Speak Out April 2017 low res

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20 Speak Out April 2017
THE NDIS QUALITY and Safeguarding Framework was
released on 9 December 2016. The national safeguard will not
be implemented until full transition to the scheme in July 2019. In
the interim, states and territories will continue to have regulatory
responsibility for NDIS providers.
In summary the framework indicates that:
• Speech pathologists providing to NDIS participants, both
agency and self-managed, will be required to have current
CPSP membership of SPA, professional indemnity and public
liability insurance, and undertake safeguarding checking.
• No additional certification will be required unless they are
intending to provide one of the types of support that require
highly specialised skills and experience. Currently, provision
of early childhood supports and support coordination are
included in the list of high risk activities.
• The requirement for additional certification, and the level
of that additional certification, will be proportionate both
to the risk associated with the type of support, the size
of the provider organisation, and how difficult to replace
the supports may be. As an example, a large organisation
providing residential and/or in home supports would be
considered “hard to replace”.
The framework includes an example of how things may work,
using a sole trader speech pathologist. In the example they
talk about requiring evidence of CPSP membership of SPA,
professional indemnity insurance and personal liability insurance,
plus a copy of working with children or vulnerable adult checks,
with a requirement for re-verification every 12 months.
The full quality and safeguarding framework is available at:
for-people-with-disability/ndis-quality-and-safeguarding-
framework-0
Points from the framework which are most pertinent to service
providers are summarised below.
Efficiency and effectiveness
An NDIS registrar will be established, all providers will be required
to comply with an NDIS code of conduct, and providers of certain
types of supports will be required to meet additional quality
and competency standards. Registration requirements will be
proportionate to both the risk inherent in the service delivery
model, and the scale of the organisation.
The NDIS will appoint a national senior practitioner to oversee
approved behaviour support practitioners and providers; provide
best practice advice, receive, review and report on provider
reports on use of restrictive practices; and follow-up on serious
incidents that suggest unmet behaviour support needs.
Nationally consistent risk-based worker screening will be
developed. Overall design and broad policy settings will rest with
the registrar, and operational responsibility with the states and
territories. This will apply to workers, including employees, agents,
volunteers, contractors, and sub-contractors engaged by NDIS
providers and the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) that
have significant contact with people with disability as a part of
their work or role.
Tiered requirements for providers: all providers, whether
registered or not, will be required to comply with applicable
Commonwealth, state and territory laws, the NDIS code of
conduct, and the NDIS complaints resolution process. All
providers wishing to become registered will be required to
participate in a verification or certification process.
Providers: the NDIS will develop a code of conduct which will
apply to all providers, regardless of whether they are registered.
There will also be some additional safeguards around specific
types of support.
Where the type of support is high risk and should only be
delivered by a competent professional, but not subject to
existing requirements (either AHPRA or self-regulating allied
health professions), participants, including those who are self-
managing, will only be able to seek the support from a provider
registered with the NDIS registrar. The full list of high-risk supports
is yet to be finalised, but is expected to include allied health
services not covered by AHPRA registration, services involving
the implementation of behaviour support plans and restrictive
practices, and early childhood intervention services.
Mutual recognition: requirements will be streamlined for
providers who will have full membership of a recognised
NDIS Quality and Safeguarding Framework
NDIS