What you need to know about NDIS certification & requirements

In December 2019, the Australian Government commissioned an independent review of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). The goal was to improve people’s experience with the NDIS and ensure people living with disabilities have the support they need.

People living with disabilities shared their experience with the NDIS, along with carers, advocates and NDIS providers. The final report showed:

• Some participants found the transition to the NDIS confusing
• Some participants are frustrated about delays and lack of transparency
• Some participants want to have more support to become informed and effective consumers
• Some participants feel the NDIS is too complex and difficult to navigate

The NDIS will be supporting more than 500,000 Australians within the next five years. Improving NDIS support and services will be essential moving forward.

To help manage and monitor the quality of disability support services throughout Australia, NDIS providers now need to be registered with the NDIS and have either NDIS certification or verification.

This is designed to ensure people living with disabilities are getting the level of support they need, while also ensuring NDIS providers are offering support and service in line with NDIS Practice Standards.

The 2019 NDIS review highlighted the NDIS is not perfect. It is not a simple, straightforward process for NDIS applicants, nor NDIS providers seeking certification for their business — but we’re here to help.

In this blog, we share a summary of key points you need to know about NDIS certification and what we can do to get your business certified.

Who is the NDIS Commission?

The NDIS Commission oversees the registration and regulation of NDIS providers and ensures NDIS providers are compliant with NDIS practices and the NDIS Code of Conduct.

The Commission also manages:

• Complaints about NDIS services and supports
• Reportable incidents, including abuse and neglect of a participant
• Use of restrictive practices
• Nationally consistent NDIS
• Worker screening

NDIS providers need to be registered with the NDIS to provide services and supports to NDIS participants. This includes businesses that offer disability accommodation or develop behaviour support plans.

How do I get my business registered with the NDIS Commission?

The registration process varies based on the size and scope of your business, as well as your service delivery risk. There are two pathways to getting registered with the NDIS:

1. Verification. This is for NDIS providers who deliver low-risk support and services. Health professionals like doctors, dentists, and chiropractors will already be regulated and monitored by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). This makes their support services “low risk”.
2. Certification. This is for NDIS providers who deliver high risk or complex support and services. These providers fall into the High-Intensity Daily Personal Activities registration group – for example, a team of carers within a business who offers complex care like ventilation, diabetes management, seizure management, and more.

The NDIS Commission will decide whether your business needs a verification or certification audit and then outline the NDIS Practice Standards you need to meet to be registered. These Practice Standards describe best practices for the support and services you provide.

What are the NDIS certification requirements and how do I get certified?

The NDIS Commission will give you an ‘Initial Scope of Audit’ document which outlines the registration requirements for your business.

This document will determine whether you need a “verification” or “certification” audit, along with what your business needs to demonstrate to comply with the relevant NDIS Practice Standards.

You will need an approved quality auditor to check the scope of the audit is accurate and begin the auditing process — which is where we come in.

At QMS, we’re committed to streamlining the NDIS certification process so you can focus on providing premium support for people living with disabilities.

We’ll provide a quote based on the “Initial Scope of Audit” document and tailor the price based on the size and scope of your business, along with your unique needs and requirements.

We will then complete an in-depth assessment of your business against NDIS Practice Standards and look for areas needing improvement.

For NDIS verification, we will complete an assessment of the following elements:

• Relevant qualifications
• Expertise and experience
• Risk management
• Complaint management and resolution processes
• Incident management processes and policies (e.g. injuries, abuse)
• Human resource management

For NDIS certification, we will assess:

• Rights of participants and responsibilities of providers
• Provider governance and operational management
• Delivery of supports
• Delivery environment
• Risk management

If necessary, we’ll also assess your disability support services against specific NDIS modules, such as:

• Early childhood support
• Specialist disability accommodation
• Daily personal activities and care
• Chronic illness management

During the assessment, we’ll complete a thorough review of your documents, processes, records, and files. We will provide recommendations to improve the processes listed above to ensure you are compliant with NDIS Practice Standards.

Once the assessment is over, we’ll prepare a report which will be sent to the NDIS Commission. The NDIS Commission will then decide whether or not your business can be verified or certified.

NDIS certification is simple and streamlined with QMS

QMS Certification Services is an Approved Quality Auditor for the NDIS.

Our team of assessors will make the NDIS certification and registration process quick and efficient. We’ll assess your business and make sure you’re working in line with essential NDIS Practice Standards and Rules, so you can spend more time supporting people living with disabilities and less time stressing about the NDIS certification process.

Ready to get started?

Talk to our Approved Quality Auditors about NDIS certification or verification today.

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