NDIS I-CAN v6 for Children and Young People

What parents and carers need to know before the assessment arrives

Disclaimer: This article reflects publicly available information about the NDIS new planning framework as at June 2026, including the NDIA's confirmed April 2027 commencement and expected July 2027 transition for under-16s. This guide does not constitute professional disability support, legal, or medical advice. For personalised guidance, contact the NDIA on 1800 800 110, speak with your child's Support Coordinator, or contact a disability advocacy organisation.

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If your child or young person is an NDIS participant, you may have heard about the I-CAN v6 assessment — a new way the NDIS will measure support needs — and wondered what it means for your family.

The short answer is: not immediately. Children under 16 are not the first group to transition to the new framework. The staged rollout begins with participants aged 16 and over from 1 April 2027, with under-16s expected to follow no earlier than July 2027. Your child's current plan remains fully in effect until the NDIA contacts you about the transition.

But "not immediately" is not the same as "nothing to think about." Parents who understand the I-CAN v6 framework now, and who use the coming months to prepare, will be in a significantly stronger position than those who encounter it for the first time at the assessment itself.

This guide covers everything parents and carers need to know.

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What Is the I-CAN v6 Assessment?

The I-CAN v6 (Instrument for Classification and Assessment of Support Needs, version 6) is the standardised assessment tool at the centre of the NDIS's new planning framework. It is designed to measure a participant's support needs across 12 life domains in a consistent, structured way — regardless of which state they live in or which assessor conducts the assessment.

The 12 domains are:

1. Self-Care
2. Daily Life Activities
3. Communication
4. Mobility
5. Interpersonal Interactions and Relationships
6. Learning and Education
7. Employment
8. Health and Wellbeing
9. Social and Community Participation
10. Home and Living
11. Positive Behaviour Support
12. Support Coordination

The assessment is conducted by an accredited, independent assessor — typically an occupational therapist, psychologist, speech pathologist, physiotherapist, or social worker trained specifically for this role. It takes approximately 60–90 minutes and is free — funded by the NDIA. For a full overview of the assessment, read: What is the NDIS I-CAN v6 Assessment?

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How the I-CAN v6 Assessment Works for Children

The 12 domains are the same for participants of all ages. What changes for younger children is the context in which each domain is interpreted.

For a seven-year-old, "Employment" is not about paid work — it is considered in terms of participation in learning and structured activities. "Home and Living" is not about independent household management — it is about the level of assistance required in the home environment relative to a child of the same age without disability. "Social and Community Participation" looks at play, peer relationships, and community activities appropriate to the child's developmental stage.

The key principle is this: the I-CAN v6 measures how your child's disability affects their daily functioning relative to what would typically be expected for a child their age. It is not a test your child can pass or fail. It is a structured conversation about their real life.

For older adolescents approaching 16, the domains begin to look more like the adult framework — with employment, independent living, and social participation taking on increasing relevance as the young person moves toward adulthood.

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Your Role as a Parent in the Assessment

For younger children especially, you are an essential part of the assessment process — not a bystander.

An assessor meeting your child for the first time — for 60 to 90 minutes — can only observe a limited slice of your child's life. You have seen the full picture: the mornings when getting dressed takes an hour, the meltdowns that happen after school, the things that look fine in a clinical environment but break down completely at home or in the community.

That knowledge is genuinely valuable, and the I-CAN v6 process has a formal place for it.

What you can do

Attend the assessment. For children, a parent or carer attending is standard practice. The assessor will typically gather observations from you as well as interacting with the child directly. Your presence also helps your child feel safe in what can otherwise be an unfamiliar and anxiety-provoking situation.

Prepare a parent observation document. Before the assessment, write down how your child's disability affects their daily life across each of the 12 domains — in plain, specific language. This does not need to be formal or lengthy. One or two paragraphs per relevant domain, describing what your child can and cannot do, how often difficulties arise, and what support is currently provided, gives the assessor an accurate picture that a short conversation alone cannot replicate.

Bring your supporting documentation. Any existing allied health reports — from your child's occupational therapist, speech pathologist, psychologist, or paediatrician — remain valuable evidence. Bring current copies and ensure they describe your child's functional capacity (what they can and cannot do) rather than just diagnosis.

Note your child's good-day and bad-day differences. If your child's functioning varies significantly depending on the day, environment, or circumstances — which is very common in autism, ADHD, and many other childhood disabilities — document this explicitly. The assessor needs to understand your child's typical range, not just what they look like on their best day.

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Domain by Domain: What Parents Should Think Through

Here is what to consider for each domain, specifically from a parent's perspective:

1. Self-Care — Does your child require assistance with bathing, dressing, grooming, or toileting? How much help? How long does it take compared to a child the same age without disability?

2. Daily Life Activities — Can your child manage basic daily tasks independently — preparing a simple snack, tidying their space, following a daily routine? What breaks down without prompting or support?

3. Communication — How effectively does your child communicate their needs, feelings, and ideas? Do they require augmentative communication? Are there situations where communication breaks down significantly?

4. Mobility — Are there any physical limitations affecting your child's ability to move around the home, school, or community? Do they require equipment, physical assistance, or environmental modifications?

5. Interpersonal Interactions and Relationships — How does your child manage social relationships with peers, family, and authority figures? Are there persistent challenges with peer relationships, social cues, or managing emotions in group settings?

6. Learning and Education — What adjustments or additional support does your child require at school? Are there specific academic or learning challenges directly related to their disability?

7. Employment — For school-age children: how does your child participate in structured learning activities? For adolescents: are there disability-related barriers to part-time work or vocational pathways?

8. Health and Wellbeing — Does your child require ongoing health management related to their disability — medication management, therapy appointments, monitoring? How does this affect daily family life?

9. Social and Community Participation — Can your child participate in age-appropriate community activities — sport, social events, community groups? What prevents participation or requires additional support?

10. Home and Living — What level of supervision and support does your child require in the home environment? How does this compare to what you would expect for a child the same age without disability?

11. Positive Behaviour Support — Does your child have a Behaviour Support Plan? Are there behaviours of concern that affect safety — their own or others'? What support currently manages these?

12. Support Coordination — Is your child's current support coordination funded? Is it adequate for managing the complexity of their support needs and service providers?

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How to Prepare Your Child for the Assessment

For many children — especially those with autism, anxiety, communication differences, or sensory sensitivities — an unfamiliar assessment setting with an unknown assessor can be challenging. Preparation makes a real difference.

Explain what will happen in advance. Use language and format your child responds to — for many children, a simple social story or visual schedule describing what the assessment will look like is helpful. "You will meet a person called [name]. They will ask you some questions about the things you do every day. Mum/Dad will be there. It will take about an hour."

Practise talking about difficulties. Many children — particularly those with anxiety or who have learned to mask their challenges — will default to "I can do everything fine" in an assessment setting. Gently practising describing things they find hard, in a safe home environment, helps normalise honest self-reporting.

Consider the timing and setting. Work with the NDIA and assessor to schedule the assessment at a time when your child is typically at their best — not immediately after school if late-afternoon is a high-fatigue time, for example. You can request that the assessment be conducted in a familiar environment if that would help.

Let the assessor know about any special requirements. If your child needs specific communication supports, sensory accommodations, or additional time, request these in advance. The assessment process is meant to be accessible — accommodations are appropriate and should be asked for.

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What Happens After the Assessment

After the assessment, the assessor submits a structured report to the NDIA. As a parent or carer of a child participant, you are entitled to receive a copy of this report.

Read it carefully. If the report does not accurately reflect your child's day-to-day functioning — for example, if the assessor only saw your child on a good day and the report does not capture the full range of challenges — you can flag this at the implementation meeting.

The implementation meeting is important. This is the stage at which you discuss with the NDIA how your child's plan has been constructed based on the assessment. It is your opportunity to raise any concerns before the plan is finalised.

You have review rights. If the final plan does not accurately reflect your child's support needs, you can request an internal review within 3 months. Read Your rights during the NDIS I-CAN v6 assessment process for a full guide to this process.

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A Note on Early Intervention

If your child is currently receiving early intervention supports, it is worth understanding how early intervention fits within the I-CAN v6 framework.

Early intervention funding in the NDIS recognises that timely investment in supports for young children with disability can significantly improve long-term outcomes. The I-CAN v6 assessment is designed to capture the current support needs — including the support needed to enable progress through early intervention — rather than simply measuring where a child is today without support.

When describing your child's needs, it is appropriate to describe both where your child is now and what early intervention targets are currently being pursued, and why those targets matter for your child's long-term functioning. This context helps the assessor understand the purpose of funded supports in your child's life.

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What to Do Right Now

The fact that under-16s will not transition until at least July 2027 gives your family a genuine preparation window. Here is how to use it:

1. Check your child's next review date. Log in to myNDIS or contact the NDIA on 1800 800 110 to understand when your child's plan is due for review.

2. Read the 12 I-CAN domains. Understanding the framework means you can start thinking about your child's life through its lens now, rather than for the first time in an assessment room.

3. Keep a daily record. Even a simple notes app entry at the end of each day — "what did [child] struggle with today, what support did they need" — builds a rich, specific picture over weeks and months.

4. Update allied health reports. If your child's OT, speech path, or psychologist reports are more than two years old, begin the process of requesting updated functional assessments now.

5. Talk to your Support Coordinator. If your child has a Support Coordinator, engage them in I-CAN preparation early. They can help you work through each domain, identify evidence gaps, and prepare for the implementation meeting.

6. Use ICANReady. ICANReady was built to help participants and families prepare their I-CAN v6 documentation clearly across all 12 domains. Working through the tool with your child's support needs in mind will give you a structured, thorough preparation document well before the assessment arrives.

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Sources: NDIA — Securing the NDIS for future generations (April 2026), NDIS Amendment (Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1) Act 2024, Disability Advocacy Network Australia (DANA), Autism Spectrum Australia, Early Childhood Intervention Australia