Ask DSC: What are the mandatory training requirements for support workers?

Question: I’d like to understand what the mandatory training requirements are for support workers. As an organisation, we want to ensure that we are compliant and at the same time we are not over training. Is there a list?

Great question - many discerning providers reach out to us looking for that magic list that prescribes exactly what training they need to do. I get it, we all want to make sure we are compliant and doing the right thing. However, the only training module that is actually mandated for all registered providers is the NDIS Worker Orientation Module.

So does that mean that workers don’t need any other training? No, it doesn’t. While the NDIS Commission does not prescribe any other specific courses, each registered provider needs to determine what training will best equip their workforce to meet their participant’s needs, consistent with the outcomes and quality indicators outlined in the NDIS Practice Standards. And under the Code of Conduct, all providers (including those that aren’t registered) need to ensure their workforce acts in a safe and competent manner with care and skill.

The training a worker needs depends on several factors including:

• whether the provider is registered
• which registration pathway applies (Certification or Verification)
• the modules the provider is required to meet
• the types of services the provider delivers and to which participants

While there isn’t an official magic list, if you dive into the NDIS Practice Standards you can find what auditors and the NDIS Commission will be assessing you against. You can conduct your own research to find relevant training in these areas, or you may choose to undertake it in-house. But because we like to be helpful, we have developed our DSC On-Demand training library to address these Practice Standards and Code of Conduct in this handy factsheet.

Baseline training includes:

• Mandatory NDIS Worker Orientation Program - Worker Orientation Module: Quality, safety and you
• Infection prevention and control, including refresher training
• Complaint handling procedures
• Incident response procedures
• Implementation of disaster and emergency management plans

Under WHS laws, businesses must also provide workers with the information, training, instruction or supervision needed to protect them and participants from health and safety risks arising from their work. For example, if workers are performing manual handling or using equipment such as hoists, they must be trained to do this safely.

If your organisation has an elected Health and Safety Representative (HSR), they must also be supported to access specific HSR training. Refer to your state WHS regulator for more details.

Additional training is required if delivering any of these tasks:

• Management of waste, infectious or hazardous substances
• Medication management
• Mealtime management
• Implementing behaviour support plans, including positive behaviour support and the safe use of restrictive practices
• High Intensity Daily Personal Activities (HIDPAs) consistent with the high intensity skill descriptors, including refresher training for:
  • Complex bowel care
  • Tracheostomy management
  • Enteral (naso-gastric tube – jejunum or duodenum) feeding and management
  • Urinary catheter management (in-dwelling urinary catheter, in-out catheter, suprapubic catheter)
  • Ventilator management
  • Subcutaneous injections
  • Seizure management (not a HIDPA but guidance for training is available)
  • Dysphagia
  • Complex Wound Management

Training in individual support plans

On top of their general training, all workers should be trained to understand and implement individual support plans. Training should:

• be tailored to the assessed risks, needs and preferences of each participant.
• be delivered before a worker provides the relevant support.
• be refreshed whenever a participant’s plan or risks change.
• include training on responding to an individual’s health needs, including when to escalate emergencies.
• be documented and evaluated for effectiveness.

What about key personnel?

Registered providers and their key personnel are required to understand their obligations under the NDIS Practice Standards and relevant laws and regulations. The specific training required to operate an NDIS provider will really depend on the skills and experience of the people running the organisation. Specifically, the Practice Standards require the governing body to identify the skills and knowledge needed to govern effectively and undertake training to address any gaps.

Maintaining training compliance records

The NDIS Practice Standards specify that a registered provider’s HR system must maintain records of:

• the skills and knowledge of each position, including responsibilities, scope and limitations.
• pre-employment checks, qualifications and experience.
• completion of the mandatory NDIS worker orientation program.
• a system to plan, record and evaluate the effectiveness of training and education, including identifying mandatory training and training necessary to understand obligations under the NDIS Practice Standards and other NDIS rules.
• timely supervision relevant to the scope and complexity of supports delivered.
• worker performance.
• workers with capabilities in the event of an emergency or disaster.
• plans to source and induct a workforce in the event of workforce disruptions in an emergency or disaster.
• infection prevention and control training, including refresher training.
• worker contact details and secondary employment.

We have resources in our On-Demand library to assist with keeping records and a new eLearning is coming soon to assist L&D and HR professionals to comply with their requirements.

A quick word about competence

Finally, I’d like to finish with where I began. Under the NDIS Code of Conduct, providers and workers are responsible for delivering support in a safe and competent manner with care and skill. That means providers are responsible for ensuring workers are competent to deliver the supports they are assigned. This requires providers to ensure training is more than a tick-box exercise. eLearning modules are a fabulous starting point, but should be followed up with practical instruction, supervision and assessment of competence. Most importantly, every provider should feel confident that each worker has the right skills to support their participants safely.

Once again I am going to plug this great little factsheet that maps our On-Demand training against these requirements and if you want to learn more visit DSC On-Demand Training.