To Register or not to Register- That Is The Question

From July 1st, the Quality and Safeguarding Commission will be responsible for all provider registrations and renewals across the country (with the exemption of WA). Providers now have the opportunity to review their registration groups and decide what, if any, they should remain registered in under the Commission’s regime. 

Registering and renewing with the Commission for the first time can be a little on the laborious side, and does require external audits. This has led many providers to rightly ask themselves:

“Do i have to register?!?!”

Some providers will have to remain registered under the Commission. According to the NDIS (Provider Registration and Practice Standards) Rules 2018, these are providers who:  

• Deliver Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA).
• Undertake behaviour support assessments or develop behaviour support plans.
• Use restrictive practices when delivering supports.  

Further, the NDIS Act tells us that Plan Management providers also need to be registered.

I'm hearing some of you letting out a big sigh of relief. Maybe you are seeing a few cost saving $$ flashing before your eyes. But before you decide not to register, consider the following:

• Are your current customers Agency Managed? Fully Agency Managed Participants make up 47% of all people in the Scheme, and they can only use registered providers. Moreover, even if a Participant partly Self or Plan Manages, they can only use registered providers for any supports that are Agency Managed. So you might be excluding more Participants than you initially think.   
• Registration gives people some level of assurance about the quality and safety of your services. Some of your potential customers might prefer to engage with providers who have met the Quality and Safeguarding requirements of the Commission.
• Most providers already have a pretty robust quality system underpinning their service delivery. Adjusting to the Quality and Safeguarding requirements could offer a unique opportunity to reflect on your strategic direction and improve the quality of your services.

 We know the cost is still a very real factor that providers need to consider. So in upcoming articles, we will be exploring the expenses associated with registration and advise you on some ways to keep cost down. Keep your eyes peeled, tips will be coming to an inbox near you!