What the governance standard requires
- A voice for people with disability in governance and in developing policies about supports and participant rights.
- A defined structure to meet financial, legislative, regulatory and contractual responsibilities, and to monitor and respond to quality and safeguarding matters.
- Board skills identified, with training to fill any gaps.
- Strategic and business planning that considers legislation, organisational risks, NDIS requirements and guidance, participants' and workers' needs.
- Oversight of management, including how individual issues are handled, to drive continuous improvement.
- Suitably qualified or experienced managers with clear responsibility, authority and accountability.
- Documented delegations for when a usual position holder is absent.
- Conflicts of interest, perceived and actual, proactively managed and documented.
The rest of the governance module
The same part of the core module includes standards on risk management, quality management, information management, feedback and complaints management, incident management, human resource management, continuity of supports, and emergency and disaster management.
The risk management standard requires a documented system, proportionate to your size, covering incident management, complaints, financial management, governance and operational management, human resources, information management, work health and safety, and emergency and disaster management, with infection prevention and control where relevant. It also requires appropriate insurance, including professional indemnity, public liability and accident insurance.
Governance checklist for boards and owners
- A board or owner skills matrix, and a training plan for gaps
- Participant input into governance, such as an advisory group or regular consultation
- A standing agenda covering incidents, complaints, restrictive practices, worker screening and audit actions
- A risk register reviewed at board level, covering every area the risk standard lists
- A strategic or business plan that names NDIS regulatory requirements and risks
- Written delegations and a deputy for every key role
- A conflict of interest policy and register
- Certificates of currency for professional indemnity, public liability and accident insurance
- Audit dates, including mid term audits, diarised and tracked
Train your leaders
These courses help boards, owners and managers meet their obligations:
50 minGovernance and Safeguarding for Boards and Executives
Boards and executives set the direction, culture and priorities that decide whether participants and older people receive safe, quality support. This course covers the Governance and Operational Management part of the NDIS Practice Standards, the duties of directors and officers in general terms, managing conflicts of interest, overseeing risk and quality, and what a board should expect to see in reports. It also looks at culture and the governing body responsibilities introduced by the Aged Care Act 2024, including the statutory duty and the due diligence duty of responsible persons. Two case studies show a board testing good news and responding to a serious allegation. This course is general information, not legal advice. Duration: 50 minutes.
50 minNDIS Risk Management
Every support we provide involves some level of risk, and good risk management helps participants live the lives they choose as safely as possible. This course explains what risk management means in disability support, how to balance safety with a participant's right to take risks, and the responsibilities we share under work health and safety law, the NDIS Practice Standards and the NDIS Code of Conduct. You will learn a simple four step process to identify, assess, control and review risks, how to use the hierarchy of controls, how to follow risk assessments in your daily work, and how reporting incidents and near misses helps everyone learn. Case studies about learning to cook and a plan that no longer fits bring it together. Duration: 50 minutes.
45 minIntroduction to the NDIS Practice Standards
The NDIS Practice Standards set out the quality and safety outcomes that registered NDIS providers must deliver for participants. This course explains what the Practice Standards are, how they are organised into a core module, supplementary modules and a verification module, and what the four parts of the core module cover. You will learn how providers are audited against the standards, what an auditor may look at, how the standards connect to the NDIS Code of Conduct and how your everyday work shows that we are meeting them. Case studies about choice in a shared home, changing needs and a complaint show the standards in action. The standards are being reformed, so we also show you where to find the current version. Duration: 45 minutes.
45 minEffective Complaint Handling for NDIS Providers
Complaints are a gift: they tell us what is not working and give us the chance to put it right. This course explains why complaints matter, the rights participants and families have to raise concerns, and what the NDIS Practice Standards and complaints rules expect of registered providers. You will learn how to receive a complaint calmly and respectfully, what you can resolve on the spot, when and how to escalate, and how complaints are recorded, investigated and used to improve our supports. The course also explains how people can take a complaint to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, and why no one should ever be treated badly for speaking up. Two case studies show these skills in action. Duration: 45 minutes.
Frequently asked questions
What does the NDIS governance Practice Standard require?
Governance and operational management systems proportionate to your size and supports, including a voice for people with disability, a defined structure, board skills and training, planning, oversight of management, qualified managers, delegations and managed conflicts of interest.
What must an NDIS risk management system cover?
Incident management, complaints, financial management, governance and operational management, human resources, information management, work health and safety, and emergency and disaster management, with infection prevention where relevant.
What insurance do registered NDIS providers need?
The risk management standard expects appropriate insurance, including professional indemnity, public liability and accident insurance.
Do small providers need a board?
The Standard applies in proportion to the size and scale of the provider. A sole trader or small company still needs defined responsibilities, oversight, delegations and conflict of interest management, scaled to its operations.
Source: NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. Checked 10/11/2026. Provider Compliance is not affiliated with the Victorian Government.