‘Wild west’ NDIS warning as providers exploit loophole
Most workers in the National Disability Insurance Scheme avoid screening because of a lack of regulation, which experts say “puts vulnerable people at risk”.
NSW
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Most workers in the National Disability Insurance Scheme avoid screening because of a lack of regulation, which experts say “puts vulnerable people at risk”.
The national Worker Screening Check, a database which examines an applicant’s criminal record and history working in the disability sector, has been completed by four per cent of the 154,000 unregistered providers in the NDIS.
The loophole is another example of the “wild west” of unregistered NDIS providers, who have been free to offer taxpayer-funded services without having to comply with strict government standards.
With worker screening currently optional, The Daily Telegraph has been told of cases in which a reputable company has sacked someone for misconduct, only for that worker to create an ABN and contact their old clients, bidding for work.
“It’s totally irresponsible to set up a national screening check to keep people safe and then make it voluntary for unregistered providers” said one senior member of the disability sector, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
“There is literally nothing to stop a violent criminal or sex offender working in the NDIS as a sole-trader. This would not be tolerated in any other industry. It’s dangerous, it puts vulnerable people at risk and it undermines the NDIS.”
The NDIS Review, released in December, recommended worker screening should be mandatory for “all individuals working … in roles where normal duties include the direct delivery of specified supports or services to people with disability, or are likely to require more than incidental contact …”
A spokesman for NDIS Minister Bill Shorten said the Worker Screening Check “is conducted by the state or territory where a person applies for it”. However, a spokesman for the NSW government said mandatory worker screening was an issue for “federal NDIS legislation”.
The taskforce sorting out unregistered providers is due to deliver its findings shortly.
The Telegraph has recently highlighted a marketplace of unregistered providers on social media, operating everything from ski trips, fishing camps, Lego therapy, Dungeons & Dragons gaming nights and dog washing.
Experts cautioned these pop-up businesses, which have been advertising on Facebook, are not subjected to rigorous checks and could risk blowing out the scheme.
Australia Institute policy director Fiona Macdonald previously said: “People with very few skills and training have been able to come into the NDIS and command a payment … I have spoken to people working in the disability sector who have no idea how to respond to an emergency, address problems around safety, or deal with the specific behavioural aspects of a person they are supporting.”
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