The NDIS Worker Screening Check is a national standard assessment that sets minimum requirements for all workers engaged in risk assessed roles. From 1 February 2021, the Worker Screening Check replaced the different arrangements operating in each state or territory. However, some states and territories may still have additional requirements for people working with children. The check is an evaluation of whether a person who seeks to work with people with disabilities poses a risk to them. It aims to determine whether a person is cleared or excluded from working in certain roles with people with disabilities.
Worker Screening Check (WSC) and Worker Screening Unit (WSU)
The Worker Screening Check is conducted by the Worker Screening Unit (WSU) in the state or territory where the person applies. The WSU also decides whether a person is cleared or excluded. Registered NDIS providers must only engage workers who have been cleared in any role that is a “risk assessed role”. A worker’s screening clearance status can be reassessed if new or updated information suggests they pose a risk to people with disabilities.
The Worker Screening Check is a way to support registered NDIS providers in complying with their obligations when recruiting, selecting, and reviewing the ongoing suitability of their workers. It will be an important tool in the recruitment, selection, and screening processes, and it will assist in the ongoing review of the suitability of workers. Furthermore, it will improve the quality and safety of NDIS supports to NDIS participants.
NDIS Worker Screening Clearance
Workers who are not in risk assessed roles will not be required to hold an NDIS Worker Screening clearance. However, registered NDIS providers may choose to ask any worker to apply for a Worker Screening Check and obtain a clearance. Workers who hold a Worker Screening Check or a valid acceptable check can start work or continue work immediately.
Workers with an NDIS Worker Screening clearance are subject to ongoing monitoring against police and other relevant information. The clearance expires every five years. An acceptable check is no longer valid if it has expired or been revoked. If a worker has received an NDIS Worker Screening exclusion as a result of their Worker Screening Check, they cannot undertake a risk assessed role.
Record Keeping and Risk Assessments
Registered NDIS providers are required to keep records for each risk assessed role and for workers in risk assessed roles. The NDIS Worker Screening Database (NWSD) is held by the NDIS Commission and holds a register of cleared and excluded workers as determined by each state and territory’s WSU. The NWSD also supports national ongoing monitoring of the criminal history records of workers with NDIS Worker Screening clearances.
In conclusion, the NDIS Worker Screening Check is a crucial tool that ensures a safer and more secure environment for people with disabilities. By setting a minimum national standard for workers engaged in risk assessed roles, the NDIS Worker Screening Check contributes to promoting positive organisational cultures that do not tolerate abuse, neglect, or exploitation, ensuring quality recruitment, selection, and screening, and maintaining a focus on education and training.
