The NDS Helpdesk team have chosen the top five questions and responses from the past month. These questions cover worker screening, service cancellation, programs of support, supporting participants at independent assessments, and therapy dogs.

Question 1:

Do workers still require a Police Check and an international police check, or does the new Worker Screening Policy now cover this?

Answer 1:

The checks required by workers are determined by a number of things, including the nature of the support provided (i.e. whether they are in a 'risk assessed role') and the characteristics of the people they support (for example, children).

There may be instances where someone who works with children requires both an NDIS Worker Screening Check and Working with Children Clearance. In Victoria, only one fee will be charged if both Checks are applied for at the same time. As the NDIS Worker Screening Check is a national check, it replaces the police check when a national check is required.

Some provider responsibilities regarding the NDIS Worker Screening Check are outlined in this NDS news update - including identifying which roles are risk-assessed, ensuring all workers and volunteers have the appropriate checks, and keeping records of each risk-assessed role. Information on identifying a risk-assessed role is available on the NDIS Commission website.

Information on Acceptable state and territory checks under transitional and special arrangements is available from the NDIS Commission and on the Victorian Government website, and will depend on whether the worker has a valid Police check, DWES check, or Working with Children Clearance.

NDIS Worker Screening Check in Victoria is facilitated by the new NDIS Worker Screening Unit.

Members are invited to contact submit enquiry/feedback with any concerns and questions about the NDIS Worker Screening Check in Victoria.

Question 2:

Would a 90 day service cancellation period be considered reasonable?

Answer 2:

Apart from Short Notice Cancellations (or 'No Show' cancellations, addressed from p. 21 in the NDIS Price Guide), provider cancellation policies are a matter to be determined by the individual provider.

Provider cancellation/notice policies must be reasonable, comply with all applicable laws (e.g. Australian Consumer Law), and should give consideration to elements such as the type(s) of support (taking into account the difficulty that the provider may have in redeploying staff or filling a vacancy) being provided and the impact that cancelling the service may have on the participant. The provider should also ensure the participant understands the cancellation policy. There are references through the Price Guide (e.g. program of supports) to notice periods of two weeks.

Question 3:

Do Programs of Support have to fall in a 12-week consecutive program or can we do it as a fortnightly program for a 12-week period?

As an example, we want to do a bowling program fortnightly for a period of 10 weeks. We are stopping over school holidays, so it is a 10-week program, but run over several months.

Answer 3:

There is nothing in the Price Guide to suggest a Program of Support must involve consecutive weeks, so long as the program duration doesn't exceed 12 weeks (unless allowed for in the Price Guide).

Information on Programs of Support is on p 27 of the Price Guide. It notes:

• Programs of support must not exceed 12 weeks (unless allowed for in the Price Guide)
• Participants must be able to exit without cost, subject to two weeks' notice
• Providers and participants must enter an agreement specifying the program of support - including length, exit rules and intended outcomes.
• Each instance of support must be delivered before the provider can claim.

Question 4:

With participant/nominee consent, is an NDIS Independent Assessment pilot appointment a billable activity for Support Coordination services? 

Answer 4:

Yes, as stated on the NDIS webpage on the Independent Assessment Pilot under - Can I bring someone I know and trust to my independent assessment appointment?:

'Yes. You can choose to bring someone who knows you well to your appointment. This person might be a family member, carer, support worker or health professional. You can decide to have a support person at the assessment for the whole time, or just for parts of the assessment. You can use your current NDIS plan supports to have a support worker attend your independent assessment with you.'

Providers who do so will still have to meet the requirements laid out in the NDIS Price Guide to bill for their time.

Question 5:

Are participants able to get their pets (dogs) trained as therapy dogs using their NDIS funding?

Answer 5:

As per the NDIS website (see 14.6), the answer is no, the 'NDIS does not provide funding for a participant to train their own dog to be an assistance animal.'
 
This is based on a La Trobe study which found that:

• not all dogs who undertake training go on to successfully qualify as an assistance animal; and
• there is no reliable way to predict if a particular dog will successfully qualify as an assistance animal before it has completed its training.

For more information, see 14.6 Will the NDIA provide funding to train a dog before it has become a qualified assistance animal? on the NDIS website.