How should your disability service manage risks, incidents, and complaints?

Providing safe and effective services for NDIS participants is a key focus for all providers.??A robust and respectful risk, incidents and complaints system - that places the participant at its centre - can be a valuable source of information to provide a safer service.

It can also enhance the good reputation of your service. It shows that you take the needs and concerns of participants and their supporters seriously. ?

However, many managers?find it a challenge to access affordable sector-focused resources and training that can provide safeguards against risk, abuse, harm, and neglect. ?

Last time we ran the NDIS Commission-funded series -?Risk, Incidents and Complaints?series, these national workshops were fully booked with long waiting lists. Now the workshops are back! ?

As part of our offering this year we are pleased to offer?new resources?for providers supporting people from cultural and linguistically diverse backgrounds. The?new CALD resources?were developed in consultation with community members and include a range of translated tip sheets and captions on short training films. ?

We are also pleased to add a?new series of investigation workshops?to this practical series.

There are lots of different reasons why you might conduct an investigation. ?

Providers have an obligation to investigate when there has been an allegation, observation or report of abuse or neglect. Being able to conduct an investigation?is crucial for every disability service provider. ?

"Thank you for this. [This workshop has] very practical information that can be implemented simply for a small organisation."

- Workshop Participant ?

Investigations can protect the wellbeing and safety of people with disability and provide opportunities for continuous quality improvement. Done well, they also minimise the possibility of future incidents. ?

There are other times a provider might undertake an investigation. You might need to have better understanding of what has caused an incident; or you might decide to investigate to help resolve a complaint. Different incidents will require different types of investigations. ?

New investigation workshops ?

NDS is running a series of Investigation workshops to support your team. ?

Learn how to conduct investigations that are person-centred, confidential, procedurally fair, timely, use excellent communication skills, and have documented outcomes.?The resources and workshops will help providers?embrace the investigation process and support you with best practice principles. ?

The workshops are enjoyable, informative and will leave you with easy-to-use tools and strategies to protect the rights of people with disability.

The workshops are available for free to members and non-members. Funded by NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. Multiple dates are available between 30 August and 20 October.

Register your place today:

• Risk Management Workshop
• Investigation Workshops
• Incident Management Workshop
• Risk, Incidents and Complaints Management Excel Register Training
• Complaints and Feedback Management Workshop