Quality & Safeguarding September Update

Welcome to the September Quality and Safeguarding Update!

We are here to bring you all the goss on what has been happening in the quality and safeguarding space.

NEW NDIS Workforce Capability Framework Tools

The NDIS workforce capability framework team has developed a range of tools and resources to support the sector to integrate the workforce capability framework into their workforce management practices. The following tools are now available for testing:

These tools have initially been released as a beta version, so there is an opportunity to provide feedback over a three-month test period. The NDIS Commission encourages you to test run the tools and let them know what you think by the 14th October.

NEW Surveillance Technology Practice Guide

The Surveillance Technology Practice Guide helps clarify the big questions about what is considered ‘surveillance technology’. It assists providers in identifying circumstances where surveillance technology could be used as part of a regulated restrictive practice and highlights the ethical, human rights, privacy and practice issues when using surveillance technology.

NEW Practice Alerts

The NDIS Commission has released three new and one updated practice alert for cardiovascular disease, epilepsy, medicines and respiratory depression, and preventing respiratory infections.

Practice alerts are short research summaries that provide important information on best practice and safe and quality service delivery. They were developed in response to the scoping review of causes and contributors to deaths of people with disability in Australia. New resources have also been developed to complement the Practice Alert series, including short animations, quick reference guides and easy read summaries.

NEW Medication Purpose Form

A new form has been developed that can be used by NDIS providers with medical practitioners to clarify the purpose of the medication being prescribed. It can assist in identifying the use of regulated chemical restraint, keeping a record of the medications a participant has been prescribed and reducing the risk of medication interactions.

NEW Behaviour Support Practitioners: Applying for Suitability

The NDIS Commission recognises that new entry-level behaviour support practitioners applying to testing their suitability may have limited portfolio evidence. This fact sheet provides guidance for new entrants on how to complete the assessment process. Ongoing professional development is required to ensure progression towards meeting all core-practitioner–level capabilities. New entry-level behaviour support practitioners will have their suitability reconsidered 12 months later.

NDIS Commission Strategic Plan 2022–2027

The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission Strategic Plan 2022–2027 sets out the Commission’s vision, principles and purpose. It is available online now in full, easy read and poster versions.

Adult Safeguarding in Queensland

The Queensland Public Advocate has released the first volume of a two-volume report on adult safeguarding in Queensland. The aim of this work is to explore, enliven and expand on the Australian Law Reform Commission’s adult safeguarding recommendations relating to Queensland, taking account of the features of Queensland’s geographically diverse social and health services sectors, the diverse characteristics of the state’s people and the recent state and national regulatory developments. The first volume of the report identifies the adult safeguarding ‘gaps’ that exist. The second volume, due to be completed later this year, will identify reforms that will address these gaps.

MHCC Resources

The Mental Health Coordinating Council (MHCC) has developed two new resources to support organisations that provide services to NDIS participants with a psychosocial disability. The NDIS Practice Standards Guidebook: An essential guide for psychosocial disability service providers and an accompanying online resource, the NDIS Practice Standards Self-Assessment Tool are now available for providers to access.

Exposure Draft and Explanatory Statement of the Quality of Care Amendment (Restrictive Practices) Principles 2022

The Quality of Care Amendment Principles seek to establish arrangements that allow for certain individuals or bodies to be authorised to provide consent for use of restrictive practices on behalf of a residential aged care recipient. This applies when the state or territory laws do not currently authorise an individual or body to provide consent on behalf of an aged care recipient. These arrangements will only apply where the care recipient lacks capacity to make an informed consent decision themselves. Read the exposure draft and explanatory statement on the Department of Health and Ageing website.

Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability (Disability Royal Commission)

Sixth Progress Report

The Royal Commission has released its sixth progress report. This report summarises the work carried out by the Royal Commission during the period from 1 January to 30 June 2022.

In the six months to 30 June 2022, the Royal Commission held five standalone public hearings. They were:

Public hearing 17.2: the experience of women and girls with disability with a particular focus on family, domestic and sexual violence
Public hearing 21: the experience of people with disability engaging with Disability Employment Services

Public hearing 22: the experience of people with disability working in Australian Disability Enterprises
Public hearing 23: preventing and responding to violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation in disability services (a case study)
Public hearing 24: the experience of children and young people with disability in different education settings

The Royal Commission also heard oral submissions from counsel assisting and parties given leave to appear for two public hearings on:

Public hearing 19: measures taken by employers and regulators to respond to the systemic barriers to open employment for people with disability
Public hearing 20: preventing and responding to violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation in disability services (two case studies)

During this period, the Royal Commission held its 1000th private session and received its 4000th submission.

Public Hearing 25

During July, the Royal Commission held public hearing 25: the operation of the NDIS for First Nations people with disability in remote and very remote communities in Alice Springs. The Royal Commission heard evidence on:

The accessibility of the NDIS to First Nations people living in remote and very remote communities

The planning processes and funding decisions of the NDIA, including whether funding and pricing arrangements take proper account of local factors and possible solutions
The limited availability of NDIS providers in remote and very remote communities and the experiences of First Nations people with disability who have to move away from their country to receive NDIS services and support
The cultural competence and safety of staff working in the NDIA, Partners in the Community and NDIS providers, including the impacts of cultural incompetence, what standards of cultural competency training should apply and how those standards should be assessed
The role of Aboriginal community-controlled organisations in the NDIS
Whether the NDIA’s policies and programs have been effective in addressing the barriers faced by First Nations people living in remote and very remote communities to accessing NDIS services and support
Whether (and how) the existence, or absence, of advocacy and self-advocacy impacts the ability of First Nations NDIS participants in remote and very remote communities to navigate barriers to accessing NDIS services and support

You can catch up on this and other hearings on the Royal Commission website.

Royal Commission Schedule

The schedule for the Royal Commission for the rest of the year is as follows (subject to change).

September 2022

19–23 September: Public hearing 27, Pan Pacific Perth, 207 Adelaide Terrace, Perth – conditions in detention in the criminal justice system

October 2022

10–14 October: Public hearing 28, Brisbane – violence against, abuse, neglect and exploitation of people with disability in public places
24–28 October: Public hearing 29, Melbourne – the experiences of violence against, abuse, neglect and exploitation of people with disability from culturally and linguistically diverse communities

November 2022

21–25 November: Public hearing 30, Homebush – guardianship, substituted and supported decision making

December 2022

5–9 December: Public hearing 31, Brisbane – service providers
12–16 December: Public hearing 32, Brisbane – vision for an inclusive Australia

National Quality and Safeguarding Conference

We are super excited to be hosting DSC’s first online Quality and Safeguarding Conference: Safeguarding a Good Life on 18 October. We have a stellar line-up of experts who are eager to explore all the big topics, including:

Updates from the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
Developmental safeguards and circles of support
Unregistered and registered providers
Measuring quality and the limitation of audits
Quality and safeguarding implications for contracting and gig work
The role of good governance and representation on boards
NDIS workforce capability framework

Get your tickets at here

If all things Q&S is you jam, we hope to see you and your team there!