The purpose of the NDIS Registration Taskforce Report is for the Government to get advice on the design and setting up a of new regulatory model for NDIS providers and their workers. The NDIS Provider and Worker Registration Taskforce Report follows the Final Report of Independent Review of the NDIS which outlined a recommendation for ‘a graduated risk-proportionate model’ for regulation.
The proposed model by the Final Report will make sure that NDIS providers and workers are required to pass certain checks in order to provide support to people with disability. It will also be based on what type of supports they provide, with the NDIS detailing that the recommendation is needed to advance the quality and safety of support services and to keep people safe.
The NDIS Registration Taskforce listened to more than 2,200 people from February to June 2024. This included but was not limited to NDIS Participants, their families and carers, providers, government agencies and union representatives.
Recommendations
- Not all providers should be registered but further consultation with the disability community and sector would be needed on this.
Providers that would not be registered would include:
- Unregistered providers who support self-directed participants
- Goods brought off the shelf from mainstream providers (providing proof of purchase should be adequate to provide visibility of these services)
2. The NDIA should transition to fully electronic payments as being able to see payments is important.
3. Registration should be based on risk (about the types of supports being offered).
It recommends four different types of registration:
- Advanced Registration – providers who offer high-risk supports and services in high-risk settings. This could include daily living supports in closed settings like group homes).
- General Registration – providers who offer medium-risk supports like:
- High-intensity daily personal activities
- Supports that need extra skills and training
- Supports where there is a significant amount of one-on-one contact with people with disability
- Self-Directed Support Registration – participants, guardians or legal representatives who contract all their supports directly.
- Basic Registration – providers who offer low-risk supports (e.g. sole traders)
The NDIS Registration Taskforce Report also includes that there is a 5th category where no registration would be required for goods that are brought from mainstream retailers.
4. Platform providers should be registered.
5. The NDIS Commission should have the right to enter Group Homes unannounced. Additionally, all providers of Supported Independent Living (SIL) and Home and Living supports should have Advanced Registration. They would also need to register immediately in the current system as there is a greater risk to individuals in these services.
6. Protect choice and control. A recommendation of ways to support NDIS participants to register themselves for self-directed supports.
This includes:
- Having their support providers automatically visible and visible to the NDIS Commission.
- Placing self-directed supports in a new category which would be reviewed and audited to ensure that people are safe and are provided with quality supports.
- People with a disability should co-design the registration and audit process.
7. The Australian Government should invest in peer support and capacity-building programs. This will in return help with engagement in the NDIS regulatory framework. This is also inclusive of participants who self-direct their supports.
8. Improving and confirming Provider Obligations in the registration with particular emphases on:
- Code of Conduct
- Worker screening
- Complaints processes
- Incident reporting
- Practice standards
- Requirements for providers to have check-ins with the NDIS Commission
- Meaningful provider performance measures
9. Provider processes to make sure providers follow their obligations with particular emphases on:
- Verifying providers
- How providers use the Code of Conduct
- Having worker screening in place
- Requirements for audits
- Assessing suitability of providers and workers monitoring and compliance
10. A Worker Registration Scheme for all workers
11. Practitioners who already hold professional registration, have that registration recognised.
Implementation Actions
In addition to the recommendations by in the NDIS Registration Taskforce Report, they have included the following actions to further ensure that registration achieves quality and safety.
They include:
- Expanding core functions of the NDIS Commission
- Having new legal frameworks for providers and worker registration
- Stronger complaints systems
- Better monitoring and compliance
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