Sneak Preview! NDIS Workforce Capability Framework

My colleague Ann recently stepped us through the new NDIS Workforce Capability Framework (the Framework) in her article “What Good Looks Like”. The Framework applies to any worker funded under the NDIS and translates the NDIS Principles, Practice Standards, and Code of Conduct into observable behaviours that service providers and workers should demonstrate when delivering services to people with a disability. The Framework provides a common language to describe “what good looks like.”

The first tool to be released was the Interactive Framework Tool, which lets you select the type of role you are interested in and see the capabilities relevant to that role. The website also offers a brochure that introduces the Framework and how to use it and a PDF of the Framework itself.

Coming soon

The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission (NDIS Commission) has now started giving us some clues about the other types of tools we can expect to support the implementation of the Framework. Let’s take a look.

• Job design and position descriptions – An interactive position description builder and associated templates are being developed. This tool will assist providers and participants in using the Framework when designing and describing disability support jobs. It will use the Framework’s language to set clear expectations for job seekers and help providers and participants define the essential capabilities required for a given job. Users of the tool will also be able to include other relevant information, such as the organisation’s purpose and values or the specific task requirements for a job.

• Supervision and coaching – The NDIS Commission will develop practical guidance and a tool to improve supervision capabilities and practices in the NDIS, with a specific focus on providing disability support workers with guidance and feedback related to the capabilities set out in the Framework.

• Maturity model – The maturity model will allow NDIS providers to assess their workforce systems, policies, and practices at each step of the workforce planning and employment cycle (planning, onboarding, supervising, and developing). It will show how to apply the expectations established in the organisational capabilities section of the Framework and strengthen the capacity to form and support a workforce to deliver supports in the NDIS.

• Workforce planning tool – The workforce planning tool will support NDIS providers in planning and managing their workforce to deliver supports that are aligned with the capabilities described in the Framework. It will show how to apply the outcomes of the maturity model to identify priorities to strengthen the workforce planning and employment cycle.

• Recruitment and selection tools and resources – These tools will support providers and participants in recruiting workers. They will show how to use the Framework when recruiting and selecting people for different roles. They will also provide guidance on the most effective assessment methods to optimise the fit between a given applicant and the job.

• High Intensity Support Skill Descriptor Review – The High Intensity Support Skill Descriptors outline expectations of worker skills for service providers of High Intensity Daily Personal Activities. The main purpose of the review is to explain the link between the descriptors and the Framework. The review also provides an opportunity to update the descriptors to account for any implications from the introduction of the Disability Related Health Supports and plans to introduce a new Quality Indicator relating to severe dysphagia management.

• Suitability self-assessment tool for potential workers – This tool will help job seekers assess their suitability to work in the disability sector based on the attitudes, values, and skills set out in the Framework. The tool will give job seekers a practical insight into the role and help them decide if it is right for them and how well they are suited to the work.

• Guidance on the use of the Framework for existing workers – This tool will use the Framework to help current workers explore development options to deepen their capability in their current job or pursue other career opportunities in the disability sector. It includes skills alignment and ways to bridge any capability gaps. This tool also aims to drive employee retention (or the sector more generally) and assist with strategic workforce planning.

The NDIS Commission will progressively develop and release tools and guidance from now until December 2022, so keep your eyes peeled. The NDIS Commission says these tools and guidance will be developed in close consultation with the sector to ensure they are realistic, practical, and useful. If you are keen to be involved in developing the tools of interest to you or want to receive updates on the Framework rollout, you can subscribe using this form.