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December 2022
A newsletter for people with disability, your friends, family, advocates and the community.
Please share this newsletter with people with disability in your network – for example, if you are an NDIS provider or worker who supports a person with disability, or an advocate, guardian, friend or family member of a person with disability.
International Day of People with Disability 2022
Each December, International Day of People with Disability is observed around the world, celebrating the contributions and achievements of people with disability and promoting awareness, understanding and acceptance.
The theme for this year’s celebrations is “Transformative solutions for inclusive development: the role of innovation in fuelling an accessible and equitable world”.
The NDIS Commission works to ensure NDIS participants receive safe and quality supports and services from qualified providers, no matter where they live in Australia, and also to help make sure that participants are confident to speak up if something is wrong.
The contribution and leadership of people with disability is critical to this work.
Thank you to all those who contribute to upholding the rights of people with disability.
Message from the NDIS Commissioner
NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commissioner Tracy Mackey has been meeting with NDIS participants, their families and support networks across Australia, to listen to your experiences and understand what’s important to you.
We want to make sure your voice as a consumer is heard, and that you have the choice to select the services, supports and providers that allow you to live life in the way you want.
In this edition of the updated SAFEguard newsletter, we’ve focused on what we’re doing to work towards providing you with quality services and supports delivered by skilled workers, and supporting you to be an independent and informed consumer.
You can view a transcript of this video in your language at the NDIS Commission website.
When you make it known, you make it better - Greg's story
- If you have a concern about the quality or safety of supports you receive, it's important to tell your provider or the NDIS Commission - because when you make it known, you make it better.
- Listening to you is the most important part of finding a solution.
When participant Greg* had an issue , we listened to him and worked with his team to improve the quality and safety of his supports.
Greg* is 48 and is an independent NDIS participant who lives in his own home in Maroochydore. Greg’s provider, CL3 Services*, has supported him for several years with daily tasks, such as attending activities and appointments, and bathing and dressing.
Greg gets on well with his support team. Their support enables him to visit his family, pursue his woodworking hobby and take part in activities at the local Men’s Shed, which he enjoys.
But when Greg fell while being transferred to his wheelchair and was hurt, he knew some things needed to change to make sure that he got proper and safe supports.
You read more about how the NDIS Commission helped Greg and his workers to make his supports safer and better in Greg's case study on our website.
*details changed for privacy.
People with disability have the right to complain about the services they receive.
Most NDIS providers do their best to provide quality supports and services to people with disability, but issues can occur.
It’s OK to complain – speaking up can help to improve services for you and other people. You have the right to raise a concern about NDIS supports if you are not happy.
Don't wait until things get serious - the sooner you say something, the sooner it can be fixed.
We will work with you, and with providers and workers, to resolve problems and improve the quality and safety of NDIS supports – for you and other participants.
Make a complaint here using the complaint contact form
Call us: 1800 035 544 (free call from landlines) or TTY 133 677. Interpreters can be arranged.
You can also use the National Relay Service and ask for 1800 035 544.
Tune in to podcast with a focus on your rights
The NDIS Commission has partnered with disability advocate Dr George Taleporos to deliver new episodes of his 'Reasonable and Necessary' podcast.
In a recent episode, Dr George speaks with NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commissioner Tracy Mackey about participants’ rights, the complaints process, the role of the NDIS Commission, and our strategy to raise standards in the disability sector.
The NDIS Commission also worked with Dr George to tackle the topic ‘what does good support look like?', in an episode featuring La Trobe University PhD research student, Megan Topping, and NDIS participant and Director of Sort Your Support, Carl Thompson.
You can access all episodes on 'Reasonable and Necessary' YouTube channel.
Your right to receive safe supports
- Under the NDIS Code of Conduct, if a provider or worker is worried about the quality or safety of care that you receive, they must report it right away.
If your workers notice a problem that might affect your safety or the quality of your supports, they must take immediate action to fix it.
This could be something simple like moving a table so that you can move past with your wheelchair. Or it could be more complicated – for example, if you did not feel safe being driven by your other support worker, like Francessca in the video below.
No matter what the situation is, your support worker should firstly make sure you are safe. They should ask how you would like the problem solved, or what would make you feel safer.
If they cannot solve the problem immediately, they should tell your NDIS provider. They can also report it to the NDIS Commission so we can investigate it and make sure you are receiving safe and quality support.
- You can access this video in your language on the NDIS Commission website.
Practitioner and provider lists for informed choices
To help you find an NDIS provider or behaviour support practitioner that is considered suitable by the NDIS Commissioner, our website has lists of registered providers, and behaviour support practitioners.
The list of suitable NDIS behaviour support practitioners is updated every day, and you can search by name or postcode.
If a practitioner is not on the list you can email NDIS Practitioners to ask if they are suitable, or you can ask the practitioner to provide a copy of their suitability outcome letter.
You can also search the list of registered NDIS providers to check if your chosen provider is currently registered or if they have had a registration suspended or revoked.
Visit the NDIS Commission's webpage on the different types of provider you can choose from.
Translation services to speak your language
Supporting effective communication upholds the rights of people with disabilities to have choice and control and make decisions about their own lives.
Your NDIS provider is responsible for offering you interpreter services to help you use your supports.
They can book an NDIS-funded interpreter through TIS National to support you face-to-face or over the phone.
Your provider should try to match you with an interpreter who speaks your language. This includes Auslan.
All interpreters working with NDIS participants must have a valid NDIS Worker Screening Check.
For more information about language interpreting services, visit the NDIS website.
Fact sheets about behaviour support
The NDIS Commission has created five fact sheets about behaviour support, including how to choose a specialist behaviour support provider, and information about your rights and restrictive practices.
They have been written with, and for, NDIS participants using Plain English.
You can download the factsheets at the following links:
Updates to COVID-19 isolation period and vaccine program
The COVID-19 vaccine is now available to everyone over the age of six months.
Booster doses are available for people who have had their primary course of the vaccine at least three months ago, and a fourth dose of the vaccine is also recommended for people who are:
- 50 years or older
- a resident of an aged care or disability care facility
- severely immunocompromised (this might be your fifth dose)
- or 16 years or older and with a medical condition or disability that increases the risk of severe COVID-19 illness.
There is no longer a mandatory isolation period if you test positive to COVID-19 for the general public however workers who provide care in the home or in a disability setting must still isolate for seven days.
For more information, visit the Disability Gateway website or call 1800 643 787.
Strategic plan to shape NDIS Commission's future
The NDIS Commission recently published our Strategic Plan which sets out our vision for the next five years and keeps you and your rights at the heart of what we do.
We're focusing on three key impact areas that will ensure you can uphold your rights to access quality services as informed, protected consumers. These impact areas are:
- The rights of people with disability. We want to speak up about the rights of people with disability, and as part of this we want to make sure that you know your rights.
- Good quality providers and workers. We want every participant to find and use services that are safe and good quality, and for you to trust us to speak up when supports and services have not met required standards, or are not meeting your personal expectations and needs.
- Supporting a diverse market. This means that participants have a choice of supports and services that are right for them, safe and good quality.
Our Corporate Plan for 2022-23 outlines our objectives for the next 12 months, including plans to implement a new Complaint Intake and Triage Process to improve current systems.
We've also recently published our Annual Report, which details how we performed during the past year, which you can read on our website.
These documents support and guide the NDIS Commission in our aim to be a contemporary and purpose-led regulator.
Aged care reform and a new Code of Conduct
The Australian Government is making changes to improve the safety, health, wellbeing and quality of life for people receiving support from aged care providers.
From 1 December, a new Code of Conduct for Aged Care (the Code) will be introduced, which describes how providers and workers must behave and treat people receiving aged care services, including NDIS participants.
The Code is based on the existing National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Code of Conduct. Both codes have a strong focus on an individual’s right to receive safe and quality supports and services, to have confidence in the workforce, and to feel and be protected.
The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (the ACQSC) will have powers to deal with behaviour in the aged care sector that does not meet the Code.
The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission (NDIS Commission) will continue to regulate and enforce its existing Code of Conduct for NDIS supports and services.
If you are an NDIS participant living in a residential aged care facility, your facility may be required to undertake an NDIS audit for registration purposes.
The NDIS Commission has developed an Easy Read NDIS Participant Handbook and Easy Read fact sheet about the NDIS audit process.
How to contact the NDIS Commission
You can call us on 1800 035 544. This is a 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.
Alternatively, you can email contactcentre@ndiscommission.gov.au
Ways to make a complaint
If you would like to make a complaint to us, you can:
Call 1800 035 544 (free call from landlines) or TTY 133 677. Interpreters can be arranged.
Use the National Relay Service and ask for 1800 035 544.
Complete an online complaint contact form.
Thanks for reading!
You can find past issues of the NDIS Commission participant newsletter on our website.
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