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WWVP and the NDIS

If you work or volunteer for a registered National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) provider you may need an NDIS Worker clearance in addition to your Working with Vulnerable People (WWVP) registration.

NDIS activity is a regulated activity in the ACT, as defined by the WWVP legislation.

The National Worker Screening Database (NWSD) holds the screening status of NDIS workers.

Visit the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission (NDIS Commission) website.

Registered NDIS providers

Registered NDIS providers must ensure people in the following roles have an NDIS worker clearance:

  • people in risk assessed roles. This includes paid workers (including third-party labour hire and sole traders), volunteers, students doing placement or work experience.
  • key personnel, for example CEOs and board members.

Self-employed registered providers are both key personnel and work in a risk assessed role so must have an NDIS worker clearance.

Risk-assessed roles

A risk-assessed role is:

  • a key personnel role, or,
  • involved in direct delivery of specified supports or services to a person with disability
  • likely to need ‘more than incidental contact’ with people with disability, which includes:
    • physically touching a person with disability.
    • building rapport with a person with disability as an integral and ordinary part of the performance of normal duties, or
    • having contact with multiple people with disability as part of the direct delivery of a specialist disability support or service, or in a specialist disability accommodation setting.

Read about identifying risk-assessed roles and record keeping requirements on the NDIS Commission website.

You don’t have to have an NDIS worker clearance if you’re not in a risk-assessed role, but your employer may require it.

Unregistered NDIS providers and self-managed participants

Unregistered NDIS providers and Self-managed participants can ask workers to have an NDIS worker clearance, but it’s not mandatory.

Apply for an NDIS worker clearance

The application for a WWVP registration with NDIS clearance uses the same forms and processes.

Read about applying for a Working with Vulnerable People registration.

When you apply for WWVP registration including NDIS clearance you need to nominate at least one employer to endorse your NDIS application.

The employer must have access to and be listed as an employer on the NDIS Worker Screening Database (NWSD). You will need to ask your employer for their NDIS employer ID so you can select them from the list.

If your employer does not have access to or is not listed as an employer in the NWSD, you cannot apply for NDIS worker screening.

You can nominate:

  • a registered NDIS provider
  • an unregistered NDIS provider
  • a self-managed participant
  • yourself if you are self-employed and have access to the NWSD.

Read about requesting access to the database on the NDIS Commission website.

If your NDIS clearance is granted your WWVP registration card will indicate 'NDIS ACTIVITIES - Yes'.

Cards with 'NDIS ACTIVITIES - No' don’t prevent the holder from working for NDIS providers if:

  • holding NDIS clearance isn’t mandatory, or
  • you’re not in a risk-assessed role, or
  • you hold a valid NDIS clearance issued in another State or Territory.

Renewing an NDIS clearance

NDIS clearances are generally for 5 years when you apply for WWVP and NDIS clearance at the same time.

If you added an NDIS clearance to your existing WWVP registration, your NDIS clearance will be issued for the remainder of your WWVP registration expiry. This may be for less than 5 years.

You can renew your NDIS clearance when you apply to renew your WWVP registration. Renewal reminders are sent to you approximately three months before the expiry of your WWVP registration.

Renewing an NDIS clearance issued interstate.

NDIS clearances are a national check and recognised in every state and territory. If you work across multiple states and territories, you only need to apply to renew in one of these, usually where in the state or territory where you live. Your employer should not ask you to apply in multiple states or territories.

You may also need to meet other worker screening requirements for each state or territory where you work.

In the ACT, NDIS worker checks and clearances are part of the Working with Vulnerable People (WWVP) scheme. If you provide NDIS services in the ACT and your job requires an NDIS clearance, you must have a WWVP registration.

Important:

If you do not apply to renew your NDIS clearance and have your employment verified by your employer before your NDIS clearance expires, you will be ineligible to work until this is complete.

My NDIS clearance was issued interstate and I do not have WWVP registration

You can renew your NDIS clearance and apply for WWVP registration at the same time. Read more about the process on the Apply for or renew a WWVP registration page.

My NDIS clearance was issued interstate and I have an existing WWVP registration

You can renew your NDIS clearance by applying to add NDIS clearance to your existing WWVP registration. If renewed, this may not be for a full 5 years as your NDIS clearance expiry will match your WWVP registration expiry date.

WWVP registration issued before February 2021

You can work with your WWVP (unrestricted) general registration in NDIS activities if it was either:

  • issued before 1 February 2021, or
  • an existing registration that was extended from 3 to 5 years (you received a letter from Access Canberra).

Your current registration is considered a registration to work in NDIS activities.