Why We Offer Secret Agent Society: An Evidence-Based, NDIS-Friendly Program
For many families, having an NDIS plan does not automatically make accessing support feel easy.
We regularly hear from parents who are hesitant to use their child’s funding because they are worried an invoice might be rejected by their plan manager. They may be unsure whether a group program is considered therapy, whether it connects closely enough to their child’s goals, or whether they will be asked to provide evidence explaining why the support was needed.
This uncertainty can lead families to leave funding untouched, even when their child would benefit from support.
It is one of the key reasons Affirming Care Services chose to offer Secret Agent Society, commonly known as SAS.
What is Secret Agent Society?
Secret Agent Society is a structured social and emotional capacity-building program designed to help children develop practical skills in areas such as:
recognising and understanding emotions
managing strong feelings
coping with change and uncertainty
reading social situations
solving interpersonal problems
navigating friendships
working cooperatively with others
responding to mistakes, disagreements and unexpected situations
Children participate in engaging “missions” and activities that make learning more meaningful and accessible. Rather than relying only on discussion, SAS uses games, visual resources, roleplay, home activities and supported practice.
At ACS, we deliver the program through a neuroaffirming lens. Our aim is not to teach children to hide their differences, perform neurotypical behaviour or comply at the expense of their wellbeing. We want children to better understand themselves, communicate their needs, recognise what is happening around them and develop strategies that genuinely increase their confidence, autonomy and participation.
Why is SAS well suited to NDIS funding?
NDIS funding must be used for supports that relate to a participant’s disability support needs, help them work towards their individual goals, represent value for money and are likely to be effective and beneficial.
The NDIS identifies capacity-building supports as supports that help participants develop skills, increase independence and work towards their goals. Relevant funding categories may include supports that help participants build social skills, develop positive relationships, make friends and participate more independently in their community.
SAS has been specifically designed to build these kinds of functional capacities. It is not simply a recreational group or an opportunity for children to socialise. Each session has a therapeutic purpose, clear learning goals and structured activities intended to build skills that can be used at home, at school and in the broader community.
This makes it easier to demonstrate what the support is for, why it is being provided and how it relates to a child’s NDIS goals.
You can read more aboutcapacity-building supports on the NDIS website.
It has a strong evidence base
Families should be able to feel confident that their funding is being used for a program with a credible foundation.
Secret Agent Society is an internationally recognised, evidence-based program. It has been evaluated through more than 25 published studies, including multiple randomised controlled trials. Research has found improvements in children’s emotional regulation and social functioning across clinical, school and telehealth settings.
In the original University of Queensland randomised controlled trial, 76 per cent of participating autistic children demonstrated clinically meaningful improvements in social and emotional outcomes, with gains maintained five months after the program.
Later research has included neurodivergent children with autism, ADHD and anxiety, as well as children with a broader range of social and emotional support needs.
You can learn more about theresearch supporting Secret Agent Society.
An evidence base matters within the NDIS because one of the reasonable and necessary criteria is that a support is likely to be effective and beneficial for the participant. SAS gives us a much stronger foundation for demonstrating this than an unstructured group without established content, defined outcomes or a clear method for measuring progress.
Clear goals, rather than vague promises
It can be difficult to justify a program when its goals are broad or unclear. “Improving social skills” does not tell a family, plan manager or NDIS planner very much about what a child will actually be learning.
SAS allows us to identify more specific goals based on each child’s needs. These might include increasing the child’s ability to recognise their own emotional cues, use regulation strategies, manage unexpected changes, enter a group activity, resolve disagreements or communicate more confidently with peers.
These goals can then be connected with the participant’s broader NDIS goals around independence, emotional regulation, relationships, community participation and daily functioning.
This means families are not simply paying for attendance at a group. They are funding a structured capacity-building intervention with an identified purpose.
Assessment and measurable progress
Another reason we selected SAS is its strong focus on assessment and progress monitoring.
Information is gathered before the program to help us understand the child’s current strengths, support needs and priority areas. This provides a baseline and helps us identify meaningful individual goals.
Progress can then be monitored throughout the program using facilitator observations, participation information, skill development activities, parent input and the child’s ability to apply strategies across different situations. The SAS platform also allows facilitators to monitor engagement with program components and review individual and group progress.
At the end of the program, families receive information about what was covered, the child’s participation, progress towards their goals and possible recommendations for future support.
This creates a much clearer record of how NDIS funding has been used and what the support has been working towards. It may also provide useful evidence for future planning meetings, progress reports and discussions with the child’s broader care team.
Support that extends beyond the session
Capacity building is most meaningful when skills can be used outside the therapy room.
SAS includes opportunities for children to practise skills between sessions, with support from the important adults in their lives. Families can learn the same language and strategies used in the program, helping children apply their learning at home, at school and in community settings.
This does not mean expecting children to perform a skill perfectly in every environment. It means helping the people around them understand what they are learning and how they can support that learning without pressure or judgement.
The aim is for each child’s new understanding and strategies to become genuinely useful in everyday life.
Can I use my child’s NDIS funding for SAS?
If your child has relevant funding and the program relates to their disability support needs and NDIS goals, SAS may be an appropriate use of their funding.
Plan-managed participants can generally choose registered or unregistered providers, provided the support is an NDIS support, fits within the participant’s plan and meets the relevant requirements. Having a plan manager does not remove your choice and control, although plan managers are responsible for checking that invoices meet NDIS funding and compliance requirements.
No provider can guarantee that every support will be payable from every plan. NDIS plans are individual, funding categories differ, and some supports are specifically stated or restricted. However, SAS has several important features that make its purpose much easier to demonstrate:
it is evidence-based
it addresses functional social and emotional capacity
it has structured therapeutic content
it includes individual goals
it uses assessment and progress monitoring
it provides clear documentation and reporting
it can be directly connected to relevant NDIS goals
If you are uncertain, you can send the program information and proposed funding details to your plan manager before enrolling and ask them to confirm that the support can be paid from your child’s plan.
We can help you check before you commit
We do not want families to feel they have to interpret their child’s NDIS plan alone.
Before the program begins, ACS can help you consider whether SAS aligns with your child’s current goals and available funding. We can also provide clear information about the program’s purpose, structure, costs and intended outcomes for you to share with your plan manager, support coordinator or other relevant professional.
Families deserve to use their funding confidently and purposefully. We chose Secret Agent Society because it offers more than an enjoyable group experience. It provides a structured, evidence-based and measurable way to build skills that can make a meaningful difference in a child’s everyday life.
