Please see the Victorian COVID-19 hub for more Q&As

Question 1:

Has there been a recent update to the NDIS Price Guide?

Answer 1:

Yes, this occurred on 25 October 2020.

Updates include:

• Geographic classifications: A list of locations impacted by changes to geographic classifications is available on the Annual Price review page.
• Psychosocial recovery coaches – report writing: Psychosocial recovery coaches are able to claim for report writing under the applicable Psychosocial Recovery Coaching line items.
• New ‘Irregular SIL Supports’ claim field for providers: A new claim field in the myplace provider portal for ‘Irregular SIL Supports.’ The new claim field should be used when a SIL support is provided in unexpected or unplanned circumstances.

Question 2:

Can an NDIS participant work for two different supported employees at the same time?

There is no impediment to an NDIS participant working for two different supported employers, providing the employee has sufficient support funding for the arrangement to work.

Question 3:

What are the minimum qualification requirements for a Specialist Support Coordinator?

Answer 3:

Currently, there are no mandated qualifications for specialist support coordinators apart from the fact that they must have appropriate qualifications, skills and experience to deliver the support. Typically specialist support coordination is provided by allied health professionals such as OT's, Psychologists, Social Workers.

Further information on the NDIS website.

Question 4:

Is locking away cutlery in Short Term Accommodation (STA) a restrictive practice?

Answer 4:

Yes. Locking away cutlery is a restrictive practice; this is environmental restraint. If this strategy is not documented in the behaviour support plan lodged on the Commission’s portal and the Short Term Accommodation provider locks the cutlery away, or restricts access to this in another manner – it would be an unauthorised use of a restrictive practice.

Further information on the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission’s website

Question 5:

When does a worker require a worker screening check?

Answer 5:

An NDIS Worker Screening check would be required where a worker is supporting people with disability and delivering NDIS supports and services and has more than incidental contact with a person with disability.

A risk assessed role is:

• a key personnel role of a person or entity, as defined in s11A of the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 (for example, a CEO or a Board Member)
• a role for which the normal duties include the direct delivery of specified supports or specified services to a person with disability
• a role for which the normal duties are likely to require more than incidental contact with people with disability, which includes:
• physically touching a person with disability; or
• building a rapport with a person with disability as an integral and ordinary part of the performance of normal duties; or
• having contact with multiple people with disability as part of the direct delivery of a specialist disability support or service, or in a specialist disability accommodation setting.
• Your employer is responsible for assessing whether or not your role is a risk assessed role.

If you work for a registered NDIS provider but are not engaged in a risk-assessed role, it is not mandatory to have an NDIS Worker Screening Check, but your employer can still require you to get one.

Further information on the NDIS Quality and Safeguard Commission’s website

If you’re an NDS member and have a question of your own – please post it on the NDS Helpdesk.