’t a bonus — it’s the baseline. Here is what you should be able to expect from a provider:

At Tegrity, we work with a small, consistent team. You meet your workers before anything starts. We publish rosters a fortnight ahead so you know who is coming and when. And when someone is sick, we have a team to draw on — we can send a backup rather than leaving you without support.

We provide support work across Sydney’s Inner West, City and Eastern Suburbs. If you’re ready to talk, you can send us a referral or call (02) 7265 1558. Every referral is acknowledged the same business day.