You will need to have suitable Policies and Procedures in order to become an NDIS Registered Provider. The aim is to meet the Quality and Safeguarding requirements.
If you think of how other business follow Policies and Procedures, take franchise businesses as an example (such as Gloria Jeans or McDonalds), they all provide a Quality Management System to follow. The owners then know how to operate their business by following the guidelines. It helps to ensure success, gives certainty to customers and employees and makes operation of the business easier for the owners.
Benefits
The benefits of having these Policies and Procedures in place are to:
Ensure that vulnerable Participants can be assured of a safe and quality service.
Have a consistent approach to how services are delivered - adds to client satisfaction
Staff know what the expectations are - reduces uncertainty and saves time
Builds value and reputation of the business by showing that you are meeting set quality standards
Protects the business, as you are doing the right things, following approved quality procedures.
You will know what sort of Policies and Procedures you'll need by understanding what's applicable to your business according to the Registration Groups you have selected (see the previous blog post for more information).
Options to obtain your Policies and Procedures
Engage an NDIS Consultant to write them and be tailored for your business. This is be the most expensive option, however, it means you have a carefully crafted document that is tailored to your business and will meet the expectations of the NDIS. It doesn't mean your business will be fully compliant, as there's more to registration than just the Policies and Procedures.
Purchase a monthly subscription to access Policies and Procedures (Centro Assist offers these). These are generic policies which aren't tailored exactly to your business, so you will need to go through them, see how you can and ensure that you understand what's in them and how they apply to the practical operational aspect of delivering your services and running your business. You will then apply them.
Seek help from a friend who already has their own set of Policies and Procedures. They may share a copy so you can update and tailor them for your business. This is more risky, as they may not fit your needs (may be missing information), be outdated and not in line with expectations of the NDIS Auditors.
Apply your Policies and Procedures
It is important that you look at the implications beyond the purely written aspect of Policies and Procedures and consider how to apply these to your service delivery and entire way of operating. There are impacts across your whole business. Some examples are:
Example - HR Policy
Pre-Employment - gather information and maintain records for a new employee that meets HR Policies and Procedures. You will need to create a checklist of all the required documentation (based on their role) and gather it all. Keep it on the employee's Personnel File so you can show that you are following your policy.
Induction and Staff Training - ensure that you are shaping the culture of the business and setting expectations on NDIS Quality and Safeguarding requirements. This could include how client interactions are to be conducted (utilising the NDIS Code of Conduct, staff having completed the Mandatory Worker Orientation Training) to meet the NDIS Practice Standards. Develop of staff training plan based on training available in the market place - such as ETrainU, WorkPro, or DSC Fora. Ensuring your services are person-centered, show respect for the individual and provide a quality service. You incorporate expected knowledge and standards of service delivery.
Qualifications & Accreditations - depending on the role of the person, there are set qualifications and/or accreditations the person will need to have. You will need to have copies of these to match the registration groups kept in the Personnel Files. It's important to ensure that you have employees who meet these standards so that vulnerable people are receiving support from appropriately qualified staff.
Close any Gaps
To further understand where your strengths and weaknesses are in terms of preparing your business for NDIS Registration, you could conduct a Gap Analysis, where you go through each of the National Practice Standards and assess what evidence you can provide that demonstrates you are meeting the standards and address the requirements.
If you would like help or support in this regard, please get in touch.
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