NDIS Worker and Provider Registration
The NDIS Review final report was released in December 2023.
The Review helped show some of the ways in which the NDIS is not working well and how it could work better for people with disability.
One of the recommendations that people have been talking about is universal registration for NDIS providers and workers, and a ‘tiered’ registration system with different levels. This is recommendation 17 in the NDIS Review report.
This is different to the system we currently have, where registration is expensive and can take a long time, and around 180,000 NDIS providers are unregistered. While all NDIS providers – whether they are registered or not – need to follow some rules (like the NDIS Code of Conduct), it is hard to track this.
We have concerns about the safety of lots of people with an intellectual disability under the current system.
We think the current registration system needs to change.
That is why we agree with universal registration – where everyone who provides services to people with disability and receives NDIS funding needs to be enrolled.
We believe universal enrolment will be an important safeguard, particularly for people with an intellectual disability and people without friends or family looking out for them.
Greater visibility would mean regulators, like the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, will know who providers are and can contact them and hold them accountable.
We support the development of a new system that is co-designed by people with disability, including people with an intellectual disability. The NDIS Provider and Worker Registration Taskforce has been created by the government to start this process.
Registration is not the whole answer, but it is an essential part of ensuring that we have safe and high-quality services for everyone.
You can watch this video with Inclusion Australia CEO Catherine McAlpine and Luke Nelson Policy Officer talking about NDIS Worker and Provider Registration.
You can also find the video on our You Tube channel: https://youtu.be/NhxH-ca_93k
Read the video transcript here or below.
You can find out more about the NDIS Worker and Provider Registration Taskforce here: www.dss.gov.au/disability-and-carers-standards-and-quality-assurance/ndis-provider-and-worker-registration-taskforce
The Taskforce will publish their advice and recommendations mid-2024.
To learn more about safety and your rights in disability services, you can look at our Your Service, Your Rights materials.