Glossary of terms

  • Acceptable check: An acceptable check is the name given when a person fulfils the requirements that apply in the state or territory where they provide supports and services under the transitional and special arrangements contained in Part 4 of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (Worker Screening—Practice Standards) Rules 2018. It allows individuals to work in certain types of roles without an NDIS worker screening clearance during a particular period that applies to that state or territory. In some cases, this acceptable check will continue to be recognised for a period after the NDIS Worker Screening Check has commenced.

     

  • Behaviour support plan: A document prepared in consultation with the person with disability, their family, carers, and other support people that addresses the needs of the person identified as having complex behaviours of concern. The behaviour support plan contains evidence-informed strategies and seeks to improve the person’s quality of life.

     

  • Behaviour support practitioner: A practitioner who is registered with the NDIS to provide specialist behaviour support.

     

  • Disability advocate: a person who: is independent of the Agency, the Commission and any NDIS providers providing supports or services to the person with disability; provides independent advocacy for the person with disability, to assist the person with disability to exercise choice and control and to have their voice heard in matters that affect them; acts at the direction of the person with disability, reflecting the person with disability’s expressed wishes, will, preferences and rights; is free of relevant conflicts of interest.

     

  • NDIS Code of Conduct: Applies to all NDIS providers and workers, regardless of whether they are registered. The Code of Conduct helps providers and workers respect and uphold your right to safe and quality supports and services.

     

  • NDIS Commission Portal: Contains tools for providers to manage their registration and meet their obligations.

     

  • NDIS Practice Standards: Specify the quality standards to be met by registered NDIS providers to provide supports and services to NDIS participants.

     

  • NDIS Worker Screening Check (Worker Screening Check): A nationally consistent assessment conducted by a state or territory Worker Screening Unit to determine whether a person who works, or seeks to work with people with disability poses a risk to them.

     

  • NDIS Worker Screening clearance: A decision made by a Worker Screening Unit that clears a person who applied for an NDIS Worker Screening Check to work with people with disability in a risk assessed role.

     

  • NDIS Worker Screening exclusion: A decision made by a Worker Screening Unit that does not clear a person who applied for an NDIS Worker Screening Check to work with people with disability in a risk assessed role.

     

  • NDIS Workforce Capability Framework: translates the NDIS Commission’s principles, Practice Standards and Code of Conduct into clear and observable behaviours that service providers and workers should demonstrate when delivering services to people with disability.

     

  • Positive behaviour support: Aims to reduce and eliminate restrictive practice.

     

  • Positive Behaviour Support Capability Framework: establishes clear expectations for behaviour support practitioners and provides a pathway for recognition and professional progression for behaviour support practitioners. It focuses on the knowledge and skills that underpin contemporary evidence-based practice.

     

  • Practice review: a reflective process that examines a provider’s engagement with a participant or group of participants, and improvements that can be made to their experience of the supports and services being delivered by the provider. It often focuses on a particular practice area, cluster of services, and/or practice in particular teams of support workers.

     

  • Registered NDIS provider: A registered NDIS provider is a person or organisation that is registered with the NDIS Commission in accordance with section 73E of the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013. NDIS providers must be registered to deliver some kinds of supports (e.g. implementing regulated restrictive practices in a behaviour support plan).

     

  • Regulated restrictive practice: Practices that are monitored by the NDIS Commission. There are five categories, these are: seclusion, chemical restraint, mechanical restraint, physical restraint, environmental restraint.

     

  • Reportable incident: An act or event that has happened (or is alleged to have happened) in connection with the provision of supports and services, including: death, serious injury, abuse or neglect of a person with disability, unlawful sexual or physical contact or assault of a person with disability, sexual misconduct against or in the presence of a person with disability, or the use of a restrictive practice that is not in accordance with an authorisation or is used not in accordance with a behaviour support plan.

     

  • Restrictive practice: any practice or intervention that has the effect of restricting the rights or freedom of movement of a person with disability, with the primary purpose of protecting the person or others from harm.

     

  • Self-managed participants: Self-management is when an NDIS participant manages their own NDIS funding. It gives NDIS participants the flexibility and choice to decide which provider delivers NDIS supports and services to them to meet their plan goals.

     

  • TelePBS: the delivery of positive behaviour support via telepractice. Telepractice is the delivery of services at a distance. Services can be delivered by face to face videoconferencing, audio videoconferencing, chat box videoconferencing, telephone, text messaging, emailing or a combination of these.

     

  • Unauthorised restrictive practice: The use of a restrictive practice: without authorisation by the relevant state or territory (however described); or not in accordance with a behaviour support plan.

     

  • Unregistered NDIS provider: A provider of NDIS supports and services that has not been registered with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. Not all providers are required to be registered. Unregistered NDIS providers usually deliver lower risk supports to NDIS participants – for example, house maintenance. Only participants who self-manage or plan-manage their NDIS funding are able to choose to receive supports and services from unregistered NDIS providers.

     

  • Worker: For the purposes of the NDIS Worker Screening Check, a worker is someone employed or otherwise engaged by a registered or unregistered NDIS provider, or someone who provides supports and services to self-managed participants. To note:

    • It includes people in paid, unpaid and self-employed roles, such as employees, contractors, consultants, and volunteers.
    • It also includes individuals that are themselves a registered or unregistered NDIS provider, each of the key personnel of a registered NDIS provider and a partner of a partnership that is a registered NDIS provider.
    • Only workers of registered NDIS providers that are engaged in certain roles (called risk-assessed roles) are required to obtain an NDIS worker screening clearance.

     

  • Worker screening unit (WSU): The person or body that is responsible for conducting NDIS Worker Screening Checks in a state or territory under its NDIS worker screening law. WSUs are contained within state or territory government departments, or other state or territory authorities.