As a disability service provider, you might feel that it is hard to keep up with all the COVID-19 rules and guidelines being put into place.

This blog provides 3 tips for making sure that your organisation is up-to-date with the latest COVID-19 advice including a compilation of helpful links you can use to retrieve further relevant information.

Cases of COVID-19 can become prevalent in any area and new restrictions can be put into place at any time. Conversely, as COVID-19 case numbers drop, various restrictions will begin to ease. This means that it is important to monitor government advice issued on a local, state and federal level.

You can find some up-to-date government information listed below (these pages are frequently updated). To ensure you get the most recent information, it is recommended that you bookmark them and check back regularly:

All states

• Department of Health website and the specific section dedicated to the disability sector

• NDIS COVID-19 information and support page

• COVID-19 information for people with disability from the NDIS Commission

• COVID-19 page on Disability Gateway.

ACT

• COVID-19 ACT website

• ACT vaccinations

NSW

• NSW Health

• NSW vaccinations

NT

• COVID-19 NT website

• NT vaccinations

QLD

• Queensland Government website

• Queensland vaccinations

SA

• COVID-19 SA website

• SA Health vaccinations

TAS

• COVID-19 Tasmania website

• Tasmania vaccinations

VIC

• COVID-19 Victoria website

• Victoria vaccinations

WA

• COVID-19 WA website

• WA vaccinations

All Australians have been encouraged to obtain the COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine is voluntary and both participants and disability support workers are eligible. More information about vaccination eligibility is available through the Vaccine Eligibility Checker.

Your responsibilities in relation to the vaccine rollout may vary depending on the size, scope and requirements of your organisation. Some of the key responsibilities you may have for rolling out the vaccine might include:

• starting the conversation about the vaccination program rollout

• giving participants and workers information about the benefits and risks of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine

• providing information about the vaccine to each participant in a format the participant is most likely to understand and, if required, using communication resources such as:

  • easy reads

  • Auslan resources

  • foreign language resources

• identifying appropriate places/locations for receiving the vaccine

• keeping up-to-date with:

  • COVID-19 vaccine information from the NDIS Commission

  • NDIS COVID-19 information

  • latest government, state and local advice

• continuing COVIDSafe practices before, during and after undertaking vaccination management.

Your internal documentation around COVID-19 must be current. It is recommended that you review your pandemic management content more often than your usual document review cycle.

In particular, you must have a current pandemic management policy and plan. This will help to ensure that:

• you are able to manage support as effectively as possible and reduce the risk of transmission

• your workers can respond to day-to-day COVID-related challenges they may be facing, such as managing lockdowns or obtaining personal protective equipment (PPE)

• you can ensure that your workers have received all relevant internal and external COVID-19 training

• you can address any feedback or concerns you receive from participants in a timely manner.

Overall, having a current pandemic management policy and plan will help ensure that you will continue to provide the best possible outcomes for the people your support.

All Centro ASSIST products include a pandemic management policy and a template to help you create a pandemic management plan. Get in touch with us today to learn more about how Centro ASSIST can help your organisation.