COVID-19 vaccination

Getting vaccinated can help protect your health, and the health of those around you. All NDIS participants aged 12 years and over are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.

You can talk to your NDIS provider about getting vaccinated, or ask them for help to make or attend an appointment to get vaccinated.

We have written to all registered NDIS providers about their important role in supporting you to access accurate and accessible information about COVID-19 and the vaccination, as well as in supporting you to get vaccinated if you need support to do so.

You can also talk to your GP or doctor about getting vaccinated, go to the Department of Health’s COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic Finder or contact the National Coronavirus and COVID-19 Vaccination Helpline on 1800 020 080.

If you need assistance booking a COVID-19 vaccine or need free, fact-checked information and advice about COVID-19 - go to the Disability Gateway website or call 1800 643 787. The Disability Gateway phone line is available Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm AEDT.

People who need information in a language other than English can call the Translating and Interpreting Service on 131 450, and ask to be connected to the Disability Gateway.

People who are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment can call the National Relay Service on 1800 555 677 and ask to be connected to the Disability Gateway.

More information about vaccination is also available on the Department of Health website, including Easy Read and Auslan resources.

Covid-19 vaccination for NDIS workers

All NDIS providers and workers are strongly encouraged to get vaccinated. It is your right to ask for workers who are vaccinated if that is your choice.

Some states and territories have announced mandatory COVID-19 vaccination requirements for workers, including disability workers. You can find out more about these requirements on the COVID-19 vaccine information for people with disability page of our website.

How to get proof of your COVID-19 vaccination

You may need proof that you have received your COVID-19 vaccination. You can get a COVID-19 digital certificate or your immunisation history statement to show proof of your vaccinations.

The Services Australia website has a range of information to help you set up your online account to access and store your proof of vaccination.

If you can’t get proof online, your vaccination provider can print your immunisation history statement for you.

You can also call the Australian Immunisation Register on 1800 653 809 and ask them to send your immunisation history statement or COVID-19 digital certificate to you. It can take up to 14 days for your statement or certificate to arrive in the post.

You can also ask your NDIS provider to help you get your proof of vaccination.

NDIS Code of Conduct – Respect for individual rights

In the Winter 2021 edition of SAFEGuard, we made the commitment to focus on one part of the NDIS Code of Conduct in each future edition.

The NDIS Code of Conduct is a set of rules about how your providers and workers should act when they are supporting you and the things they need to do to make sure you are safe.

In this edition, we are focusing on the first rule, which is that your providers and workers must act with respect for individual rights to freedom of expression, self-determination, and decision-making in accordance with relevant laws and conventions.

You have the right to make your own decisions, to be free to live the life you choose, and to have the same rights and freedoms as any other member of the community.

This means that if you are an adult with disability you should receive the support you need to make any decision and you have the right to choose who does and who does not help you to make any given decision.

Workers should work directly with you wherever possible. They should ask you about who, if anyone, you want to involve in decisions and discussions about your services and supports.

If you have a legal guardian, workers need to be clear on the decisions in which they need to involve your legal guardian. However, workers still have an obligation to ensure they have the capacity to listen to and support you to make decisions.

For children and young people, families also have an important role. In the early years, workers should work with families to understand a child’s strengths, interests and needs, and support them in their caring role. As a child grows up, they will be more involved in decision-making. Workers should involve children and young people in decisions that affect them in ways appropriate to their age and stage of development.

If you don’t think someone is meeting these rules, you can complain to us.

Inquiry into aspects of supported accommodation

We recently launched a new inquiry to examine reportable incidents and complaints that have occurred in connection with supported accommodation services.

The Inquiry was launched by our Acting Commissioner and will focus on a small number of providers who are large providers of supported accommodation across Australia.

The Inquiry will identify trends in the issues and incidents that are occurring in supported accommodation, and the factors that might lead to them.

It will also identify models for the delivery of supported accommodation that demonstrate best practice and may lead to better and safer supported accommodation services for people with disability.

Mr Arthur Rogers PSM has been appointed to lead the Inquiry. You can read more about him and the Inquiry on our website.

Supporting effective communication with you

Effective communication upholds your right to have choice and control and to make decisions about your life. NDIS workers have an obligation under the NDIS Code of Conduct to support and enable people to express themselves, be heard and be safe.

To help NDIS workers better understand – from the perspective of NDIS participants – how to best support effective communication, we’ve developed a new e-learning module for NDIS workers.

The module demonstrates what effective communication looks like, and how it supports choice and control. It was co-designed and developed in consultation with the sector, including people with disability and NDIS providers and workers.

The module is free and available to anyone, taking approximately 60-90 minutes to complete. The module is available at https://www.ndiscommission.gov.au/workers/supporting-effective-communication

New resources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants

Our Participant Information Pack and NDIS Code of Conduct postcards are now available in new versions designed specifically for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability.

The new resources were developed by an Aboriginal-owned company in consultation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability and NDIS workers. They include designs by an Aboriginal artist and images of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability.

The resources explain your rights, how to choose quality and safe supports, and how to make a complaint to us. You can find the new resources on our website.

New Standards for providers to make supports safer

The NDIS Practice Standards and Quality Indicators  are being amended to include new requirements for NDIS providers in the delivery of safe and quality supports to people with disability requiring severe dysphagia support (difficulty in swallowing), mealtime support, and support during emergencies and disasters, like the COVID-19 pandemic.

Together with the NDIS Code of Conduct, the NDIS Practice Standards help to raise NDIS participants’ awareness of the quality of service provision they should expect from registered NDIS providers. Registered providers are required to meet the Code and the Practice Standards.

The new Mealtime Management and Severe Dysphagia Management Practice Standards will require providers to make sure that NDIS participants have access to nutritious meals of the correct texture and delivered in a way that is appropriate to their needs and preferences. There will also be a new high intensity skills descriptor for Severe Dysphagia Management that describes the types of skills and knowledge required by workers to provide more complex eating and drinking supports.

The new Emergency and Disaster Management Practice Standard will set out registered NDIS providers’ obligations in maintaining the health, wellbeing and safety of NDIS participants during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, or future emergencies or disasters, like bush fires or floods.

The new NDIS Practice Standards and Quality Indicators have been developed in consultation with key stakeholders including people with disability, NDIS providers, academic and other industry experts, and State and Territory Governments.

You can find more information about the new NDIS Practice Standards and Quality Indicators and when they come into effect on our website.

New positive behaviour support resources

New resources are now available to support greater access to positive behaviour support for people with disabilities.

Tele Positive Behaviour Support (TelePBS) is a way to provide timely and quality behaviour support services remotely. It may be used to improve your access to these positive behaviour support services if you live in an area that is  impacted by COVID-19 restrictions or if you live in a rural or remote area.

The new resources explain what TelePBS is. They can be used to help you decide if TelePBS is right for you and to talk to your behaviour support provider about how you might be able to use TelePBS. You can find the new resources on our website.

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