Welcome to all providers in the Australian Capital Territory, the Northern Territory, Queensland, Tasmania and Victoria that are now registered with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission (NDIS Commission).
The transition of five more states and territories to the NDIS Commission's coverage brings us closer to the delivery of a single, national regulatory approach to protecting the rights, health and wellbeing of every Australian receiving supports under the NDIS.
The NDIS Commission is a Commonwealth statutory body that regulates the quality and safety of NDIS supports and services. It started work 12 months ago in South Australia and New South Wales, and when it commences in Western Australia on 1 July 2020, all states and territories will be covered by national quality and safeguarding arrangements.
This newsletter is distributed quarterly and includes information and resources to help you in meeting your obligations to provide safe and quality services to people with a disability.
Video: welcome to the NDIS Commission with Commissioner Graeme Head
“Quality and safeguarding is a really important dimension of a scheme like this, and the NDIS Commission’s job is to provide that single, national, regulatory approach to this very important part of the NDIS which is about participants being safe and accessing quality of services.”
NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commissioner, Graeme Head, talks about the role of the NDIS Commission and its key functions including registering providers, responding to complaints, overseeing reportable incidents, and its key functions behaviour support leadership.
Provider Information Sessions
Thank you to providers that attended our information sessions held recently in each jurisdiction in which we started operating on 1 July 2019, and for your feedback that the sessions were a good overview of requirements under the NDIS Commission.
The information from both the June and March/April sessions is available online, along with video recordings of many of the sessions. These information sessions are a useful resource and introduction for providers that are new to the NDIS Commission and the disability service sector.
View the March/April information sessions
View the June information session
View the Provider Information Sessions Q&A document
Provider Information Pack
New guidance documents and reporting processes for reportable incidents
From 1 July 2019, all registered NDIS Providers (except for Western Australia) should use the NDIS Commission Portal ‘My Reportable Incidents’ page to notify and manage reportable incidents. This replaces the email submission process used by NSW and SA providers.
Reportable incidents are incidents or allegations that have occurred, or have alleged to have occurred in connection to an NDIS participant receiving NDIS supports or services. Registered NDIS providers are required to record and manage all incidents that happen in the delivery of NDIS supports and services in their internal incident management systems, and notify the NDIS Commission or reportable incidents. Find specific reporting information for states and territories here.
The NDIS Commission has recently published detailed guidance for providers about their incident management system requirements, reportable incidents and the expectations of workers delivering services. These documents are now available on the NDIS Commission website, along with Quick Reference Guides containing useful information about using and accessing the NDIS Commission Portal.
Behaviour support reporting now online
The NDIS Commission Portal is now available for uploading behaviour support plans and for monthly reporting against these plans. Our website contains information about behaviour support, including a Quick Reference Guide on using the NDIS Commission Portal.
Providers registered for behaviour supports can now access the Positive Behaviour Support Capability Framework, which sets a new national benchmark for practitioners, and for the knowledge and skills that underpin their practice.
Further behaviour support information will be sent to practitioners and implementing providers in a dedicated behaviour support electronic newsletter later this week.
Access the Positive Behaviour Support Capability Framework
Find behaviour support transition information for your state or territory here
Find information about behaviour support here
"If you need to speak up, speak to us"
An information campaign empowering participants to speak up if they need to about the quality and safety of their NDIS funded services and supports launched on social media today. As part of meeting registration obligations, providers must have a effective complaints system in place and ensure participants know how to complain if they need to.
Grants: $5.7M investment in building NDIS provider capacity
The 10 recipients of the new NDIS Support for Providers grants program have been announced, receiving $5.7 million to develop practical tools and resources to help NDIS providers meet regulatory requirements.
Worker screening checks
The NDIS Commission is working with state and territory governments to implement a nationally consistent approach to worker screening checks. Registered providers will be advised when the NDIS Worker Screening Check is introduced. In the meantime, registered NDIS providers should follow state and territory interim requirements for worker screening.
Online Course: Worker Orientation Module
More than 34,000 people have completed the Worker Orientation Module ‘Quality, Safety and You’ since it was launched in May 2019. The module is an interactive online course that explains the obligations of workers under the NDIS Code of Conduct – from the perspective of NDIS participants.
New Resources
Information and welcome packs
The NDIS Commission has created new resources to welcome new providers and ensure they have the information required to comply with their obligations under the NDIS Commission.
Provider Information Pack
Participant Welcome Pack
Code of Conduct poster
This downloadable poster of the NDIS Commission Code of Conduct can be printed in A3 or A4 size and is a useful resource to pin up in work areas.
Complaints Management and Resolution Guidance
Detailed guidance on the complaints management and resolution process under the NDIS Commission.
Q&A
1. What’s the cost of an audit, and how do I find an approved quality auditor?
The NDIS Commission has guidelines for approved quality auditors that tell them how to scope and conduct an audit. The guidelines indicate that the audit process is to be proportionate to the size and scale of the organisation as well as the risk and complexity of the supports and services delivered.
Providers will only be audited against the scope of supports and services that they are currently delivering to participants or are seeking to be registered to deliver. This scope of supports will be detailed in the ‘initial scope of audit’ document issued by the NDIS Commission on submission of your registration application. It is critical for providers to complete the audit scope document, prior to approaching an auditor for a quote. The scope document allows providers to characterise the supports provided and the settings in which they are being provided. This will allow the auditors to form a view on what is reasonable, based on the auditor guidelines, to provide an accurate quote.
The NDIS Commission is working to increase the number of approved quality auditors to give providers greater choice when it comes to choosing an auditor and obtaining the best value for their audit. Three new auditing bodies were approved in June 2019.
Please refer to our previous Provider Alert for information about the NDIS Commission’s approach to ensuring auditing costs are proportionate to organisation size.
Find an approved quality auditor
Tips on engaging an auditor
2. What is the best source of information on Provider registration and obligations?
The NDIS Commission.
We are aware of consultants in the market promoting systems to meet NDIS Commission registration requirements. The NDIS Commission does not endorse these systems.
We have a range of resources available to assist providers in meeting registration requirements. All of the information can be found on our website:
NDIS Commission provider page
NDIS Commission provider registration page
NDIS Commission fact sheet: how to register as a provider
NDIS Practice Standards and Quality Indicators
Providers that can’t find the information they need on the NDIS Commission website are encouraged to contact us on 1800 035 554.
2. What is the Code of Conduct?
New providers are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the NDIS Code of Conduct, which applies to all NDIS providers and the people employed or engaged by them, and sets a clear message about the expectations of the Australian community that people with disability are treated with respect and free from exploitation, violence, abuse and neglect. Together the Code of Conduct and the NDIS Practice Standards build participants’ awareness of the quality of service provision they should expect from NDIS providers.
A short course, the Worker Orientation Module, has been developed to assist workers in the disability sector meet their obligations under the Code of Conduct. In addition, a downloadable poster of the NDIS Commission Code of Conduct can be printed in A3 or A4 size and is a useful resource to pin up in work areas.
Access the Worker Orientation Module
Access Code of Conduct
Code of Conduct poster
General Enquiries
1800 035 544 (free call from landlines)
Our contact centre is open 9am to 5pm local time, Monday to Friday.
To provide feedback, contact the NDIS Commission by emailing contactcentre@ndiscommission.gov.au.
Connect
You are receiving this newsletter because you are a registered NDIS provider. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. You can find past issues of the NDIS Commission provider newsletter on our website.