Standards in SupportAbility

There are several in-built Standards available in SupportAbility, including:

Each of the NDIS Practice Standards,
the National Standards for Disability Services, and the
DMI Codes (Disability Maintenance Instrument), specific to providers of Supported employment.

This article discusses each of these Standards in detail, and also includes information regarding Managing Standards i.e. making Standards inactive when they are not applicable to your organisation.

Audience: Authorised Representatives, Operations Management.

Summary

The following list summarises the content within this article. Click on the links below to take you to the relevant sections:

NDIS Practice Standards

'The NDIS Practice Standards create an important benchmark for providers to assess their performance, and to demonstrate how they provide high quality and safe supports and services to NDIS participants' - Disability Services Commission.

For information about how the NDIS Commission manages the registration and quality assurance of NDIS providers under a nationally consistent framework please see the Disability Services Commission website as linked above. The NDIS Practice Standards and Quality Indicators may be accessed directly via this link.

The NDIS Practice Standards consist of a core module and seven specialist modules that apply according to the types of supports and services NDIS providers deliver, and the corporate structure of the organisation.

Each module is comprised of multiple sections or 'outcomes'. Each outcome may be achieved by demonstrating multiple quality indicators. The exception to this rule is for core, whereby the outcomes are relative to each sub-section of the module e.g. Person - centred supports. These sub-sections are summarised below.

Each of the modules included in the NDIS Practice Standards are available in SupportAbility as a Standard, and are prefaced with 'QSF' which stands for the NDIS Quality and Safeguarding Framework, as these Standards are an integral part of this Framework.

The NDIS Practice Standards were updated in SupportAbility in the v7.21 (April 2022) update, including the new NDIS Practice Standard 18A. Emergency and disaster management which the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission implemented to address the management of NDIS supports and services during sustained disruptions such as COVID-19 or future emergencies or disasters.

Each of the Core (e.g. 1. Rights and Responsibilities) and Supplementary modules along with their related outcomes (e.g. 6. Person-centred supports) have been listed below for reference.

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QSF: Core Modules

1. Rights and Responsibilities
- 6. Person-centred supports
- 7. Individual values and beliefs
- 8. Privacy and Dignity
- 9. Independence and informed choice
- 10. Violence, Abuse, Neglect, Exploitation and Discrimination
2. Governance and Operational Management
- 11. Governance and Operational Management
- 12. Risk Management
- 13. Quality Management
- 14. Information Management
- 15. Feedback and Complaints Management
- 16. Incident Management
- 17. Human Resource Management
- 18. Continuity of Supports
- 18A. Emergency and disaster mangement
3. Provision of Supports
- 19. Access to supports
- 20. Support Planning
- 21. Service Agreements with Participants
- 22. Responsive Support Provision
- 23. Transitions to or from the provider
4. Support Provision Environment
- 24. Safe environment
- 25. Participant Money and Property
- 26. Management of Medication
- 26A. Mealtime Management
- 27. Management of Waste

QSF: Supplementary Modules

High Intensity Daily Personal Activities
- 29. Complex Bowel Care
- 30. Enteral (Naso-Gastric Tube - Jejunum or Duodenum) Feeding and Management
- 30A. Severe dysphagia management
- 31. Tracheostomy Management
- 32. Urinary Catheter Management (In-dwelling Urinary Catheter, In-out Catheter, Suprapubic Catheter)
- 33. Ventilator Management
- 34. Subcutaneous Injections
- 35. Complex Wound Management

Specialist Behaviour Support
- 38. Behaviour Support in the NDIS
- 39. Restrictive Practices
- 40. Functional Behaviour Assessments and Behaviour Support Plans
- 41. Supporting the Implementation of the Behaviour Support Plan
- 42. Behaviour Support Plan Monitoring and Review
- 43. Reportable Incidents involving the Use of a Restrictive Practice
- 44. Interim Behaviour Support Plans

Implementing Behaviour Support Plans
- 47. Behaviour Support in the NDIS
- 48. Regulated Restrictive Practices
- 49. Supporting the Assessment and Development of Behaviour Support Plans
- 50. Behaviour Support Plan Implementation
- 51. Monitoring and Reporting the Use of Regulated Restrictive Practices
- 52. Behaviour Support Plan Review
- 53. Reportable Incidents involving the Use of a Restrictive Practice
- 54. Interim Behaviour Support Plans

Early Childhood Supports
- 56. The Child
- 57. The Family
- 58. Inclusion
- 59. Collaboration
- 60. Capacity Building
- 61. Evidence-Informed Practice
- 62. Outcome Based Approach
Specialist Support Co-ordination
- 64. Specialised Support Co-ordination
- 65. Management of a Participant’s NDIS Supports
- 66. Conflict of interest
Specialist Disability Accommodation
- 68. Rights and Responsibilities
- 69. Conflict of Interest
- 70. Service Agreements with Participants
- 71. Enrolment of SDA Properties
- 72. Tenancy Management
Verification
- 74. Human Resource Management
- 75. Incident Management
- 76. Complaints Management
- 77. Risk Management

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National Standards for Disability Sevices

At the 18 December 2013 meeting of the Standing Council on Disability Reform ministers from all jurisdictions endorsed the revised National Standards for Disability Services (NSDS).

These standards have a greater focus on person-centred approaches and promote choice and control by people with disability. These are considered critical under the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

The Australian Government adopted the standards for its employment and advocacy services for people with disability from 1 January 2014 for employment service providers, and from 1 July 2014 for advocacy agencies funded under the National Disability Advocacy Program.

The National Standards underwent extensive consultation, validation and user testing, culminating in a set of six standards that are able to be applied across a broad range of circumstances. They are:

1. Rights
2. Participation and Inclusion
3. Individual Outcomes
4. Feedback and Complaints
5. Service Access
6. Service Management

- Department of Social Services

The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission has advised that 'The new arrangements will progressively replace existing quality and safeguards requirements in all states and territories.'

DMI Codes

The Disability Maintenance Instrument (DMI) assesses the work-related support needs of a Supported Employee, which you are required to provide or purchase, and matches this with an appropriate level of funding. The DMI process ensures that funding is distributed on an equitable basis to ADEs - Department of Social Services.

The DMI is comprised of nine domains, with each domain including multiple assessment checkpoints:

1. Social and Behavioural
2. Cognitive
3. Vocational
4. Physical
5. Communication
6. Work Environment Assistance
7. Special Assistance
8. Other Assistance
9. Variable Assistance

Managing Standards

If any the in-built DMI Codes Standard is not applicable to your organisation, this can be made Inactive by Staff with the System Preferences privilege.

If a Standard is made inactive, it will leave in place any previously added Standards, however, the Standard will no longer be Active and available to add.

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