Scope Australia
Helping Scope Australia redesign therapy services for the NDIS era
When the NDIS transformed how disability services are funded in Australia, Scope needed to rethink how they deliver therapy to families. We partnered with them over 18 months to co-design a centre-based Hub and Spoke model, pilot it at two sites, and build the internal capability to keep improving it.
Outcomes
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Streamlined onboarding for NDIS families transitioning from in-home to centre-based therapy
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Launched a centre-based Hub and Spoke therapy service, rolled out at two pilot sites serving children and their families
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Established measurable success metrics -- including family satisfaction and therapy continuity -- to guide continuous improvement
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Implemented an evaluation strategy for reporting progress to the board and informing scale decisions
Services
- Service Design
- Service prototyping
- Market research
Sectors
Navigating a fundamental shift in disability funding
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has fundamentally changed how disability services are funded and delivered in Australia. For Scope — one of Australia's largest disability service providers — this meant rethinking core service and business models to remain sustainable.
We partnered with Scope to understand the needs of their families, particularly those with children on the autism spectrum, and design a new centre-based therapy service that maintains quality while working within NDIS funding constraints.
Some spreads from the Scope welcome pack
Co-designing a service pilot with families
Through engagement with Scope's existing and potential clients, we focused on understanding how families could transition from in-home therapy — which had become unviable under NDIS funding — to centre-based care without losing the quality they relied on.
Over 18 months, we co-designed a Hub and Spoke service model with Scope's customers. The model provides a central therapy hub supported by flexible satellite locations, letting families access care closer to home while sharing resources and expertise across sites. We designed the onboarding journey together with families, and aligned the pilot to measurable outcomes like family satisfaction and therapy continuity.
Detailed guidance and support to help customer's make the transition
Building capability for continuous improvement
Beyond the service design, we supported Scope in evaluating the pilot's success and making informed decisions about when to adjust, pivot, or scale. We established success metrics — including family satisfaction and therapy outcomes — to guide continuous improvement at the pilot sites.
This evaluation process helped embed human-centred design practices within Scope. Their team can now conduct the research, design, and strategic work needed to adapt services as the NDIS market continues to evolve.
A spread from the service evaluation report conducted as part of the project
