Incident Reporting

An incident is any event or situation that caused harm, or could have caused harm, to a participant, worker or anyone else in connection with the supports we provide. This lesson explains the definition, including near misses and allegations, and why we want every incident reported. Key points: incidents include acts, omissions and events, a near miss is still an incident, an allegation or disclosure must be treated seriously even if you are not sure it is true, and reporting is about learning and safety, not blame.

Incidents come in many forms. This lesson groups the most common types you may see in disability and aged care support: injuries and health events, behaviours of concern, medication incidents, abuse and neglect, missing persons, property damage, and incidents involving workers. It also introduces the idea that some serious incidents are reportable to the NDIS Commission. Key points: knowing the types helps you recognise incidents you might otherwise miss, incidents affecting workers must be reported too, and serious incidents have extra reporting requirements that you will learn about in module three.

The first minutes after an incident are about safety. This lesson sets out the immediate response: make sure you and others are safe, give first aid within your training, call triple zero when there is an emergency, remove or reduce ongoing risk, preserve evidence where a crime may have occurred, and tell your team leader as soon as it is safe to do so. Key points: safety comes before paperwork, do not move or clean anything that could be evidence, support the participant, and never investigate or confront a person yourself.

Once everyone is safe, the incident must be recorded in our incident management system. This lesson explains our internal reporting process, when the report is due, and what a good incident report contains: the facts of who, what, when and where, the actions taken, and the exact words of any disclosure. It also covers what happens after you report, including review and follow up. Key points: complete the report as soon as possible and before your shift ends, stick to facts rather than opinions, write clearly, and never alter a report after it is submitted.

Registered NDIS providers must notify the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission of reportable incidents. These are: the death of a person with disability, serious injury, abuse or neglect, unlawful sexual or physical contact with or assault of a person with disability, sexual misconduct including grooming, and the use of a restrictive practice that is unauthorised or not in line with a behaviour support plan. This lesson explains each category with examples. Key points: incidents are reportable whether they happened, are alleged to have happened, or were witnessed, and the category decides the timeframe.

Timeframes for notifying the NDIS Commission start from when the provider becomes aware of a reportable incident. Most reportable incidents must be notified within 24 hours using an immediate notification, followed by a more detailed report within 5 business days. An unauthorised restrictive practice that has not caused harm must be notified within 5 business days, but if it caused harm it must be notified within 24 hours. This lesson explains these timeframes and your role. Key points: tell your team leader immediately, because the clock can start when you know.

This case study follows Margaret, an older woman who lives alone with daily NDIS support, and her support worker Daniel, who arrives to find her on the kitchen floor. We walk through each stage of the response: checking for danger, first aid and calling triple zero, telling the on call manager, and then writing a clear, factual report. We compare a weak report with a strong one, and look at what the organisation does afterwards to stop it happening again. Key points: safety first, tell someone straight away, and write facts not guesses.

This case study follows Chen, a new support worker in a shared home, who notices that the kitchen is locked every night after dinner. Nobody has mentioned a behaviour support plan, and one resident, Lucas, is upset that he cannot get a drink. We explore how to recognise an unauthorised restrictive practice, why it is a reportable incident even when nobody is hurt, and how to raise it respectfully with a team leader. We also look at what happens next. Key points: question practices that restrict rights, never assume they are authorised, and report promptly.