On the first NDT assessment, if we enter a score of 0 to 2, will this be accepted, or should we consider the client’s circumstances at the point of referral when they were more chaotic?

Yes, this is acceptable. Please complete the NDT assessment based on circumstances at the point at which a service user engages with the project, not prior to this.
We are only asking projects to collect information using the NDT Assessment to provide us with a measure of individual need and how this changes over time. We are not asking projects to use the NDT assessment as a tool for determining access to services. If projects wish to use the tool in this way, that is fine.