Message from Associate Commissioner Natalie Wade on Group Homes
You may have seen the distressing media coverage of the experiences of some NDIS participants in group homes recently. It is not acceptable to me, as Associate NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commissioner, that people with disability do not live free from violence, abuse and neglect in everyday settings and while receiving disability support services.
As the human-rights regulator of the NDIS, we are committed to ensuring that the human rights of people with disability are at the forefront when they are receiving disability support services.
I recognise that there are longstanding and significant concerns about the quality and safety of services within some group home settings, including those highlighted by the Disability Royal Commission and NDIS Review. We are committed to using the full weight of our regulatory powers to act against providers and workers who have failed to provide quality and safe services to people with disability.
Our regulatory powers can and will be used against any providers found to be in breach of the NDIS Code of Conduct or Practice Standards, including significant fines, banning orders and civil penalties, an example of which is the record $1.9m civil penalty recently secured in the Federal Court for failures in a residential group home. This outcome should serve as a strong deterrent to any provider not fulfilling their duties to NDIS participants.
We continue to undertake proactive work to improve the quality and safety of services for people with disability living in group settings, such as:
- Announced and unannounced site visits to more than 300 Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) dwellings to review safeguarding practices and speak with participants about their experiences, taking compliance action when breaches are identified
- The introduction of a new Supported Independent Living (SIL) module to the NDIS Practice Standards, which will offer human rights guidance and enable better practice in group home settings
- Consultation on mandatory registration for SIL providers, which is central to ensuring greater oversight by the NDIS Commission, requiring compliance with both the NDIS Code of Conduct and Practice Standards, the reporting of all serious incidents, and worker screening.
It’s vital that we all work together to uphold the rights of people with disability. I encourage anyone with information about the abuse or neglect of NDIS participants, or providers or workers doing the wrong thing, to contact us by phone on 1800 035 544 or by completing a complaint contact form online.