Scope
Disability Services · NDIS Reform · Service DesignThe introduction of the National Disability Insurance Scheme fundamentally disrupted the disability services sector in Australia. For Scope, one of the country's largest disability service providers, it created an existential problem: its existing in-home therapy model was no longer financially viable under the new funding structure. They needed to design an entirely new centre-based service model, bring families along through the transition, and do it in a way that maintained the quality of care for children with disabilities.
What We Did
Understanding the Consumer
Through deep engagement with families of children on the autism spectrum, we uncovered what would motivate parents to transition from in-home therapy to centre-based care. Data auditing and behavioural segmentation gave Scope a single, clear view of its customer base for the first time, revealing how people actually engaged with the organisation and its services.
Design a New Service Model
Rather than designing a service in isolation, we built it with the people who would use it. Through iterative prototyping with educators and parents, we designed and tested a Hub and Spoke service model across multiple pilot sites, refining it at each stage based on direct feedback and building continuous improvement routines into the model from the start.
From Pilot to Scale
Findings from each pilot site were translated into a full suite of delivery tools: onboarding packs, service communications, evaluation reports, and a human-centred design metric framework. Every output was designed to give Scope's leadership the evidence and confidence to fine-tune, adapt, and ultimately scale the new model across the organisation.
Detailed guidance and support to help customers make the transition
Outcomes
Delivered a viable centre-based therapy service model that allowed Scope to remain competitive under the NDIS funding structure
Designed and launched a service prototype across multiple pilot sites, with real-time feedback loops from parents and staff built into the model from the start
Developed a detailed evaluation report for each pilot site, enabling Scope to fine-tune the service before broader rollout
Produced a roadmap for future service evolution, giving Scope's leadership confidence to scale incrementally