NDIS Commission Provider Newsletter - October 2024

Welcome to the NDIS Commission's Provider Newsletter

Meet our new Commissioner and Associate Commissioner

The NDIS Commission has welcomed our new Commissioner, Louise Glanville, on 1st October 2024.

Louise brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from across government and disability sectors, including having spent three years as Deputy CEO at the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) implementing the NDIS.

Natalie Wade has been appointed as an Associate Commissioner with responsibility for registration and reform. Ms Wade has outstanding experience in law and lived experience as a woman with disability.

We thank Michael Phelan APM who has been Acting Commissioner, for stewarding the NDIS Commission since March this year.

Commissioner Louise Glanville and Associate Commissioner Natalie Wade

NDIS Commission's regulatory priorities for 2024-25

We have recently released our Regulatory Priorities for 2024-25.

These priorities enable us to target our efforts and resources towards identified areas of heightened risk.

Our 2024-25 Regulatory Priorities are:

We will reduce and eliminate the use of restrictive practices through monitoring the quality and compliance of behaviour support plan development and implementation.
We will ensure registered NDIS providers comply with their conditions of registration, especially auditing requirements, effective incident management systems, and reporting obligations.
We will ensure supports and services are delivered by registered and unregistered NDIS providers and workers to people with disability in a safe and competent manner, and with care and skill, particularly in supported accommodation settings.
We will regulate registered and unregistered NDIS providers' conduct in respect to individual participant rights, independence, and choice and control.
We will prevent and remove unscrupulous providers and workers from operating in the NDIS, by focusing on pricing, false and misleading conduct, and serious and organised crime.

For 2024-25 we will also have a particular focus on quality and safe supports in regional and remote locations, and activity which intersects with other regulators.

New Compliance and Enforcement Policy

The NDIS Commission has launched our new Compliance and Enforcement Policy that sets out how we secure compliance and enforce the law.

Our key role at the NDIS Commission is to uphold and protect the rights of participants and take action if providers and workers are breaching their legal obligations to provide safe and quality services.

Registration changes for platform providers, support coordinators and Supported Independent Living (SIL) providers

NDIS Minister Bill Shorten has announced the registration of all platform providers, support coordinators and SIL providers as a priority, to strengthen the quality and safety of supports.

Making this change will take time, needs to be well planned and be done in consultation with NDIS participants and the provider sectors impacted.

The NDIS Commission is planning to start consulting on this process in October 2024.

No action is currently required.

You can find more information on this change in our Provider Registration FAQs.

You can also read a letter from the NDIS Commission to Platform Providers reminding them of their responsibilities and explaining reforms that are underway to ensure participants have access to safe and quality supports and services.

New grant available for providers

A new grant opportunity is now open for submissions.

The Quality and Safeguarding grant opportunity will fund a range of innovative projects that enable people with disability to receive quality and safe NDIS supports and services, delivered by providers and workers who achieve and continually improve on quality and safeguarding outcomes.

A total of $3 million is available over two years, for projects with a duration of between one and three years. Applications close at 2pm AEDT on Friday 18th October 2024.

You can find more information on the Quality and Safeguarding grant opportunity via GrantConnect.

Are you prepared for a disaster or emergency situation?

NDIS providers are invited to attend a virtual National Coordination Mechanism (NCM) meeting hosted by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to learn how to prepare for the impending Higher Risk Weather Season.

When: Friday 1 November 2024 from 3:30pm-4:30pm AEST via MS Teams.

Attendees will receive a briefing on the national seasonal climate outlook and be provided with information to inform and support their organisation's preparedness activities. There will also be an opportunity for providers to ask questions.

Please register your interest by sending an email with your name, title, company, email address, phone and any accessibility requirements to HRWS@nema.gov.au by 5pm Thursday 17 October 2024.

Please note this event is not managed by the NDIS Commission. Please direct all enquiries to the email address above.

New website to help you prepare for emergencies and disasters

The NDIS Commission has funded new resources to provide information to providers and participants on how to prepare for emergencies and disasters such as bushfires, floods and pandemics.

As an NDIS provider you are required to have up-to-date emergency management plans that have been tested and plans for ensuring supports can continue during emergencies and disasters.

The R4NED website has lots of information and resources to use to help get ready for, manage, and recover from emergencies and disasters.

These resources also help providers meet the requirements of the NDIS Practice Standard for Emergency and Disaster Management.

You can find this important information on the Resources for NDIS Emergency and Disaster Management website.

Practice alerts for providers to help you deliver your service

Did you know lifestyle risk factors such as poor nutrition, lack of exercise, smoking, stress, loneliness and isolation can have a direct impact on the physical and mental health of people with disability?

We have put together some key information for providers on how they can best support participants to reduce lifestyle risk factors.

See our animated videos on the Practice Alert page on our website.

NDIS Commission's legal action against provider

The NDIS Commission has commenced civil penalty proceedings in the Federal Court of Australia against Irabina Autism Services’ former CEO Debra Goldfinch and former General Manager Rebecca Goldfinch, for allegedly allowing the use of prohibited physical restraints on children with disability.

The court proceedings follow an extensive investigation by the NDIS Commission, which has already resulted in Debra Goldfinch and Rebecca Goldfinch being permanently banned from working with people with disability.

The NDIS Commission will also be seeking court approval to proceed against Victorian-based Irabina, which was placed into liquidation earlier this year.

Read the media release about this civil proceeding from the NDIS Minister Bill Shorten.

New guide for supporting children in the NDIS

We have collaborated with the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) to develop 'Quality Support for Children in the NDIS', a guide that outlines what quality practice looks like when it comes to the provision of NDIS supports and services to children.

We are hoping it will be a useful tool for providers, and parents and guardians of children receiving early childhood intervention, therapy supports, or behaviour support.

Download the Quality Support for Children booklet.

Corporate Plan

Our Corporate Plan 2024-25, which defines our purpose, priorities and key activities and highlights how we plan to improve the quality and safety of NDIS supports and services, is available on our website.

It details the work we will be focusing on over the next 12 months and into the future and explains how we will track and measure our progress against our objectives.

Read the media release about the Corporate Plan from NDIS Minister Bill Shorten.

Key resources to help you

The NDIS Commission has a range of key resources to support you in delivering safe and quality services and complying with your registration.

Find the links here:

External resources

The Safer Me, Safer You project provides resources for participants and providers and workers on sexual rights, sexual health, consent and respectful relationships from organisations around Australia.

This project is managed by Sexual Health and Family Planning ACT and is funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services.

Connect with us

Stay in touch with the Commission on social media:

General Enquiries

1800 035 544 (free call from landlines)

Our contact centre is open 9am to 4.30pm in the NT, 9am to 5pm in ACT, NSW, QLD, SA, TAS and VIC. Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays.

To provide feedback, contact the NDIS Commission by emailing
contactcentre@ndiscommission.gov.au.

Thanks for reading!

You can find past issues of the NDIS Commission provider newsletter on our website.