ANZACATA Member Forum Part 1 Navigating NDIS change as a creative arts therapist

If your NDIS-facing practice feels like it’s standing on shifting ground right now – you're not alone. Changes to the NDIS are coming thick and fast, and it can be hard to keep up.

This forum brings together sector-level overview and the experience of creative arts therapy practitioners navigating these changes, to give you a clear, honest read on where things stand – and what we can do.

We will cover:

• The state of play – where things stand with the NDIS Amendment Bill (passed in August 2026) and pricing now frozen, the shift of some supports outside the NDIS altogether, changes to the assessment process, narrowing claims windows.
• What it means day to day – how compliance obligations are shifting; what the frozen rates mean for charging, pricing and viability; the specific data the new item codes now require you to gather; and what needs to change in your service agreements.
• Where to next – the case for working together rather than each of us figuring this out alone; Thriving kids and Foundational supports; and advocacy efforts in partnership with Allied Health Professions Australia (AHPA).

We'll also flag other funding pathways members are already working in, and give you a first look at Part 2 – our follow-up forum on diversifying your practice beyond the NDIS, where members will share their experience in more depth

While no one has the full picture yet, what we do have is each other’s experience from which to learn.

Panellists

• James Beckford Saunders – CEO, ANZACATA
• Jasmine Sernberg (AThR) – Facilitator and Owner, Papernook Arts Therapy & Wellness
• Alana Stewart (AThR) – Director, Finding Wellbeing Art Therapy & Counselling

When: Friday 2 October 2026 (Part 1)
Time: 12.30pm – 1.30pm (AEST)
12.00pm – 1.00pm (ACST)
10.30am – 11.30am (AWST)
Duration/CPD: 1 hr
Where: Zoom
Cost: Free
Relevant to: All Australian members
Recorded session: Yes