What is the NDIS Workforce Capability Framework?
The NDIS Workforce Capability Framework (the Framework) translates the NDIS principles, Practice Standards and Code of Conduct into attitudes, skills, knowledge and observable behaviours that service providers and workers should demonstrate when delivering services to people with disability under the NDIS.
It gives clear, practical examples and establishes a shared language of ‘what good looks like’ for participants when they receive NDIS services and support.
The Framework is organised around the essential characteristics of work in the NDIS. There are five broad participant centred objectives to describe common expectations of support provided:
- Our relationship: Set up our relationship for success
- Your Impact: Know your capabilities, role and impact
- Support Me: Support me to pursue what’s important to me
- Be Present: Be present and provide the support I need
- Check In: Work with me to evaluate and act on what is working and what is not
Although the Framework is not mandatory, using it as a guide to explain expectations about the way support is provided is beneficial in ensuring the NDIS quality requirements are met when delivering services to your participants. It also describes essential features of organisational culture, systems and practices needed to support a capable workforce.
The Framework describes core worker capabilities to meet the five key objectives. Capabilities are the foundation for building descriptions of support activities and procedures, suited to different participant needs and delivery environments.
Targeting workforce planning and recruitment around the capabilities and knowledge required to do the work rather than focusing on the work practices themselves will ensure roles will be suited to the different participant needs and delivery environments.
How can you apply it to your organisation?
The NDIS Workforce Capability Framework focuses on shaping the overarching organisational culture and systems and also more specifically work practice and processes.
Governing bodies, managers and leaders in an organisation can use the Framework to establish an organisational culture, systems, policies and processes that nurture and promote capable people and support the principles of the NDIS.
We advise that you first read the NDIS Workforce Capability Framework and gain an understanding of the capabilities you need to deliver supports. Then review and update as appropriate your governance and operational management and participant service provision policies and procedures to ensure they align with the objectives and capabilities in the Framework.
Governance and operational management policies and procedures should incorporate the organisational capability descriptors that describe the culture and systems needed to enable and support a capable workforce. Areas you might focus on may include ensuring:
- NDIS values are embedded in organisational culture and practice by setting up and communicating business values and workplace culture expectations that promote and reinforce the principles of the NDIS, such as upholding human rights, celebrating diversity and respecting the voice of those with lived experience. This can be reflected in your strategic and business plan, participant and employee documentation and communication.
- Organisational policies and procedures enable, support, and reinforce best practice processes focuses on meeting high quality service standards and measure and adjust services to continually improve the quality and reliability of support. This can be reflected in your research and training programs and organisation performance evaluations.
- An organisational environment that promotes learning and development activities that are framed around supporting the capabilities and supports career development for workers in disability and the wider care sector.
This can be reflected in your human resources policies and training and development plans.
- Approaches to manage health and risk, consistent with the rights of people with disability to take and learn from risks, NDIS and organisational values, and the right of workers to a safe work environment. This can be reflected in your risk management policies and risk registers.
- Systematically engage people with lived experience and workers when designing, managing and improving service models and practice, including ongoing consultation with participants in governance and service delivery activities.
- Reviewing strategic workforce planning and strategies and human resources policies and procedures to ensure capabilities form the basis of planning, building position descriptions, recruiting, and inducting workers.
- Ensuring specialised support capabilities that apply to workers supporting participants who require specific types of support such as support coordination, development of health or allied health support plans are incorporated into your Module 1 High Intensity Daily Personal Activities policies and procedures. Note: The Framework complements and provides additional advice but does not replace existing advice published by the NDIS Commission on workforce capability requirements. This includes advice contained in the High Intensity Support Skill Descriptors and the Positive Behaviour Support Capability Framework.
Tools and resources that may be useful
The NDIS Commission have developed a range of Framework-based support tools and guidance to support providers to use the Framework. Tools & Resources | NDIS Workforce Capability (ndiscommission.gov.au)
These include:
