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22/04/2024
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Victoria in Focus by Sarah Fordyce, April 2024

We have stepped up advocacy and consultation as we seek to inform government responses to the NDIS Review.
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18/04/2024
News update

Editorial: Zero tolerance must be our response to abuse and unsafe practices

Recent high-profile cases show that processes for quality and safety need constant vigilance.

NDS is reviewing Zero Tolerance resources to meet the changing needs of the service environment

banner with target graphic and text reads Zero Tolerance, focus on rights, target abuse

9/12/2021

What you need to know

  • Zero Tolerance is a collection of resources developed in collaboration with providers, people with disability, and government
  • For over eight years, Zero Tolerance has supported providers to educate and train staff at all levels to understand their responsibilities in preventing and responding to abuse
  • Zero Tolerance resources will be reviewed over the coming year
  • The Recognising Restrictive Practices resources are currently being reviewed
NDS is committed to ensuring providers have up-to-date resources available to understand, implement and improve practices which safeguard the rights of people they support.

Since 2013, NDS's Zero Tolerance resources hub has been visited over 108,000 times.

More than 150 resources and films have been developed in collaboration with the disability sector. The collection is available to support organisations to prevent and respond to violence, abuse, and neglect of people with disability.

The Recognising Restrictive Practices resources were released in 2017, before restrictive practices legislation rolled out nationally. The collaborative development of the resources took lead from the Exploring Risk: A Zero Tolerance Research Report [docx], which identified that people subject to restrictive practices are at higher risk of experiencing abuse, neglect and violence. Scenarios depict the limitation on people’s rights, poor practice, and instances of misconduct or abuse.

Like all Zero Tolerance resources, the scenarios are followed by reflections and practice guidance. The updated resources will be re-released to continue to support providers to safeguard the rights of people with disability.

Zero Tolerance - Understanding Abuse resources also include the recently updated Human Rights and You e-learning program. It’s a short interactive program, which includes a Completion Certificate via the NDS Learning Management System.

NDS’s most recent Zero Tolerance resources, our Trauma-Informed Support Films were shared with the sector in 2020. Much of the content was based on Jackson and Waters 'Taking the Time Framework' – A Trauma Informed Framework for Supporting People with Intellectual Disability.

The films cover embedding a trauma-informed approach after laying foundations topics: What is Trauma informed support? and Understanding trauma.

Providers may also wish to draw from the Preventing Abuse resources to review key topics relating to service culture. This includes the comprehensive Safer Services Toolkit that can support providers to work towards continuous improvement in line with the NDIS quality and safeguarding framework  

NDS welcomes feedback about the Zero Tolerance resource as we undertake this work.

Contact information

For any enquiries, please contact Sarah Nicoll, National Practice Lead Q&S, submit enquiry/feedback, show phone number