Q&S on the Agenda

Achieving registration with the NDIS Quality and Safeguard Commission (NDIS Commission) takes time, effort, and a commitment to establishing policies and procedures that meet the NDIS Practice Standards.

It’s likely that a small group within your organisation worked hard leading up to your quality and safeguarding (Q & S) audit. However, once the initial elation of achieving registration passes, it’s important to set up a system to ensure that practice standards are maintained on an ongoing basis.

One factor that contributed to our organisation successfully achieving registration with the NDIS Commission in 2019 and passing a midterm surveillance audit in 2021 was to have Q & S topics on our team meeting agenda year-round.

By having a standing item on your team meeting agenda, you can spread Q & S awareness and capability more broadly within your organisation and share the responsibility of getting ready for audit. As a bonus, the meeting minutes will demonstrate to your auditor that your organisation is committed to upholding NDIS Practice Standards now and into the future.

Airtime during team meetings is a precious commodity. Here are visuals and videos that are short and sharp, ZOOM friendly, available in multiple languages (including Easy English and Auslan), and designed to capture the attention of staff without putting them to sleep.

Q&S agenda topics & tips

Who’s who?

This visual outlines the role of the NDIS Commission, the role of the National Disability Insurance Agency, and the scope of the Q & S Framework. Make it a permanent feature at every team meeting and then rotate through Q & S Framework topics each meeting.

Code of Conduct

The Code of Conduct applies to registered and non-registered providers, along with partners in the community such as Local Area Coordinators and Early Childhood partners.

The Code of Conduct factsheet is available in 11 different languages, should be included in your new client sign-up pack, and can be printed as a poster and displayed in work areas.

The NDIS Code of Conduct for Workers includes real life scenarios to prompt discussions with your team.

Registration and Quality Assurance

The NDIS Commission assesses the suitability of NDIS providers and their key personnel to deliver NDIS supports and services. This video explains the process and is available in Auslan format.

Worker Screening

The NDIS Commission website has flow charts outlining the worker screening requirements for registered providers, unregistered providers, and staff completing the Worker Screening Check.

Monitoring, Investigation, and Enforcement

The NDIS Commission Compliance Pyramid illustrates the enforcement measures available to the Commission and set out in the Compliance and Enforcement Policy. Compliance and enforcement actions such as banning orders, compliance notices, and suspension and revocation of registrations are published here.

Behaviour Support

These two videos succinctly explain “Behaviour Support in the NDIS Commission”. The first video (4 mins) covers the role of Behaviour Support Practitioners in developing Behaviour Support Plans that contain Regulated Restrictive Practices, and the second (11 mins) explains the responsibilities of Implementing Providers.

Reportable Incidents

Reportable incidents require a prompt response. Regularly review your organisation’s incident reporting policies and procedures and the timeframes for notifying the NDIS Commission about reportable incidents.

Complaint Handling

Review the NDIS Commission guidance for complaints management and effective complaint handling. Follow the example of the Council for Intellectual Disability, which publishes its complaints and feedback policy in Easy English and with a read aloud option.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Meeting the NDIS Practice Standards isn’t a one-off proposition. By regularly revisiting the role of the NDIS Commission and the NDIS Quality and Safeguarding Framework at your team meetings, you will build your team’s capacity to uphold the Code of Conduct, respond to feedback and complaints, recognise regulated restrictive practices, and act on reportable incidents. Using and sharing resources that support different languages and modes of communication is one more way to demonstrate how your organisation meets the NDIS Practice Standards and Quality Indicators.

There is a saying amongst therapists that it’s not just what happens in a one-hour therapy session that counts so much as what happens in the other 167 hours of the week between sessions. Similarly, when it comes to your Q & S audit, what you and your team do in the months between audits can ensure that your organisation will continue to meet NDIS Practice Standards and sail through your next Q & S audit.