How to Write an NDIS Recruitment and Selection Policy: Screening, Vetting and Compliance

What Outcome 2.6 Requires for Recruitment

Outcome 2.6 (Human Resource Management) is one of the broadest outcomes in the NDIS Practice Standards Core Module. It covers recruitment, screening, induction, training, supervision, and performance management. For the purposes of your recruitment policy, the key quality indicators require you to demonstrate:

• Workers are recruited using a fair, consistent, and documented selection process
• All workers hold a valid NDIS Worker Screening Check clearance before commencing in risk-assessed roles
• Referee checks are conducted and documented for all new workers
• Qualifications are verified as genuine and relevant to the role
• Workers have position descriptions that clearly define their role, responsibilities, and required competencies
• Right to work in Australia is verified and documented
• Workers receive a structured induction before commencing unsupervised support delivery

The legislative basis includes the NDIS Act 2013, the NDIS (Provider Registration and Practice Standards) Rules 2018, and the NDIS (Practice Standards—Worker Screening) Rules 2018. State and territory worker screening legislation also applies (e.g., Worker Screening Act 2020 (Vic), Child Protection (Working with Children) Act 2012 (NSW)).

Worker Screening Before Engagement

The NDIS Worker Screening Check is a nationally consistent criminal history screening process administered by state and territory worker screening units. It is mandatory for all workers in risk-assessed roles.

What Is a Risk-Assessed Role?

A risk-assessed role is any role that involves, or is likely to involve, more than incidental contact with people with disability. For SIL providers, virtually every role is risk-assessed: support workers, team leaders, house supervisors, overnight staff, and anyone who enters a participant’s home.

The Non-Negotiable Rule

What Your Policy Must Specify

• All workers in risk-assessed roles must hold a valid NDIS Worker Screening Check clearance
• The clearance must be sighted and verified before the worker commences
• The clearance details (number, expiry date, issuing jurisdiction) must be recorded in the Worker Screening Register
• Clearances must be monitored for expiry and renewed before they lapse
• If a worker’s clearance is revoked or not renewed, they must immediately cease working in risk-assessed roles
• Workers transferring from another provider must have their existing clearance verified — do not rely on the previous provider’s verification

Worker Screening Register

Maintain a Worker Screening Register (Document 44 in the SIL Rescue Kit) with the following fields:

Referee Checks: Process and Documentation

Referee checks are a critical component of the recruitment process and auditors will check that they are conducted consistently for every new worker. Your policy should specify:

Minimum Requirements

• Number: Minimum two professional referees per candidate
• Recency: At least one referee must be a recent direct supervisor or manager (within the past 2 years)
• Method: Conduct referee checks by telephone, not just written reference. Telephone checks allow for follow-up questions and tone assessment
• Timing: Complete referee checks before making a formal offer of employment
• Documentation: Record the date, referee name, referee contact details, relationship to candidate, and a summary of the discussion

Standard Referee Check Questions

Your policy should include or reference a standard set of questions to ensure consistency:

• In what capacity did you work with the candidate, and for how long?
• What were the candidate’s key responsibilities?
• How would you describe the candidate’s reliability and punctuality?
• How does the candidate interact with people with disability (or vulnerable populations)?
• Were there any performance or conduct concerns during their employment?
• Would you re-employ this person? Why or why not?
• Is there anything else we should be aware of in considering this person for a role supporting people with disability?

Qualification Verification

Under Outcome 2.6, providers must verify that workers hold the qualifications required for their role. This goes beyond simply asking the worker — you must sight and verify the original documents.

Verification Steps

1. Identify the qualifications required for the role (as listed in the position description)
2. Sight original certificates or authenticated copies
3. For Australian qualifications, verify through the USI (Unique Student Identifier) transcript service where possible
4. For regulated professions (nursing, allied health), verify current registration with the relevant body (e.g., AHPRA for nurses and allied health professionals)
5. For overseas qualifications, request an assessment from a recognised assessing authority
6. Record the qualification details in the worker’s personnel file: qualification title, issuing institution, date of award, and verification method

Common Qualifications for SIL Workers

For workers who document participant progress and shift notes, our free NDIS Notes Rewriter helps ensure their documentation meets NDIS compliance standards — supporting the competency requirements of Outcome 2.6.

Position Description Requirements

Every worker must have a position description that clearly defines their role. Auditors check that position descriptions exist and that they accurately reflect the worker’s actual duties. A position description should include:

• Position title and employment type (full-time, part-time, casual, contractor)
• Reporting relationships (who the position reports to, who reports to this position)
• Purpose of the role (a brief statement of why the position exists)
• Key responsibilities (specific duties linked to service delivery and the Practice Standards)
• Essential qualifications (minimum qualifications, certifications, and clearances required)
• Desirable qualifications (preferred but not mandatory)
• Key selection criteria (the competencies and attributes assessed during recruitment)
• Physical requirements (lifting, manual handling, standing for extended periods)
• Screening requirements (NDIS Worker Screening Check, Working with Children Check where applicable)
• Code of Conduct obligation (statement that the worker must comply with the NDIS Code of Conduct)

Criminal History Risk Assessment

The NDIS Worker Screening Check assesses a person’s criminal history and produces a clearance or exclusion. However, your organisation may also conduct National Police Checks as an additional screening measure, or may receive information about a worker’s criminal history through other channels.

When a criminal history is identified, you must conduct a documented criminal history risk assessment rather than applying an automatic exclusion. Anti-discrimination legislation in most states prohibits blanket exclusion based on criminal history alone — the assessment must consider the relevance and risk.

Risk Assessment Factors

• The nature and seriousness of the offence(s)
• How long ago the offence(s) occurred
• The person’s age at the time of the offence
• The relevance of the offence to the specific role
• Any pattern of offending
• The person’s conduct and rehabilitation since the offence
• Whether the offence involved a person with disability or vulnerable person
• The level of risk the person may pose to participants
• Whether adequate controls could mitigate the identified risk

Document the assessment including the factors considered, the decision reached, and the reasons. If the person is engaged despite a criminal history, document any additional risk controls implemented (e.g., increased supervision, restricted duties).

Probation Periods and Induction

Probation

Your recruitment policy should specify a probation period for all new workers (typically 3–6 months). During probation:

• The worker receives increased supervision and regular performance check-ins
• The worker completes all mandatory induction requirements
• The worker demonstrates competence in their role against the position description
• A formal probation review is conducted before the probation period ends
• The decision to confirm, extend, or terminate employment is documented

Induction Requirements

Your policy should reference (or include) the minimum induction requirements for new workers. The Staff Induction Checklist (Document 32 in the SIL Rescue Kit) is a 26-item checklist covering:

• NDIS Code of Conduct acknowledgement signed
• NDIS Worker Screening Check verified and recorded
• Qualifications sighted and verified
• Right to work in Australia verified (passport, visa, birth certificate)
• First aid and CPR certificates sighted and current
• Organisational policies read and acknowledged
• Emergency procedures training completed
• Manual handling training completed
• Medication administration competency assessed (if applicable)
• Introduction to participant support plans
• Buddy shifts completed with an experienced worker

What Auditors Check and Common Failures

Auditor Checklist

• Recruitment and selection policy exists and is current
• Worker Screening Register is maintained with current clearances for all workers
• No workers are engaged in risk-assessed roles without a valid NDIS Worker Screening Check
• Personnel files contain referee check documentation for each worker
• Qualifications are verified and copies are in personnel files
• Position descriptions exist for all roles and match actual duties
• Right to work in Australia has been verified and documented
• Staff induction checklists are completed and signed
• Criminal history risk assessments are documented where applicable

Common Failures

Failure 1: Workers commenced before screening clearance was received. This is the most serious recruitment-related non-conformance. Even one worker who had participant contact before their NDIS Worker Screening Check was cleared can result in a major non-conformance.

Failure 2: No referee checks or inadequate documentation. Referee checks were either not conducted or not documented. A verbal assurance from the worker that their previous employer was satisfied is not sufficient.

Failure 3: Expired clearances. The Worker Screening Register shows clearances that have expired without renewal. Workers with expired clearances should not be in risk-assessed roles.

Failure 4: No position descriptions. Workers do not have position descriptions, or the descriptions are generic and do not reflect the actual role. Auditors may interview staff and compare their described duties against the position description.

Failure 5: Incomplete induction. The induction checklist exists but items are incomplete or unsigned. New workers commenced unsupervised shifts before completing mandatory induction items (particularly Code of Conduct acknowledgement and emergency procedures training).