for Supervisors and Senior Leaders

The ‘Supervising for Capability’ resources are a set of guides, tip sheets and templates to guide NDIS providers on how to use the Framework to strengthen the capabilities of workers, supervisors and senior business leaders. Resources cover aspects of supervision that support workforce capability – from setting up organisational policies and systems, to establishing the supervisor-worker relationship, supporting and supervising workers to deliver supports to individual participants and providing relevant learning and development opportunities.

The resources support organisations and supervisors to put systems in place to encourage three-way collaboration between supervisors, workers and participants. A brief statement of purpose is provided on the front page of each guide. For some resources, tailored versions are available for workers and participants that provide more streamlined, targeted information.

Five principles underpin the approach to supervision described in these resources:

1. Collaborative: Participants, workers and supervisors collectively agree on ‘what good looks like’ and how they will work together to achieve it.
2. Capability-based: The Framework identifies the attitudes, skills and knowledge workers need to provide quality support. They describe both the ‘how’ and the ‘what’ of support.
3. Respectful: The interests and aspirations of all parties are understood and respected.
4. Supportive: Supervision creates safe and trusted relationships that support worker wellbeing and encourage regular discussion, reflection and development.
5. Evidence-based: The organisation uses evidence about how well they are supporting participants and their workers to shape and improve their approach to supervision.

The supervision resources illustrate how these principles can apply to supervising frontline workers. The same approach can apply to other categories of workers across the organisation but may need to be adapted to reflect the characteristics of other worker categories. 

Organisations are accountable for the quality of supports and services they provide and for the wellbeing and safety of their workers. Supervision is a powerful way for organisations to drive a consistent approach to quality service delivery in line with these responsibilities.

Supervision enables organisations to ensure work is performed in accordance with priorities and required practices, and to support worker engagement, wellbeing and development. It is an ongoing process that involves regular interaction between workers and supervisors, as well as planned activity such as setting up a performance agreement and conducting annual reviews. In the NDIS, supervision also means participants having input into setting service expectations and giving feedback on how well things are going. The main elements of supervision are:

• Agree on the work to be done, in general and for each participant
• Confirm services and supports have been delivered and meet required standards
• Offer support, check on worker wellbeing and provide opportunities for workers to raise issues
• Encourage reflection and discuss options to address any complex situations, problems or new requirements
• Assess performance and provide feedback to the worker on what is going well and areas for improvement
• Discuss capability strengths, agree and arrange access to further learning and development to support performance in current role, enhance job satisfaction and help prepare for future work opportunities
• Relay or explain organisational policies and directions, and provide opportunities for worker feedback, including feedback on the effectiveness of supervision arrangements.

The administrative aspects of supervision, such as rostering shifts and managing attendance and leave, are not the focus of these resources.

Organisations also need to establish a formal process to respond to matters such as misconduct, breach of NDIS regulations or poor job fit. Processes to address these issues are usually established and managed separately from ongoing supervision processes and are not addressed in these resources.

The supervision resources support each of three core activities in the supervision cycle: setting expectations, implementing and reviewing.

Setting expectations

Implementing

Reviewing

Supervising for Capability Downloads

Link to all downloadable Supervising for Capability guides, templates and tip sheets.
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The NDIS Workforce Capability Framework

The Framework describes the attitudes, skills and knowledge required by all workers – including supervisors – and the behaviours you can expect to see.
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NDIS Code of Conduct

This promotes safe and ethical service delivery by setting out expectations for the conduct of both NDIS providers and workers.
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The NDIS Code of Conduct - Guidance for Service Providers

This guide is available to assist NDIS providers and NDIA community partners to understand and comply with the NDIS Code of Conduct.
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NDIS Practice Standards and Quality Indicators

This document specifies the quality standards to be met by registered NDIS providers to provide supports and services to NDIS participants.
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High Intensity Support Skills Descriptors

The Skills Descriptors provide guidance for NDIS providers and workers supporting participants with high intensity daily personal activities. Participants that self-manage their plan can also use the guidance if they receive high intensity daily personal supports.
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Workforce Management and Planning

The tool is designed to support organisations to assess and plan current and future workforce needs and prioritise strategies, including learning and capability development plans.
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Worker Orientation Module 'Quality, Safety and You'

A Worker Orientation Module called ‘Quality, Safety and You’ will assist all NDIS workers to better support people with disability.
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