6 August 2021

Coronavirus (COVID-19): Seven-day lockdown in Victoria and resources for supporting participants in lockdown

The Victorian Government has issued directions that affect all providers in Victoria, including those delivering supports in disability accommodation settings. There are new resources for supporting participants during lockdown.

Key points

• Victoria entered a seven-day lockdown from 8pm AEST on Thursday 5 August 2021. 
• Disability support workers are classified as essential workers.
• There is specific advice that applies to residential disability settings. 
• New resources are available for providers and workers supporting participants in lockdown.
• Notify the NDIS Commission of any significant changes to services or supports as a result of the new restrictions.
• All providers are reminded of their obligations regarding continuity of critical supports, and to review outbreak management and business continuity plans.

Updated Health Directions

The Victorian Government has imposed a seven-day lockdown from 8pm AEST on Thursday 5 August 2021.

We encourage you to read the full details of the statement from the Victorian Premier, and the table of restrictions (133.96KB).

Please ensure that you, your workers and the people with disability that you support understand what these changes are, and how they affect the supports and services you deliver.

Disability workers are essential workers

Disability workers are classified as essential workers under these restrictions, and should continue providing supports to people with disability, where possible, in accordance with the restrictions.

If you support people with disability who live alone, make contact with them to ensure they have everything they need to stay at home safely. Offer assistance if they need it.

Restrictions for disability accommodation 

No visitors are allowed into residential disability settings, unless an exception applies. Further information on visiting residential disability accommodation can be found on the Victorian coronavirus website.

As these restrictions will impact your visitor management policy, you should clearly communicate this temporary change with the NDIS participants you support and their support networks using their preferred form of communication. You should explore alternative ways for people with disability to connect with their support network, such as phone or video calls.

Resources for participants, providers and workers

1. The Council for Intellectual Disability (CID) has produced Easy Read resources for participants living in residential disability settings who may be required to isolate due to a COVID-19 outbreak:

• What is happening in my home (PDF 2.1MB)
• Looking after your health in lockdown (PDF 3.6MB)
• If you think you have Coronavirus

2. CID have also developed a Plain English guide for staff (PDF 1MB) in residential disability settings.

3. The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care has developed a poster outlining the steps for putting on and taking off PPE. This may be useful for providers who are required to implement combined contact and droplet precautions in addition to standard precautions

We strongly encourage you to share these resources with the people with disability that you support and your workers.

Notification of changes or events

You must notify the NDIS Commission of any change or event that significantly affects your ability to comply with any of your conditions of registration, including compliance with the NDIS Practice Standards. You must use the COVID-19 notification of events form to report these changes.

Your requirements to notify the NDIS Commission of reportable incidents under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (Incident Management and Reportable Incidents) Rules 2018 are separate from the COVID-19 notification of changes or events and remain unchanged.  

Continuity of support obligations and outbreak preparedness

All providers are reminded of their obligations regarding continuity of critical supports, and to review outbreak management and business continuity plans.

Refer to our provider alert of 6 August 2021.

NDIS Commission COVID-19 information and resources

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) information webpage on the NDIS Commission website contains links to updates, training, alerts and other resources.

We also have a COVID-19 webpage containing information for people with disability, and a webpage of frequently asked questions about COVID-19 for all stakeholders.

Contact us

Call: 1800 035 544 (free call from landlines). Our contact centre is open 9.00am to 5.00pm (9.00am to 4.30pm in the NT), Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays.

Email: contactcentre@ndiscommission.gov.au

Website: www.ndiscommission.gov.au