The National Disability Insurance Scheme’s (NDIS) Worker Screening Check has commenced in all States and Territories except the Northern Territory this week (1 February), along with the NDIS Worker Screening Database.
The Department of Justice and Community Safety (DJCS) said the NDIS Check was a way to ensure that people who worked with NDIS participants didn’t present an unacceptable risk to participants.
“All new workers in risk assessed roles for registered NDIS providers will need to get an NDIS Clearance before they can start work,” DJCS said.
“Transitional arrangements are in place for NDIS workers who were already working for registered NDIS providers in risk assessed roles before 1 February 2021.”
The Department said workers who needed an NDIS Clearance would include volunteer workers; workers engaged through third parties such as labour-hire agencies; and sole traders who for the NDIS Check were both the provider and the employee.
It said there were three types of risk assessed roles which covered key personnel including any role that directly delivered a set of specified supports or services defined in the NDIS rules and any role where normal duties were likely to require ‘more than incidental contact’ with people with disability.
“Victoria is taking a ‘no clearance, no start’ approach to the NDIS Check,” the Department said.
“This means that a person is prohibited from being employed or otherwise engaged by a registered NDIS provider in a risk-assessed role unless that person has an NDIS Clearance or is subject to a transitional arrangement,” it said.
Further information on the NDIS Check and transitional arrangements can be accessed at this PS News link.
