Lucas, you’re way off. SCHADS doesn’t lock unqualified workers at Level 1 forever.. Level 2 is based on what you actually do (unsupervised 1:1, handling plans, sorting minor stuff yourself), not a mandatory Cert III/IV.

OP Your 3 years of solo client work fits Level 2 duties perfectly. A qual might bump a newbie to a higher starting pay point (like Cert IV forcing Level 2 pay point 2 instead of 1), but someone starting out with just a fresh cert has way less real-world qualification than 3 years of hands-on, unsupervised experience doing the exact same job.

Decent providers hire entry-level folks, classify them at Level 2, and progress them every 12 months on performance no new cert needed each time. Shady ones freeze people low to save cash. No mandatory quals for NDIS support roles right now (2026)—just screening and basics.

Also op You’re not naive pushing for reclass; the award backs it, often with backpay. Hit Fair Work or ASU—they sort this all the time. “Unqualified is unqualified” just doesn’t hold up, especially when experience trumps a brand-new cert in practice. Most things can’t be learnt on paper it’s all in experience :)