This Practice Standard is also available:
Intent
The Safeguarding Standard sets out how providers should ensure participants living in SIL environments are safe from violence, abuse, neglect and harm while being supported to have choice and dignity of risk. Workers delivering support in SIL environments should have the skills to recognise the early signs of harm and respond using trauma-informed and person-centred approaches.
Participants living in SIL environments should feel safe in their home, supported to make choices and know workers will respond to concerns quickly. Providers and workers should evidence the steps taken to manage risks in the home, including between those living in the house, and demonstrate that all workers are trained in de-escalation, trauma informed practice and positive behaviour support to safeguard all participants living in the home.
Expectation statements
Participant statement
I am safe in my home. I have workers that proactively support me to establish or improve safeguards and respond quickly to my concerns, reducing my risk of harm, bullying and conflict in my home.
Worker statement
I promote safe and respectful relationships in the home and community by prioritising early identification, de-escalation and supported problem-solving of relationship-based risks with participants. I ensure incidents of harm, bullying and conflict are reported in line with house-level incident management policy. I adhere to the NDIS Code of Conduct when working with participants in their home and living environment.
Provider statement
We implement safeguards in the home that are psychologically safe, trauma-aware and healing informed. We proactively identify, assess and respond to risks in the home and take action quickly to ensure participants are supported and safeguarded. We balance a participant’s right to dignity of risk while upholding our obligations to safety in the home.
Outcome statement
Each participant is supported to live in a safe, respectful and supportive home environment, and to have adequate safeguards in place to mitigate harm at home and when participants access their community.
Quality indicators
To achieve this outcome, the following indicators should be demonstrated:
- Relevant workers demonstrate compliance with their obligations under the NDIS Code of Conduct through respectful, safe and rights-based support in a participant’s home in the delivery of supports and services.
- Policies and procedures are in place to balance and respect participants’ dignity of risk in decision-making about the delivery of supports and services in their home and daily life while upholding obligations to safety in the home and when accessing their community. This includes involving participants in safeguarding discussions and ensuring safeguarding approaches are understood and applied consistently by all workers in the participant’s home.
- Relevant workers delivering supports and services in a participant’s home and daily life have the skills to identify, assess and respond to harm, bullying and conflict in the participant’s home or when in the community, in a timely manner. This includes ensuring workers are trained in de-escalation, trauma-informed practice and positive behaviour support.
- Each participant is supported to strengthen their formal and informal safeguards by being supported through the design and delivery of their supports and services to maintain access to their family, friends and community and through building stable and consistent relationships with workers who deliver supports and services in the participant’s home and daily life.
- Each participant is supported to understand the impact of their decisions about the delivery of supports and services in their home and daily life if there is risk associated with their choices about their home and access to their community.
- Policies and procedures are in place that set out the responsibilities of relevant workers delivering supports and services in the participant’s home and daily life in identifying, assessing and responding to risks such as bullying and conflict in the home environment. This includes requiring workers to collaborate with relevant providers and specialists to manage and mitigate risks in a person-centred and consistent manner to safeguard the participant and others living in the participant’s home.
- Safeguarding approaches are implemented to address conflict, intimidation and harm between participants. This includes providers consulting with participants to ensure the safeguarding approaches acknowledge the risk and safety unique to each person, while respecting their autonomy.
- Safeguarding approaches are regularly reviewed with participants and adjustments are made to promote continuous quality improvement through day-to-day practice improvements in the participant’s home, worker learning, supervision and governance.
Best practice for safeguarding
Living with Disability Research Centre – La Trobe University
- Person-centred active support and frontline practice leadership
- Supporting inclusion – what does it mean for people with intellectual disabilities?, A guide to good group homes
Living with Disability Research Centre Resources and publications
Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care
Resources for better health care for people with intellectual disability:
- Easy-read resource about asking for reasonable adjustments
- communication and positive behaviour support fact sheet
- transitions of care
- polypharmacy.
Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care Resource library
Inclusion Australia
Communication resources for people with disabilities who use alternative communication, for conversations around the NDIS and other important decisions.
Behaviour support resources – NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
Resources for participants receiving positive behaviour support
Best practice resources are intended to support continuous improvement and promote good practice.
External resources are provided for information and educational purposes only. Their inclusion does not constitute an endorsement by the Commission or alter applicable legal obligations.
External links provide general information to assist NDIS providers to understand obligations that may arise under some relevant legislation and frameworks. It is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
Practical examples of safeguarding
Alex was living alone until recently when a new person moved into the home. Since then, Alex has become quieter, stopped participating in activities he previously enjoyed and has been spending more time alone in his room.
How support is provided:
- Workers familiar with Alex’s usual behavior and demeanor notice when something might be wrong.
- Workers give Alex opportunities to speak with a preferred family member, friend or worker who is familiar with his communication style.
- Workers follow provider policies and guidelines to report potential concerns about Alex’s welfare.
Provider:
- Works with Alex and his support team, such as his family, Behaviour Support Practitioner or Support Coordinator, to consider ways to improve his comfort at home.
- Works with Alex’s housemate and their support team, considering any options to help the transition.
Outcome:
- Alex is supported to communicate what makes him feel comfortable and safe at home.
- Adjustments are made to routines and shared spaces based on both participants’ preferences.
Casey is generally social but becomes withdrawn when their home environment feels tense. Over the past month, workers have noticed Casey started refusing to come out of their room and appears anxious at mealtimes. On a few occasions workers have observed another resident making repeated sarcastic remarks about Casey’s speech and excluding them from conversations.
How support is provided:
The Provider:
- Ensure workers have skills to help manage and resolve minor disputes in the home and understand when and how they should escalate concerns about harmful behaviour in line with provider policies and procedures.
- Make sure workers are trained in individual participants’ behaviour support plans.
- Offers opportunities to speak with participants on an individual basis to ensure they have the privacy to raise concerns about their housemates.
Outcome:
- Casey feels comfortable speaking with workers about their concerns.
- Casey and their workers plan on how they are going to help manage the situation to make sure everyone feels comfortable in their home.
- Providers maintain oversight of issues that have the potential to escalate and are able to put preventative measures in place, including supporting workers to help manage disputes.