NDIS Support Worker Job Description: What to Include for Compliance and Recruitment

Why Position Descriptions Matter for NDIS Compliance

Under the NDIS Practice Standards Core Module, Outcome 2.6 (Human Resource Management), registered providers must demonstrate that each worker has a clearly defined role with documented responsibilities. The position description — also called a PD, job description, or role statement — is the primary document that satisfies this requirement.

But it serves far more than a compliance checkbox. A well-drafted position description:

• Sets clear expectations — workers understand what is expected of them from day one, reducing confusion, scope creep, and the risk of boundary violations
• Supports safe recruitment — essential criteria ensure only candidates with the required screening, qualifications, and competencies are shortlisted
• Creates accountability — when performance concerns arise, the PD provides an objective reference point for what was expected versus what was delivered
• Demonstrates systematic HR management — auditors assess whether your recruitment, induction, supervision, and performance review processes are linked to documented role requirements
• Protects participants — by specifying mandatory screening requirements upfront, you reduce the risk of unscreened workers entering your service

The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission has been increasingly specific in its expectations around workforce documentation. In its Provider Obligations guidance, the Commission states that providers must have systems to ensure workers are suitable, qualified, and competent for the roles they perform. The position description is where all of those requirements are documented in one place.

Essential Criteria Every NDIS Support Worker PD Must Include

Essential criteria are the non-negotiable requirements a candidate must meet to be considered for the role. For an NDIS support worker position, these are not discretionary — they are driven by legislation, the NDIS Practice Standards, and workplace health and safety obligations.

NDIS Worker Screening Check

The NDIS Worker Screening Check is the most critical essential criterion. Under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (Worker Screening) Rules 2018, all workers in risk-assessed roles must hold a current clearance. A risk-assessed role is any role that involves direct contact with, or direct supervision of, NDIS participants — which covers virtually every support worker position.

Your position description must state this requirement clearly and unambiguously. Do not use vague language like "willingness to obtain a screening check." State it as: "Current NDIS Worker Screening Check clearance, or ability to obtain clearance prior to commencing in the role." This protects you legally and ensures candidates understand they cannot start work without it.

For a comprehensive guide to worker screening requirements, including state-by-state application processes and costs, see our NDIS Worker Screening Check guide.

NDIS Worker Orientation Module

The NDIS Worker Orientation Module is a free online training module developed by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. It covers the rights of people with disability, the NDIS Code of Conduct, what constitutes abuse and neglect, and how to report concerns. While there is no explicit legislative requirement mandating its completion before a worker can commence, the NDIS Practice Standards expect that all workers understand the NDIS Code of Conduct and participant rights — and the Orientation Module is the Commission's recommended way to evidence this understanding.

In practice, auditors expect to see Orientation Module completion certificates in worker files. List it as an essential criterion and require completion before or during the first week of employment.

First Aid and CPR

Not every support worker in your organisation needs an individual First Aid certificate at all times, but your workplace must have adequate First Aid coverage. For SIL houses, best practice is to ensure that at least one worker on every shift holds a current First Aid certificate — and ideally all support workers do. Listing it as an essential criterion simplifies compliance.

Note that the CPR component (HLTAID009) must be renewed annually, while the broader First Aid certificate (HLTAID011) is valid for three years. Your PD should specify both and your HR systems should track expiry dates.

Desirable Criteria and Qualifications

Desirable criteria are qualities, qualifications, or experience that are not mandatory but would make a candidate more competitive. Getting the balance right between essential and desirable criteria is important — if you list too many essential criteria, you narrow your candidate pool unnecessarily. If you list too few, you risk hiring workers who are not adequately prepared for the role.

Qualifications

The NDIS does not mandate a specific qualification for all support workers. However, the following qualifications are widely recognised and valued in the sector:

• Certificate III in Individual Support (CHC33021) — the entry-level qualification for disability support work, covering person-centred care, communication, workplace health and safety, and support planning. This is the most commonly listed qualification in NDIS support worker advertisements.
• Certificate IV in Disability (CHC43121) — a higher-level qualification that covers more complex support needs, behaviour support, and team leadership. Increasingly expected for senior support worker or team leader roles.
• Certificate IV in Mental Health (CHC43521) — relevant for providers supporting participants with psychosocial disability.
• Medication management competency — if workers will administer medications, competency units such as HLTHPS006 (Assist Clients with Medication) should be listed as desirable or essential depending on your service model.

Experience

Experience requirements should be realistic. The disability sector faces significant workforce shortages, and requiring extensive experience for entry-level roles will limit your candidate pool. Consider structuring experience as desirable rather than essential for standard support worker roles, and essential for senior or specialist positions.

Relevant experience might include:

• Previous experience in disability support, aged care, or community services
• Experience supporting people with complex communication needs
• Experience in SIL or group home environments
• Experience working with people with behaviours of concern
• Experience with assistive technology or augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices

Personal Attributes

While harder to assess objectively, personal attributes are an important part of the desirable criteria section. They signal to candidates what your organisational culture looks like. Common inclusions:

• Genuine commitment to the rights and dignity of people with disability
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team
• Reliability and punctuality — particularly important for shift-based roles
• Cultural sensitivity and respect for diversity
• Resilience and ability to manage challenging situations calmly

Key Duties and Responsibilities

The duties section is the heart of the position description. It tells the worker — and the auditor — exactly what this role involves on a day-to-day basis. Duties should be specific, measurable where possible, and aligned with participant support plans and the NDIS Practice Standards.

Participant Support Duties

These are the core functions of the role and should be listed first:

• Provide person-centred support to participants in accordance with their individual support plans, respecting their choices, preferences, and goals
• Assist participants with activities of daily living including personal care (showering, toileting, dressing, grooming), meal preparation, household tasks, and community access
• Support participants to develop and maintain independent living skills in line with their NDIS plan goals
• Administer medications in accordance with the organisation's Medication Management Policy and each participant's medication administration record (MAR)
• Support participants to attend appointments, social activities, and community events
• Monitor and report on participant wellbeing, noting any changes in health, behaviour, or mood

Documentation Duties

Documentation is a critical but often underemphasised part of the support worker role. Your PD should be explicit about what documentation the worker is responsible for:

• Complete accurate, timely progress notes for every shift in accordance with the organisation's documentation standards — for guidance on writing compliant notes, our free Notes Rewriter tool can help workers produce NDIS-compliant progress notes
• Complete shift handover documentation at the beginning and end of each shift
• Record medication administration accurately and immediately on the MAR
• Report and document incidents, near-misses, and hazards in accordance with the Incident Management Policy
• Contribute to participant support plan reviews and progress reporting

Compliance and Safety Duties

• Comply with the NDIS Code of Conduct at all times
• Maintain professional boundaries with participants, their families, and other stakeholders
• Follow all organisational policies and procedures, including those related to incident management, complaints, safeguarding, and workplace health and safety
• Report any concerns about participant safety, abuse, neglect, or exploitation immediately to the appropriate person
• Participate in mandatory and ongoing training as directed
• Attend and actively participate in regular supervision sessions
• Maintain current certifications and clearances (Worker Screening Check, First Aid, CPR)

SIL-Specific Duties

If the role is in a Supported Independent Living setting, additional duties may include:

• Support participants in shared living arrangements, facilitating positive household dynamics and conflict resolution
• Complete overnight shift responsibilities including participant checks, emergency response readiness, and household security
• Maintain the SIL property including cleaning schedules, safety inspections, and reporting maintenance issues
• Support participants with budgeting, shopping, and managing their personal finances (where included in their support plan)
• Facilitate participant involvement in household decisions, meal planning, and daily routines

Physical Requirements and Working Conditions

Listing physical requirements is not about discrimination — it is about transparency and workplace health and safety. The disability support sector involves physically demanding work, and candidates need to understand this before accepting a role. Your physical requirements section should be factual, specific, and linked to actual tasks performed in the role.

Common Physical Requirements

Working Conditions

Be transparent about the working conditions the role involves. This is particularly important for SIL roles where conditions differ significantly from office-based work:

• Shift work: rotating rosters including mornings, afternoons, overnight (waking or sleepover), weekends, and public holidays
• Sole worker shifts: some shifts may involve being the only worker on-site, requiring independent decision-making and emergency response capability
• Exposure to challenging behaviours: some participants may display behaviours of concern, and the worker must be prepared to follow behaviour support plans and de-escalation strategies
• Infection control: personal care tasks involve exposure to bodily fluids, requiring adherence to standard precautions and the organisation's infection control procedures
• Use of own vehicle: community access support may require the worker to use their own vehicle, with appropriate insurance coverage

Using Person-Centred Language in Job Descriptions

The language you use in your position description reflects your organisational values. The NDIS Practice Standards, particularly Outcome 1.1 (Person-Centred Supports), expect providers to demonstrate person-centred approaches across all aspects of service delivery — and that includes how you describe your workforce roles.

Person-centred language centres the participant as a person with agency, rights, and goals. It avoids clinical, institutional, or paternalistic language that positions participants as passive recipients of care.

The language shift is not just cosmetic. It communicates to candidates that your organisation treats participants as autonomous individuals with rights and preferences — not as objects of care. This attracts higher-calibre candidates who align with contemporary disability support values and the intent of the NDIS Act 2013.

Pay particular attention to how you describe the organisation's purpose in the opening section of the PD. Frame it around enabling participants to live their best lives, not around providing care or managing disability. For example: "[Organisation Name] provides Supported Independent Living services that enable people with disability to live in their own homes with the support they need to pursue their goals and participate in their community."

Position Descriptions as Audit Evidence

During a certification audit, the auditor will assess your compliance with NDIS Practice Standards Outcome 2.6 (Human Resource Management). Position descriptions are one of the first documents requested. Here is how auditors use them:

What Auditors Check

• Every worker has a current position description on file
• The PD is signed by the worker (acknowledging they have read and understood it)
• Essential criteria in the PD match the evidence in the worker's personnel file
• Duties described in the PD align with the support activities the worker actually performs
• The PD references relevant NDIS Practice Standards and the Code of Conduct
• The PD has been reviewed and updated (document control — version number, review date)
• Physical requirements are specified and linked to WHS risk assessments

Common Non-Conformities

The following issues are frequently identified by auditors and can result in non-conformities or recommendations for improvement:

• Generic PDs not tailored to the role: using the same generic PD for all workers regardless of their actual duties or support environment
• Missing screening requirements: failing to list the NDIS Worker Screening Check as an essential criterion, or listing it but not evidencing clearance in the worker's file
• Outdated PDs: position descriptions that have not been reviewed or updated in more than two years, or that reference superseded legislation or standards
• No worker acknowledgement: the PD exists but there is no evidence the worker has received, read, and acknowledged it
• Duties do not match practice: the PD describes duties that the worker does not perform, or the worker performs duties not described in the PD (particularly relevant where roles have evolved)

Document Control

Every position description should include a document control section with:

• Document title and reference number
• Version number and date of last review
• Next scheduled review date (at least annually or when the role changes)
• Approved by (name and position of the person who approved the PD)
• Related documents (link to your HR Policy, Code of Conduct, relevant Practice Standard)

The SIL Rescue Kit includes a Document Control Register (Doc 48) that helps you track all organisational documents including position descriptions, their version history, and review schedules.

Putting It All Together

A strong NDIS support worker position description brings together compliance requirements, operational expectations, and person-centred values in a single document. It should be reviewed at least annually, updated when roles change, and kept on file with evidence that each worker has received and acknowledged it.

For providers preparing for a certification audit, position descriptions are not optional — they are a foundational piece of your human resource management evidence. Investing the time to get them right now will save significant stress during your audit and help you recruit, retain, and manage a workforce that delivers safe, quality support to participants.