Registering as a National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)provider in NSW

Frequently Asked QuestionsMay 2017

What are the NDIS service provider registration requirements in NSW?

TheNSW Transitional Quality Assurance and Safeguards Working Arrangements (external)outline the quality and safeguarding requirements for service providers who wish to register to provide disability supports by NDIS registration group in NSW.

NDIS registration groupshave been separated into two categories as outlined in Appendix 2 Part A and Part B of the NSW Transitional Quality Assurance and Safeguards Working Arrangements.

For Part A - NDIS Registration Groups, a provider must meet the criteria outlined in the Appendix against each registration group type, NDIA Terms of Business and other specific requirements as outlined in the Guide to Suitability.

For Part B -Specialist Disability Registration Groups: in addition to the above requirements, a provider is required to submit evidence of Third Party Verification against the NSW Disability Services Standards (NSW DSS) or one of the relevant listed comparable standards. This evidence must include a list of the supports within the scope of accreditation.

Comparable standards include National Standards for Disability Services, Attendant Care Industry Standards, Home Care Standards, Victorian Department of Human Services Standards and the Queensland Human Services Quality Framework.

Appendix 1: Requirements for Providers of Disability Supports of the NSW Transitional Quality Assurance and Safeguards Working Arrangementsalso outlines the relevant policies, guidelines and legislation that applies to NDIS registered providers offering supports to participants in NSW.

The NSW Transitional Quality Assurance and Safeguards Working Arrangementsare in operation from 1 July 2016 to 30 June 2018.

For more information on registering as a service provider in NSW visit the NDISwebsite atNSW - Registering as a provider

How do service providers register to offer supports under the NDIS in NSW?

In order to become a registered NDIS provider during the transition period

(1 July 2016 to 30 June 2018) providers must apply to the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA). For more information on how to apply to become an NDIA registered provider, please visit the NDIS Provider Toolkit

What are the registration requirements for a new provider of NDIS specialist disability supports in NSW?

Providers that are not currently operating under a NSW Department of Family and Community Services (FACS) – Ageing and Disability Home Care (ADHC) Funding Agreement or a recognised Commonwealth

administered programwho wish to provide specialist disability supports in NSW, will need to provide evidence of third party verification (TPV) against the NSW Disability Services Standards (NSW DSS) or one of the comparable standards.

The NSW Government and the NDIA take quality assurance and safeguards very seriously. Due to the different levels of risk associated with the delivery of specialist disability supports compliance with the NSW DSS or one of the comparable standards is essential to protect and promote the interests of NDIS participants.

The NDIA will not register a provider until evidence of TPV against the NSW DSS or a current certification against a ‘comparable standard’ has been uploaded to the NDIS myplace portalvia the ‘upload evidence’ tile.

All providers are responsible for undertaking the necessary arrangements to ensure that they can provide this evidence to the NDIA as part of the NDIS registration process.

CanFACS-ADHC undertake or approve Third Party Verification (TPV) for service providers?

No. The NSW Department of Family and Community Services, Ageing, Disability and Home Care (FACS-ADHC) cannotundertake or approve TPV against the NSW DSS or certification against one of the comparable standards.

Who can provide Third PartyVerification (TPV) for service providers?

Third party verifiers or certifying bodies for NSW DSS and comparable standards must be accredited either by the Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand (JAS-ANZ)or theInternational Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua).

National Disability Services (NSW) holds a list of third party verification bodies who can conduct TPV against the NSW DSS at the Industry Development Fund – Quality Resource List

All costs associated with undertaking third party verification activities must be met by the provider.

Where can providers find out more information about TPV against the NSW DSS?

Further information and resources to assist providers comply with the NSW DSS and achieve third party verification (TPV) can be found at ADHC (NSW) - Qualityand Industry Development Fund – Quality Resource List

The ADHC Systems Recognition Tool may also assist providers to understand the extent to which a provider’s existing accreditations and systems meet the NSW DSS.

Are there resources which guide providers through the NDIS registration process?

The Guide to Suitabilityprovides guidance to providers about the professional qualifications, experience and expertise needed to be registered to provide supportsunder the NDIS in NSW.

Different supports have different levels of risk associated with their delivery. To minimise risk, enhance outcomes and maximise the social and economic participation of participants, certain experience, qualifications, processes and expertise are required of the providers registered to provide NDIS supports.

Details on the specific registrationrequirements to offer each group of NDIS supports is outlined in the NSW section of the Guide to Suitability.

Appendix 1of the NSW section of theGuide to Suitabilityalso outlines the relevant policies, guidelines and legislation that applies to NDIA registered providers offering supports to participants in NSW.

Providers need to familiarise themselves with both the NSW Transitional Quality Assurance and Safeguards Working Arrangements and the NSW section of Guide to Suitability.

Compliance with the NSW Transitional Quality Assurance and Safeguards Working Arrangementsis a condition of a service provider’s registration to provide NDIS supports in NSW.

If you have received a registration certificate of approval from NDIS but still have specialist disability supports listed as ‘Pendingstate approval’. What does this mean?

If you receive a certificate that shows some of your supports as ‘pending state approval’ it is because you have applied for a specialist disability support that is required to meet the standards as set out in the NSW Quality and Safeguards Transitional Working Arrangements.

For NSW this is a third party verification (TPV) statement (listing supports within scope of accreditation) that you are compliant with the NSW DSS or a Comparable Standard.

The NSW government requires that yousubmit evidence of TPV against the NSW DSS or one of the comparable standards via the NDIS myplace Portal during the registration process.

Further information is available in Guide to Suitabilityaccessed via the NDIS website.

If you have no previous experience in delivering specialist disability supports, can you achieve TPV against the NSW Disability Services Standards (NSW DSS)?

A new provider that has no experience or track record in the delivery of a specialist disability support or experience in the provision of a similar service in an adjacent sector[1] will notbe able to demonstrate the requirements necessary to achieve third party verification against the NSW DSS or National Standards for Disability Services.

To achieve third party verification against the NSW DSS or National Standards for Disability Services, a service provider will be required to demonstrate that its practices and processes in delivering the services meet the Standards. Seeking direct feedback from consumers using the service is a critical element of the third party verification process.

During transition, new providers without relevant experience in the delivery ofspecialist disability supports are able to register to providethe supports outlined in Appendix 2 – Part A of NSW Transitional Quality Assurance and Safeguards Working Arrangements) and build their experience in delivering disability supports.

To register to deliver these supports a provider must meet the relevant criteria outlined in:

  1. TheNSW Section ofGuide to Suitability against each disability support registration group,
  2. Agree to the NDIS Rules – rules for registered providers of supports and NDIS Terms of Business, and Declaration of Suitability, and
  3. Have read and agreed to the NSW Quality Assurance and Safeguards Transitional Working Arrangements.

If you are a sole allied health professional or small consortia who wish to provide EarlyChildhood Intervention Supports under the NDIS, what do you need to do to register with the NDIS?

Allied health professionals practising as a sole practitioner or as independent allied health practitioners in a small allied health consortia (up to a maximum of four allied health practitioners) registering to deliver only early intervention support for early childhood may be exempt from Third Party Verification (TPV) requirements.

To be eligible for the exemption Allied Health professionals must:

  • hold a relevant allied health qualification to practise in NSW;
  • a minimum of 2 years practice experience in the provision of therapeutic support to children aged 0-6 years; and
  • hold a current relevant professional registration or professional association membership required to practice in NSW.

To obtain the exemption, an Allied Health professional must sign and submit an ‘Allied Health Professional Declaration Statement’ and submit this as part of the NDIS registration process.

For more information on requirements for early childhood intervention support providers see the Guide to Suitability

What do you need to do to register with the NDIS if you What do you need to do to register with the NDIS if you are a new specialist positive behavior support provider?

New providers registering to deliver positive behavior support are required to:

  • achieve TPV against the NSW DSS or a Comparable Standard, including compliance with the NSW Behaviour Support Policy and ‘Positive Behaviour Support Provider Declaration Statement’;
  • agree and sign the Positive Behaviour Support Provider Declaration Statementattesting to the demonstration of defined criteria regarding qualifications and experience to deliver behaviour support in NSW; and
  • submit the above evidence as part of the NDIS registration process.

For more information on requirements for behaviour support providers referAppendix 2 Part B of theNSWTransitional Quality Assurance and Safeguards Working Arrangements.

If you are an existing Ageing, Disability and Home Care (ADHC) funded provider, what do you need to do to register with the NDIS?

Providers operating under an existing FACS-ADHC Funding Agreement are deemed compliant with the NSWTransitional Quality Assurance and Safeguards Working Arrangements.

All existing ADHC funded providers will need to:

  • Complete the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) Provider Registration form and other requirements for registration as determined by the NDIA CEO;
  • Agree to the Terms of Business for Registered Support Providers and Declaration of Suitability

FACS-ADHC will provide a status report on provider TPV compliance to the NDIA following the formal Quality Framework Reporting (QFR) periods.

FACS-ADHC funded providers are required to continue to comply with the terms of their Funding Agreement throughout the transition period (even if funding ceases in whole or part during the Agreement term) including all relevant legislation, operational policies and guidelines.

This includes continuing to report on the achievement of third party verification (TPV) status through Quality Framework Reporting (QFR).

More information can be found in the NSW Transitional Quality Assurance and Safeguards Working Arrangements.

What are the requirements for registering to provide“assistance with daily life tasks in a group or shared living arrangement”?

Delivering supports to people in a group or shared living arrangement requires a level of expertise and experience on the part of the provider. For this reason, during transition, providers can only deliver this support cluster if they:

  • Are an existing provider of accommodation supports
  • Provide a similar service in another jurisdiction or sector and attain independent TPV specifically covering this type of support.

If you are an existing Commonwealth funded provider delivering services in NSW, what do you need to do to register with the NDIS?

Existing providers that transition to deliver their services under the NDIS will continue to be subject to the quality and safeguards terms of their Commonwealth Funding Agreements in accordance with the Terms of Business for Registered Providers for the NDIA.

Transitioning Australian Disability Enterprises (ADEs) will be required to continue to meet their obligations against their Funding Agreements while also maintaining certification under JAS-ANZ against the National Standards for Disability Services.

Current Commonwealth funded providers that intend to expand their offer of supports to a new NDIS support cluster will need to apply directly to the NDIA for registration of expanded scope.

Expansion of scope will be subject to compliance with NSW Transitional Quality Assurance and Safeguards Working Arrangements, including verification of capacity to deliver services not already covered by a Commonwealth Funding Agreement.

[1]Note: New providers with experience in adjacent sectors such as mental health, aged care, out of home care, health, community services or community housing can refer to the ADHC Systems Recognition Tool to see the extent to which their existing accreditation and systems meet the NSW DSS. Third party verification (TPV) will ensure any gaps have been met, and consumer feedback can be drawn from the adjacent services where similar type services have been provided.