Do you know what the process is for renewing your NDIS registration?
Timeframe
As a Registered NDIS Provider, you are required to renew your registration every 3 years.
Existing registered providers can begin the registration renewal process with the NDIS Commission within 6 months of the renewal date listed on your Certificate of Registration. To ensure that you remain a registered NDIS Provider you must apply to renew your registration and undertake another audit before the expiry date.
When your NDIS registration is due to expire, the NDIS Commission will send you a reminder email roughly 6 months before expiry with instructions on how to complete your renewal application in the portal.
Your previous Approved Quality Auditor should also contact you prior to your registration renewal to outline the process.
Steps
You will be required to complete a renewal application in the NDIS portal which is very similar to your initial registration application and includes providing organisation and registration group information. You will also need to provide a self-assessment against the NDIS Practice Standards relevant to the supports and services your organisation delivers and upload any documents required as evidence.
TIP: It is a good time to review your current scope of services provided and assess whether you would like to add or remove any registration groups as this will impact your audit scope.
Once your renewal application is submitted you will be provided with a new Initial Scope of Audit document that summarises your registration and audit requirements. This will determine if you need to undertake a Re-certification or Re-verification audit to renew your registration.
As with your initial registration, you should use your initial scope of audit document to procure quotes from approved quality auditors.
Preparing for Audit
TIP: In preparation for the audit you should check if you have a robust internal audit program in place that ensures your documentation is up to date and has incorporated all the amendments to the NDIS practice standards in November 2021 including the three new practice standards: Mealtime Management, Severe Dysphagia Management, and Emergency and Disaster Management.
TIP: If you have any non conformities from your previous audit, it is also important to make sure you have effectively implemented corrective actions to address these. If previous non conformities are not able to be closed out, there is the potential for these to become major non conformities. When this occurs an additional follow up audit is required to confirm implementation of corrective actions.
What to expect during the renewal audit?
You can expect the Re-certification or Re-verification audit to be similar to your initial NDIS registration audit which assesses how well you are meeting the requirements of the NDIS Practice Standards and providing ongoing quality outcomes for your NDIS participants. They will also review your previous audit findings including non-conformances and follow up actions to address these.
The Re-certification audit will be undertaken in two stages with the first stage (Stage 1 audit) involving a remote desktop document review and the second stage (Stage 2 audit), usually an onsite visit to assess how you are well you are implementing your supports including interviews with staff and participants. Auditors will also sample records including participant files, staff/worker screening, qualification and training records, and other records to verify conformity to the standards such as internal audits, business plans, emergency and disaster management plans.
The Re-verification audit will assess how you are meeting the requirements of the Verification Module in the NDIS Practice Standards and Quality Indicators via a desktop document review. As well as reviewing documented procedures, auditors will also need to sample some records including staff/worker screening, qualification and training records, insurance records and records for complaints and incidents.
Once your auditor has submitted their audit report the NDIS Commission will make a renewal registration decision based on the audit report findings and a suitability assessment of your organisation and key personnel.
How we can help
Engels Floyd have a range of resources and training courses that can assist you with your system as well as audit preparation. We can also conduct internal audits if your staff lack the time to do these themselves. Our preparatory audits are a proven way to identify any gaps or areas for improvement.
If you would like to know more about the NDIS renewal process or how you can be properly prepared for your upcoming audit please contact us on 0478 616 207 or info@engelsfloyd.com for a complimentary consultation. Information on Engels Floyd, our services and training courses are available on our web site www.engelsfloyd.com.
