Software Guide
NDIS rostering software vs practice management software: which do you need?
These two types of software are often confused because they both deal with NDIS participants and both handle some form of billing. They solve fundamentally different operational problems.
Workforce management software is for disability support providers who employ support workers and need to roster them, track their credentials, and manage a workforce. Allied health practice management software is for practitioners -- occupational therapists, physiotherapists, psychologists, speech pathologists -- who have NDIS participants but are managing appointments, clinical notes, and professional practice, not a roster of carers.
The one-question test
Do you employ support workers and schedule them to participant shifts?
Yes
You need workforce management software. This includes platforms like Teiro, ShiftCare, Brevity, and Flowlogic. These are built around rostering, SCHADS Award compliance, worker credentials, and participant-support worker scheduling.
No -- I am a practitioner with a caseload
You need allied health practice management software. This includes iinsight, Splose, Cliniko, PowerDiary, and similar platforms. These are built around appointment management, clinical notes, invoicing, and practitioner workflow.
What each type of software actually does
Workforce management software (Teiro, ShiftCare, Brevity)
This category exists to solve the problem of managing a workforce of support workers across a participant caseload. The core operational loop is:
- 1.A participant needs support at a specific time
- 2.A support worker needs to be rostered who is available, qualified, has a current Worker Screening Check, and is familiar with the participant
- 3.The correct SCHADS Award penalty rate applies to that shift time and employment type
- 4.The worker checks in at the start and out at the end, confirming the shift happened
- 5.The shift is verified and a claim line is generated against the participant's NDIS plan
- 6.The carer's credentials are continuously tracked and expiring credentials trigger alerts
This is fundamentally a workforce coordination problem. The software is built around the relationship between workers, shifts, participants, and compliance obligations. A small allied health practice with one or two practitioners does not have this problem.
Allied health practice management software (iinsight, Splose, Cliniko, PowerDiary)
This category exists to manage the professional practice of allied health practitioners. The core operational loop is:
- 1.A participant books an appointment with a practitioner
- 2.The practitioner conducts the session and writes clinical notes
- 3.An invoice is generated and submitted to the participant's NDIS plan (typically under capacity building supports)
- 4.The practitioner tracks their own appointments, reports, referrals, and caseload
- 5.Practice administration (billing, scheduling, telehealth) is managed in one system
This is a professional practice management problem. It has nothing to do with rostering a workforce of support workers. An OT practice with five practitioners and fifty NDIS participants does not need a workforce management platform.
Side by side
| Aspect | Workforce management (Teiro, ShiftCare, Brevity) | Practice management (iinsight, Splose, Cliniko, PowerDiary) |
|---|---|---|
| Who it is for | Disability support providers who employ support workers and carers | Allied health practitioners (OTs, physios, psychologists, speech pathologists) |
| Core function | Scheduling workers to participant shifts, tracking compliance and credentials, managing workforce | Managing appointments, clinical notes, invoices, and referrals for a practitioner caseload |
| Staff model | Multiple support workers, often casual, rostered across many participants | One or a small number of practitioners with individual appointment books |
| NDIS billing | Claim lines tied to support worker shifts delivered under a participant plan | Allied health service invoices billed to NDIS plans (capacity building supports) |
| Compliance requirements | Worker Screening Checks, SCHADS Award, qualification expiry, incident reporting | AHPRA registration, professional indemnity, NDIS Worker Orientation Module |
| Award coverage | SCHADS Award (Social and Community Services stream) for support workers | Health Professionals and Support Services Award, or independent contractor arrangements |
| Mobile needs | Support workers need a phone app for check-in, shift details, and incident reporting in the field | Practitioners may use a tablet or laptop for session notes; field use is less central |
When you might need both
Some larger disability organisations operate both a support worker workforce and an in-house allied health team. A large registered NDIS provider might employ 80 support workers delivering direct care AND have two OTs and a behaviour support practitioner on staff.
In that case, the organisation needs both types of software for different parts of the business. The support worker workforce is managed in a platform like Teiro. The allied health practitioners may use a practice management tool for their clinical notes, appointment management, and capacity building invoicing.
The dividing line in this scenario
The workforce management platform handles the support worker roster and credentials. The practice management tool handles the practitioners' clinical workflow. They serve different staff groups with different operational needs and compliance requirements. Some organisations try to manage allied health practitioners inside a workforce management tool and find the clinical note and caseload tracking inadequate. The reverse -- managing a support worker workforce inside a practice management tool -- also does not work well because rostering, SCHADS, and shift verification are not what practice management software is built for.
A note on specific tools
iinsight
iinsight is a practice management platform for allied health providers. It handles NDIS billing, clinical notes, referral management, and caseload tracking for practitioners. It is the right tool for an OT practice, a community-based physio service, or an allied health provider billing capacity building supports. It is not a support worker workforce management platform and is not designed to roster a shift workforce, track SCHADS penalty rates, or manage worker credential compliance at scale.
Splose
Splose is a practice management platform built specifically for NDIS-registered allied health providers, which distinguishes it from general-purpose tools like Cliniko. It handles NDIS participant management, clinical notes, service agreements, and capacity building invoicing for practitioners. Like iinsight, it is designed for allied health practice management, not for rostering a workforce of support workers. If you are an OT, physio, or behaviour support practitioner with an NDIS caseload, Splose is worth evaluating alongside iinsight. It is not a workforce management platform.
Cliniko and PowerDiary
Cliniko and PowerDiary are appointment-based practice management tools used extensively by allied health practitioners across Australia. They are not NDIS workforce management tools. Practitioners who see NDIS participants use them to manage their appointment books, write session notes, and generate invoices. They do not handle support worker rostering, SCHADS compliance, or workforce credential tracking.
Teiro, ShiftCare, Brevity, Flowlogic
These are workforce management platforms for organisations that employ support workers. They handle shift rostering, SCHADS Award penalty rates, worker credential management, participant records, and NDIS billing tied to shift delivery. They are not designed for an allied health practitioner managing a personal appointment book and clinical notes.
If you employ support workers under NDIS funding, Teiro is built for you
Teiro is for disability support providers who roster support workers to NDIS participants, track worker credentials, and need SCHADS Award accuracy in their scheduling. Free for 5 or fewer active users.
Not sure which category you fall into? Talk to us and we will point you in the right direction, even if that is not Teiro.