NDIS code of conduct policy: example filled-in sample

What the NDIS Code of Conduct policy must do

The NDIS Code of Conduct, established under the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 and the NDIS (Code of Conduct) Rules 2018, applies to every registered NDIS provider and their workers. For SIL providers, a written Code of Conduct policy is a practical piece of evidence that an approved quality auditor will request during a certification or verification audit under the NDIS Practice Standards.

The policy must translate the seven Code obligations into day-to-day expectations that every worker — permanent, casual, and contractor — understands and signs off on.

The seven worker obligations at a glance

1. Act with respect for individual rights to freedom of expression, self-determination, and decision-making.
2. Respect the privacy of people with disability.
3. Provide supports and services in a safe and competent manner, with care and skill.
4. Act with integrity, honesty, and transparency.
5. Promptly take steps to raise and act on concerns about matters that may impact the quality and safety of supports.
6. Take all reasonable steps to prevent and respond to all forms of violence, exploitation, neglect, and abuse.
7. Take all reasonable steps to prevent and respond to sexual misconduct.

Filled-in sample policy excerpt

The block below is a realistic, provider-level example. Replace the bracketed fields with your organisation's details before use.

Purpose statement (filled-in example)

"Sunrise Supported Living Pty Ltd is committed to delivering safe, respectful, and person-centred SIL supports. This policy sets out how we meet our obligations under the NDIS Code of Conduct and the NDIS Practice Standards, and how we respond when those obligations are not met."

Obligations and how we meet them — filled-in example

Breach procedure (filled-in example)

1. Report: Worker or witness reports the suspected breach to their Team Leader or the Quality Manager immediately.
2. Assess: Quality Manager assesses whether the matter is a reportable incident under the NDIS (Incident Management and Reportable Incidents) Rules 2018 and notifies the NDIS Commission within the required timeframe where applicable.
3. Investigate: An internal investigation is conducted in accordance with our Incident Management Policy (POL-IM-02). The accused worker is stood down from participant contact during investigation if there is a risk of harm.
4. Outcome: Findings are documented. Consequences range from additional training and supervision through to termination of employment, depending on severity. All outcomes are recorded in the worker's personnel file and the Incident Register.
5. Review: The Quality Manager reviews whether a systems change is needed to prevent recurrence and updates the Risk Register accordingly.

Worker acknowledgement (filled-in example)

"I, [Worker Full Name], acknowledge that I have read, understood, and agree to comply with the NDIS Code of Conduct Policy. I understand that a breach of the Code of Conduct may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination of my engagement with Sunrise Supported Living Pty Ltd and referral to the NDIS Commission."

Signed: _________________________ Date: _____________

What auditors look for in this policy

When an approved quality auditor assesses your Code of Conduct policy against the NDIS Practice Standards (particularly the Core Module on Rights and Responsibilities), they will typically check for:

• Clear reference to all seven Code obligations — not just a paraphrase but evidence of how each is operationalised.
• Named roles with accountability (who owns the policy, who investigates breaches).
• A defined breach and investigation procedure that links to your incident management system.
• Evidence that workers have read and signed the policy — usually a signed acknowledgement kept on file or in your HRIS.
• A review date and version control showing the policy is kept current.
• Alignment with your Complaints Management and Whistleblower policies so reporting pathways are consistent.

A common non-conformance auditors flag is a policy that lists the Code obligations verbatim from the legislation but provides no operational detail about how the provider actually meets them. The filled-in sample above addresses this by mapping each obligation to a concrete internal control.

Keeping the policy current under the strengthened framework

The NDIS Commission's strengthened Practice Standards, which began rolling out with the 2024 legislative amendments and continue to be implemented through 2025 and 2026, place greater emphasis on worker screening, ongoing training, and systemic safeguarding. Review your Code of Conduct policy whenever:

• The NDIS Commission issues updated guidance or a Practice Alert affecting worker conduct obligations.
• A reportable incident in your organisation reveals a gap between policy and practice.
• You engage a new service delivery model (such as adding in-home SIL from a previously SDA-only model).
• Relevant legislation — including state and territory working-with-children or criminal history check requirements — changes in your jurisdiction.

Building a complete compliance document set

A Code of Conduct policy works best as part of an integrated suite. SIL providers also need written policies covering incident management, complaints, restrictive practices, medication management, behaviour support, worker screening, and privacy — among others. If you are building or auditing your full document set ahead of a 2026 registration renewal, the 74-document audit-ready SIL compliance kit at ndiscompliant.com.au provides pre-filled templates aligned to the NDIS Practice Standards across all these areas, reducing the time needed to prepare evidence for an approved quality auditor.