How to document a missing participant in NDIS (template + steps)

Why missing-participant documentation matters under the NDIS Practice Standards

When a supported participant cannot be located, every minute counts — and so does every record you create. Under the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission's Practice Standards, registered providers operating SIL services have a duty of care to keep participants safe and a parallel obligation to document and report certain incidents to the Commission. A missing-participant event that meets the threshold is a reportable incident, meaning it triggers mandatory notification timelines, a written initial report, and a post-incident review.

Getting your documentation right from the first call to emergency services through to the final closeout report is not bureaucratic box-ticking. It protects the participant, demonstrates your compliance posture to auditors, and gives your organisation defensible records if the incident is later reviewed by the Commission, a coroner, or a guardian.

When is a missing participant a reportable incident?

The NDIS (Incident Management and Reportable Incidents) Rules define categories of reportable incidents. An unauthorised absence — where a participant with high support needs cannot be located and reasonable attempts to find them have failed — will ordinarily fall within the category of incidents involving the unexplained absence of a person with disability from a service or accommodation setting. Providers should also assess whether the participant's disability or support needs create a serious risk to their life or health while missing, which can elevate the urgency of both the search response and the notification.

Note: not every participant going out unannounced is automatically reportable. The test is whether the absence is unexplained and whether there is a real risk to the participant. Your internal policy should set a clear trigger time (commonly 30 minutes for high-needs participants in SIL) after which the missing-person protocol activates.

Step-by-step: what to do — and document — when a participant cannot be located

1. Record the time of last known contact. Note the exact time, date, location, and which staff member last saw or spoke with the participant. Include what the participant said or did immediately before the absence was noticed.
2. Conduct an immediate premises and surrounds check. Search all rooms, outdoor areas, and communal spaces. Document who conducted the search, what areas were covered, and the result. Note the time this search was completed.
3. Attempt to contact the participant directly. Call the participant's mobile, message any known accounts, or contact anyone they may have told about their plans. Record each attempt: method, time, and outcome (no answer, voicemail, etc.).
4. Notify your on-call supervisor or manager. This should occur as soon as initial checks have not located the participant — not after a long delay. Log the name of the person notified, the time, and what instructions were given.
5. Contact the participant's emergency contacts and/or guardian/nominee. Record who you contacted, at what time, what you told them, and their response. If a guardian, administrator, or attorney holds decision-making authority, they must be informed promptly.
6. Call emergency services (000) if there is risk to life or health, or if internal checks have not located the person. For most SIL settings, contacting police should occur early — do not delay. Record the time of the call, the operator's name or reference number if provided, and what information was shared.
7. Notify the NDIS Commission. Reportable incidents must be notified to the Commission within 24 hours of the provider becoming aware of the incident (for priority reportable incidents) or within a short timeframe for other reportable incidents, using the Commission's online portal. Record the date and time of notification and the incident reference number you receive.
8. Maintain a running incident log. From the moment the protocol activates, one staff member should be assigned to maintain a chronological log of every action, call, and update. This log becomes the foundation of your formal incident report.
9. Continue search efforts and coordinate with police. Assign staff to specific search tasks. Log who was assigned, what area or action they covered, and when they reported back.
10. Document when and how the participant is located. Record the exact time the participant was found, their physical and emotional state, where they were located, and by whom. Note any injuries, distress, or medical needs.
11. Complete the full incident report and submit to the Commission. After the immediate situation is resolved, finalise your written incident report. Submit any required follow-up documentation within the Commission's specified timeframe.
12. Conduct a post-incident review. Review what happened, identify contributing factors, and document any changes to the participant's support plan, risk assessment, or your internal procedures.

What your incident documentation must contain

Whether you use your own incident management system or the Commission's online portal, a completed missing-participant report should capture the following fields:

Template excerpt: missing participant incident record

The following is a realistic example of how the opening section of a completed missing-participant incident record might appear. Adapt this to your organisation's incident management system.

MISSING PARTICIPANT INCIDENT RECORD

Provider name: [Your organisation name]
NDIS registration number: [Your registration number]
Incident reference: INC-2026-[XXXX]

PARTICIPANT DETAILS
Name: [Participant full name]
NDIS number: [XXXXXXXX]
Date of birth: [DD/MM/YYYY]
Support setting: SIL — [Address]

INCIDENT TIMELINE
Last known location / time: Lounge room, [Address] — 14:30 AEST, [Date]
Absence identified by: [Staff member name, role]
Time absence identified: 15:05 AEST

ACTIONS TAKEN
15:05 — Premises check conducted by [Staff A] and [Staff B]. Participant not located.
15:12 — Attempted mobile contact ×3. No answer. Voicemail left.
15:15 — Supervisor [Name] notified by phone.
15:20 — Guardian [Name] notified by phone. Advised of situation and actions underway.
15:22 — Emergency services (Police) contacted. Reference: [CAD number if provided].
15:45 — NDIS Commission notified via portal. Incident reference: [Commission reference].

OUTCOME
Participant located at [Location] at [Time] by [Police/staff/participant returned].
Condition on location: [Physical and emotional state].
Injuries: [None / describe].

COMPLETING OFFICER
Name: [Full name]
Role: [House Manager / Quality Manager / etc.]
Date report completed: [DD/MM/YYYY]

Common documentation failures — and how to avoid them

• Delayed first entry. Staff sometimes wait until the participant is found before writing anything down. Document from the moment the protocol activates — contemporaneous records carry far more weight with auditors and the Commission.
• Vague timelines. "Around mid-afternoon" is not acceptable. All times should be in 24-hour format and as precise as possible.
• Missing notification records. Providers frequently record that police were called but not the time, officer's name, or reference number. Capture all identifying details for every external notification.
• No post-incident review. Closing the incident when the participant is found is not enough. The Commission expects a documented review identifying root causes and corrective actions.
• Failure to update the support plan. If the incident reveals a gap in the participant's risk assessment or behaviour support plan, that gap must be addressed and the updated plan documented.

The 2026 strengthened Practice Standards context

The strengthened NDIS Practice Standards, which apply to providers under the revised registration framework, place increased emphasis on proactive risk management and demonstrable participant safety systems. Auditors assessing SIL providers will look specifically at whether your incident management policy is fit for purpose, whether staff have been trained on it, and whether past incidents show evidence of genuine learning and improvement. A well-documented missing-participant incident — including a meaningful post-incident review — is exactly the kind of evidence that supports a positive audit finding.

If you are building or reviewing your incident documentation suite as part of 2026 registration preparation, the 74-document audit-ready SIL compliance kit available at ndiscompliant.com.au includes a missing-participant procedure, an incident record template, and the supporting policy framework that auditors expect to see.

Key reminders

• Act first, document in parallel — never delay calling 000 to write notes.
• Notify the NDIS Commission within the required timeframe for reportable incidents.
• Keep your incident record contemporaneous, specific, and factual.
• Always conduct and document a post-incident review.
• Review and update the participant's risk assessment and support plan following any missing-person event.