Who needs an NDIS Check?
Under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (Worker Screening) Act 2020 (NDIS Worker Screening Act), people who work in risk assessed roles for registered NDIS providers are required to hold an NDIS Check clearance. This also includes contractors and volunteers. It is an offence to work without a valid NDIS Check clearance, or without having applied for one, and penalties will apply.
Under the NDIS, a risk assessed role includes:
- key personnel (such as management and operational positions)
- 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. This includes:
- physically touching a person with disability
- building a rapport with a person with disability as an integral and ordinary part of the performance of those duties
- having contact with multiple people with disability, either as part of the direct delivery of a specialist disability support, or in a specialist disability accommodation setting.
Employers can assist workers in determining whether their role is risk assessed, and therefore if an NDIS Check is required.
If you are a self-employed registered NDIS provider, you will need to determine whether your role is a risk assessed role and whether you are providing ‘specified supports and specified services’ to an NDIS participant. Refer to the list of specified supports and services found on the NDIS Commission website.
A worker who has applied for and NDIS Check and been issued an exclusion (i.e., a disqualified person) cannot make any further applications, unless the conviction on which the disqualification was based is quashed or set aside or otherwise ceases to have effect.
A person cannot apply for an NDIS Check if they have been issued an exclusion or had their clearance cancelled within the past five years (from the time of issue), unless there has been a significant and exceptional change in circumstances that would allow for an early application. Early applications may be permitted in certain circumstances. Contact the Screening Unit directly for further queries regarding this.
When is an NDIS Check not mandatory?
An NDIS Check is not mandatory for:
- individuals with only incidental contact with an NDIS participant
- individuals working for a self-managed NDIS participant or an unregistered NDIS provider.
Whilst an NDIS Check is not mandatory in these circumstances, employers or self-managed participants may still request that workers apply for, or have, an NDIS Check clearance.
Secondary school students on a formal work experience placement with a registered NDIS provider do not need to complete an NDIS Check to be engaged in a risk assessed role. However, they must be directly supervised by another worker who holds an NDIS Check clearance.
How to apply
The NDIS Check online application is available through the DoTDirect portal. You will need to login or register for a DoTDirect account. Once logged in, select ‘NDIS’ in the top toolbar to start the application.
Once you have filled in the application form, you are required to attend a Department of Transport Driver and Vehicle Service Centre to complete the application process.
If you are unable to travel to a Department of Transport Driver and Vehicle Service Centre, you may be eligible to have your identity verified by the ‘alternate lodgement’ method. You can submit a request for alternate lodgement as part of the online application in DoTDirect.
The following Driver and Vehicle Service Centres can accept your NDIS Check application:
| Locality | Street address |
|---|---|
| Cannington | 1480 Albany Highway, Cannington WA 6107 |
| Butler | 225 Butler Blvd, Butler WA 6036 |
| Joondalup | 65 Boas Avenue, Joondalup WA 6027 |
| Mandurah | Corner Ranceby Avenue and Pinjarra Road, Mandurah WA 6210 |
| Midland | Unit 4, 5 Clayton Street, Midland WA 6056 |
| Mirrabooka | Unit 13, 1 Chesterfield Road, Mirrabooka WA 6061 |
| Rockingham | 37 McNicholl Street, Rockingham WA 6168 |
| Success | Unit 3, 660 Beeliar Drive, Success WA 6164 |
| West Perth | Troode Street and Plaistowe Mews, West Perth WA 6005 |
| Locality | Street address |
|---|---|
| Albany | 178 Stirling Terrace, Albany WA 6330 |
| Broome | 9 Old Kennedy Store, Napier Terrace, Broome WA 6725 |
| Bunbury | 24 Wellington Street, Bunbury WA 6230 |
| Busselton | Unit 1 / 57 Cook Street, Busselton WA 6280 |
| Carnarvon | Boat Harbour, Harbour Road, Carnarvon WA 6701 |
| Exmouth | 21 Maidstone Crescent, Exmouth WA 6707 |
| Geraldton | 65 Chapman Road, Geraldton WA 6530 |
| Kalgoorlie | 35 Brockman Street, Kalgoorlie WA 6430 |
| Karratha | 20 Sharpe Avenue, Karratha WA 6714 |
| Kununurra | Messmate Way, Kununurra WA 6743 |
| Newman | 48 Mindarra Drive, Newman WA 6753 |
| Tom Price | 1 Court Road, Tom Price WA 6751 |
Important: Please read and review the materials under ‘application process’ on the resources page before commencing your application.
What identification documents will I need?
To apply for an NDIS Worker Screening Check, you are required to supply appropriate identification documents to support your application.
Please provide a total of four identity documents from the categories below:
- Commencement of Identity Document (provide one).
- Primary Use in the Community Document (provide one).
- Secondary Use in the Community Document (provide two).
In addition, if your identity documents are in a different name such as a maiden name, you must provide evidence of the name change (such as a change of name certificate issued by the Australian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages).
In certain circumstances, you may be eligible to have your identity verified by the ‘alternate lodgement’ method. You can submit a request for an alternate lodgement as part of the online application on DoTDirect.
Further information about the NDIS Worker Screening Check identification requirements can be found on the NDIS Check resources page.
What are the application fees?
Current application fees for an NDIS Check are:
- $145 for paid employees
- $11 for volunteers/unpaid workers
- $80 for eligible concession card holders.
For the purpose of an NDIS Check clearance application, a volunteer or unpaid worker is a person who:
- freely performs a role without remuneration, or
- is a student undertaking an unpaid placement.
The following Commonwealth Concession Cards are accepted:
- Health Care Card
- Low Income Health Care Card
- Commonwealth Seniors Health Card
- Pensioner Concession Card
- any other card issued by Centrelink or the Department of Veterans' Affairs that certifies entitlement to Commonwealth health concessions.
Application fees are generally non-refundable regardless of the outcome of the application.
An NDIS Check clearance is valid for five years, subject to ongoing monitoring. It is transferable between risk assessed roles, including paid and unpaid, and NDIS providers across Australia.
Do I need an NDIS Check before I can start work?
In WA, a worker can commence work on application while their application is being processed, as long as the following conditions are met:
- they have completed an application and their identity has been verified
- their employer, or employer provider, has verified them as an NDIS worker (the Screening Unit will notify workers via email when this occurs)
- their application has not been withdrawn or cancelled
- they have no previous exclusion
- they have not been imposed with an interim bar (based upon their criminal record or other relevant information of concern). When an interim bar has been issued, individuals cannot work while the application is being processed.
Please be aware, registered NDIS providers must meet requirements in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (Practice Standards—Worker Screening) Rules 2018 (legislation.gov.au).
How long will it take to process my application?
Application processing timeframes vary. Some applications may be processed within days and some can take weeks or even longer.
Processing times are not an indication that a person has a criminal record or will be issued an adverse outcome.
The Screening Unit relies on external agencies to provide information including criminal history records. This can impact processing timeframes and is outside the Screening Unit’s control.
There are many reasons some checks take longer than others, including:
- having a common name or a similar name and date of birth to someone else
- having old police information that requires manual collection and processing of hard copy records
- requiring information from various state and territory agencies that needs to be vetted before it is released to the Screening Unit.
In WA, most people can commence work in a risk assessed role for a registered NDIS provider on a pending valid application. This does not apply if you have been issued with an interim bar.
How can I check the status of my application?
You can check the status of your pending application by logging into your DoTDirect account and selecting ‘NDIS’ in the top toolbar.
The Screening Unit will notify you via email of the outcome of your application or if further information is required to complete your application.
Can I withdraw my application?
You can choose to withdraw your application at certain stages of the application process. However, you cannot withdraw once an interim bar has been imposed or if you have received a proposal to issue an exclusion.
You can withdraw your application by:
- stopping any work in a risk assessed role for registered NDIS providers, and
- contacting the Screening Unit to make a request in writing, to have your application withdrawn.
What happens after I apply for an NDIS Check?
The Screening Unit will assess the following information for all applicants:
- national criminal history information held by law enforcement agencies
- disciplinary and misconduct information held by the NDIS Commission
- self-disclosure information provided in the application form
- any other information obtained by the Screening Unit that is deemed relevant to your suitability to hold a clearance.
Applying in WA or another State
The Screening Unit accepts NDIS Check applications for people who live (or intend to live) in WA and people who are engaged (or proposed to be engaged) in NDIS work in WA.
If you live and work outside of WA, you should seek advice from the relevant Screening Unit in your state or territory.
Is my NDIS Check valid outside of WA?
Yes. The clearance is national and, once issued in any state or territory, can be used (is transferable) across Australia.
Once you hold a clearance, it is valid and subject to ongoing monitoring in all states and territories. You do not need to make another application if you carry out NDIS work in other states, whilst your clearance remains valid.
