Additional conditions of registration now apply to providers delivering assistance with daily personal activities to participants who live alone. The NDIS Commission recently advised of these changes in a letter to participants. Here is a summary of what providers need to know about the new requirements. 

Why are conditions changing for these providers? 

The Commission is adding these conditions to ensure participants who live alone receive quality and safe personal supports. The Commission also wants to make sure providers: 

• consider risks participants may face at home 

• check the quality of supports being provided; and 

• ask if participants are happy with their supports. 
   

What changes can providers expect? 

The new conditions came into effect on 19 December 2020. They apply to all registered providers that deliver daily personal supports to participants who live alone. These providers will need to put in place measures to keep participants safe if they choose to receive personal supports from a sole support worker.  

The conditions include the following: 

Risk assessment 

Providers need to assess if participants face any risks in their home. They are required to do this before allowing a sole support worker to deliver a personal support. Providers need to work with participants to assess risk factors, which are:  

a) The participant is not receiving supports or services from any other NDIS provider which are regular and face-to-face. 

b) One or more of the following: 

• The participant has limited/no regular, face-to-face contact with relatives, friends, or other people they know. 

• Without the help of another person the participant has limited/no physical mobility. 

• The participant uses equipment to enable/facilitate physical mobility. 

• Without the assistance of another person the participant has limited/no ability to communicate. 

• The participant uses equipment to enable/facilitate communication. 

Providers should document the assessment of the participant’s risk factors. They need to keep it on file and provide a copy to the participant. It is essential to repeat this process if there are any changes to the participant’s circumstances. 

Service agreement  

Providers must have an agreement with the participant if a sole provider is to deliver a personal support. The agreement needs consider the participant’s risk factors and specify: 

• The rights and obligations of the participant and provider. 

•  How the participant’s support worker will be selected. 

• The procedure that will be used to review the implementation of the agreement, including someone other than the support worker checking the participant is satisfied with the supports. 

• How the provider will supervise and monitor the support worker. 

• How the provider will communicate with the participant, which must include face-to-face communication at a suitable frequency. 

• How the provider will engage with other providers delivering services to the participant.  

Oversight 

If risk factors exist, providers are required to have a documented plan for the supervision of the participant’s support worker. Provider’s key personnel should receive regular reports on the quality of care being provided to the participant. If there are any concerns in these reports, action should be taken immediately. 

Providers must keep a record of all participants who have a sole support worker delivering personal supports. 

What happens next? 

The NDIS Commission will be consulting people with disability, advocacy organisations, service providers and state and territory governments to put these requirements in the law. Participants affected by this decision can ask the NDIS Commission to review it. They have three months from the date of receiving their letter to do this. 

View the full letter from the NDIS Commission to participants here. The letter includes a full copy of the new conditions. 

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