NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission - April 2021

Providers in Western Australia and residential aged care (RAC) have now transitioned

NDIS providers in Western Australia (WA) and residential aged care (RAC) across Australia transitioned to the NDIS Commission on 1 December 2020. This means that the registration requirements in the NDIS (Restrictive Practices and Behaviour Support) Rules 2018 and other relevant rules now apply to registered NDIS providers in WA and RAC when supporting NDIS participants.

Providers who applied for the special transitional arrangements in sections 26 and 30 of the Behaviour Support Rules have been informed of the outcome of the notification, including the next steps in their circumstances.

Please note, section 26 and section 30 notifications are now closed.

For more information about the obligations of specialist behaviour support providers and registered NDIS providers using regulated restrictive practices with NDIS participants across Australia (including in WA and RAC settings), please see the Fact sheet: Behaviour support and restrictive practices.

Behaviour support plans: RAC providers

Behaviour support plans for participants in RAC settings now need to include the RAC provider when lodging in the NDIS Commission Portal.  The behaviour support plan can be progressed to ‘pending’ and providers must report monthly against the lodged plan.  Behaviour support plans that were lodged before the transition date should no longer be set to ‘closed’ in the Portal.

Update on the ‘copy’ function in the NDIS Commission Portal

The copy function has now been updated to ensure its functionality remains reliable and to limit errors within copied plans. Only the person, key contact and details view will be copied in order to limit the issues arising from content being copied across various behaviour support plans.

Details of implementing providers, behaviours of concerns and the schedule of restrictive practices will not copy across and individual behaviours of concern and restrictive practices can only be copied within a behaviour support plan. Additionally, details will not be copied from interim to comprehensive plans.

We thank you for your patience while we fixed these issues. See the lodging a behaviour support plan user guide for help with using the NDIS Commission Portal.

Positive Behaviour Support Capability Framework: National implementation program

New South Wales and South Australia

The national implementation program started in NSW on 20 January 2021 and in SA on 1 February 2021.  If you are a registered specialist behaviour support provider or a ‘provisionally suitable’ practitioner in either of these states, you should submit an application by:

• 16 April 2021 (NSW practitioners)
• 30 April 2021 (SA practitioners). 

Please contact us if you need the web link to the application form.

No extensions to the assessment timeframe will be granted unless you are on extended or parental leave, or there are extenuating circumstances.

If you received your practitioner notification letter and NDIS practitioner number after January 2021 we will let you know when you need to submit your application. This only applies to practitioners who are new to behaviour support. For further details, please visit our website

Queensland

The national implementation program schedule for Queensland has been revised. If you are a behaviour support practitioner in Queensland, you can submit a practitioner suitability application from 1 July 2021 with applications to be submitted by 30 September 2021.

NDIS Commission application portal from 1 July 2021

From 1 July 2021, if you are a ‘provisionally suitable’ behaviour support practitioner, you can submit your practitioner suitability assessment through our new application portal from the start date in your state or territory. An information guide will be available to assist practitioners with this new streamlined application process.

Use the existing resources on our website to prepare for the assessment and application process before using the online system.

We have added the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about the suitability assessment and application process to our website.

New practice guide: Regulated restrictive practices with children and young people with disability

We recently released a new practice guide regarding the use of regulated restrictive practices with children and young people.

The practice guide and interactive decision trees aim to promote the rights of children and young people with disability, identify special considerations and safeguards, highlight the legislative obligations of NDIS providers, provide practice advice consistent with contemporary evidence and a positive behaviour support framework, and address the most frequently asked questions by families and NDIS providers.

The guide was developed for registered NDIS providers and NDIS behaviour support practitioners. It may also be of interest to participants, their families, and others supporting children and young people with disability.

COVID–19 Vaccine fact sheet

We have developed a fact sheet to help you understand your obligations when supporting people with disability to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, including the use of regulated restrictive practices. This includes what the state and territory requirements are and who you should contact for authorisation.

Practice alert: Polypharmacy

Polypharmacy is often defined as the use of five or more medications, or two or more psychotropic medications, at the same time. It increases the risk of medication-related adverse effects and poorer health outcomes.

Our practice alert explains the risks associated with polypharmacy, how to support NDIS participants who receive polypharmacy, and your obligations.

Other practice alerts are available on our resources page.

Swallowing awareness

Speech Pathology Australia hosted a Swallowing Awareness Day on 17 March 2021. This was an opportunity to bring attention to swallowing disorders and how they impact the lives of people who have swallowing difficulties.

Last year, we published practice alerts on dysphagia and swallowing difficulties in people with disability.

Contact the National Behaviour support team or your local Behaviour Support team:

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