NDIS NewsQuality & Safeguarding

Ask DSC: Which Providers Need to be Registered?

Paula examines which providers need to be registered, what changes are likely, and provides a brief overview of the registration process.

By Paula Spencer

Updated 14 Jul 202515 Jul 20258 min read
Ask DSC cartoon image of a hand ticking boxes on a checklist

Question: What services do I need to be registered to deliver? And is it true that this is expected to change?

At the moment, the only NDIS providers who are required to be registered are:

  • Specialist disability accommodation SDA
  • Plan managers
  • Specialist behaviour support services
  • Providers who implement regulated restrictive practices

Participants whose Plan is Agency-Managed can also only receive support from a registered NDIS provider.

A question that often comes up is: Why be registered if you don’t have to be? You may have great systems in place, be providing high quality services and have participants who are happy to use unregistered providers.

As we know, mandatory registration is likely in the future, so some providers are getting in early to miss the rush. However, the process takes a lot of time and money, so you need to weigh up the pros and cons.

So, what’s changing?

What is life without change? Especially in the NDIS. There are strong indications that the government will require most (if not all) NDIS providers to be registered in the long-term. To learn more about that, check out our article: The Registration Taskforce Final Report- Team DSC.

At this stage, the first cabs of the rank will be Support Coordinators, Supported Independent Living (SIL) and Platform Providers. The timeline for transition is yet to be announced, the NDIS Commission only confirming that it will not commence before July 1, 2025 (so from now on watch this space).

Get ready

It may be beneficial to evaluate your system against current requirements and identify gaps and areas for continuous improvement. This will help you to plan for and build the systems required for registration over time.

Before you start, check Practice Standards would apply. The Practice Standards are divided into 2 main areas: Verification and Certification. The requirements are much less onerous under Verification. This is for providers who provide lower risk or lower complexity supports and services, and providers who are required to be certified through other professional bodies, such as AHPRA.

Go to The quality audit process- NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission to determine which Practice Standards apply and for more information about being audited against them. DSC has also developed this handy tool to assist you in understanding which modules you will need to meet.

You may also be required to be assessed against additional modules based on the supports and services you provide. The supplementary modules are:

  • High Intensity Daily Personal Activities
  • Specialist Behaviour Support
  • Implementing Behaviour Support Plans
  • Early Childhood Supports
  • Specialist Support Coordination
  • Specialist Disability Accommodation

To download the Practice Standards, go to NDIS Practice Standards- NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. DSC also has a Gap Analysis tool to help you work through your evidence and identify gaps. You can download this for free for the next 30 days by entering code: GAP097 at the checkout.

If you would like to start the registration process, then you will need to:

  1. Set up a PRODA account as an individual and an organisation at Services Australia Registration
  2. Apply for registration through the NDIS Commission, which includes completion of a self-assessment at Apply for registration | NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
  3. Source and engage an auditor
  4. Prepare for and complete audit(s)
  5. Address any identified nonconformities

Once these steps have been completed, the NDIS Commission will determine the outcome of your registration.

This is all obviously just a very quick guide. To assist providers in understanding what it takes to be registered, we have developed an introduction to registration webinar Introduction to NDIS Registration- DSC - Team DSC (free for On-Demand Subscribers), and are also running more in-depth registration workshops to help you kickstart your registration journey.

Stay up to date

To keep up to date with the latest, go to About the reform program- NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. If you haven’t already, also subscribe to the NDIS Commission newsletter at Newsletter and Alert- NDIS Commission, the NDIS newsletters at Newsletters- NDIS and this newsletter at NDIS News and Analysis- Team DSC.

And of course we will keep you updated on the latest developments in all things registration.

Authors

Paula Spencer

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