Protecting partipants, preventing harm
Welcome to the NDIS Check Newsletter
This newsletter is to keep you informed about NDIS Checks in Western Australia.
We encourage you to share this newsletter with your colleagues and they may also choose to subscribe.
How will a Covid-19 outbreak effect NDIS Worker Screening services?
It is anticipated that services will continue and that workers will be able to lodge applications as usual. The Department of Transport have continued to carry out essential in-person transactions all throughout the pandemic including during any lockdown periods. The Department of Transport’s website will be the best place to find information about their centres and any disruption to services - DOT Home (transport.wa.gov.au).
Like you, we will be following the health advice as it comes. We will do our best to keep you updated on any changes through our website.
Are your Key Personnel NDIS Check Compliant?
All key personnel of registered NDIS providers are required to have an NDIS Check clearance.
The National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 defines key personnel as:
· a member of the group of persons responsible for the executive decisions of the person or entity;
· any other person having authority or responsibility for (or significant influence over) planning, directing or controlling the activities of the person or entity.
Key personnel can include, but is not limited to, CEO, executive staff members, managers and all members of the board of directors.
If you need assistance determining who in your organisation is key personnel you can contact the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission (ndiscommission.gov.au).
In order to demonstrate compliance, registered NDIS providers must maintain records of all risk assessed roles, including key personnel, and the workers engaged in these roles.
The NDIS Worker Screening Unit is also authorised to request information from providers for compliance purposes. As part of our regulatory activities we may write to you requesting these worker screening records.
Questions from the sector
Some of the top questions or comments we receive from NDIS providers.
How do I link a worker with an existing clearance in the NDIS Worker Screening Database (NWSD)? If your organisation did not verify a worker's NDIS Check application, they will need to be manually linked in the NWSD. Linking a worker will ensure you are notified of any changes in their NDIS Check status. Step by step instructions on how to link a worker can be found here.
If a volunteer or student becomes a paid worker, is their clearance still valid? An NDIS Check clearance is valid for five years subject to ongoing monitoring. It is transferable between risk assessed roles including paid and unpaid, and NDIS providers across Australia.
In Western Australia you do not need to pay the gap in application fee if you move from a volunteer to a paid role. This may not be the case in all jurisdictions so we recommending checking in the state or territory in which the application was lodged.
We have a number of questions. Can we request a meeting with someone from the Screening Unit? Sure, send us an email at NDISCheck@communities.wa.gov.au. We are happy to help where we can although we may need to refer you to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commissions for matters that fall under their jurisdiction.
Department of Communities Training Session - Quality Assurance Panel
Our colleagues from Behaviour Support Consultancy have an upcoming free training session.
If you are a senior manager or delegate for an NDIS implementing provider, come along to a free online Quality Assurance Panel education session.
Two introductory workshops are on offer in early February and will cover:
· the purpose of Quality Assurance Panels
· requirements and roles
· guiding principles of regulated restrictive practice use.
Contact us by phone: 1800 035 544 or by email: NDISCheck@communities.wa.gov.au
