DIA is issuing this Member Operational Bulletin to address concerns raised by our members regarding Plan Management Audit requirements following communication from NDIS Commission Approved Quality Auditors (AQAs).
DIA become aware last week of communication from AQAs (Auditors) that appeared to be inaccurate; inferring or alluding to a new requirement for all workers within Registered Plan Management Providers to possesses formal qualification and professional memberships.
DIA in our capacity as the peak body for Registered Plan Management Providers and Practitioners has engaged constructively with the NDIS Commission to raise and address our members concerns.
DIA would like to thank the NDIS Commission for their genuine responsiveness and engagement around this matter.
The NDIS Commission has provided DIA with a statement to address this issue:
The NDIS Commission has been made aware by DIA that some members have received unclear or incorrect communication from Approved Quality Auditors (AQAs) relating to their audit obligations if delivering Plan Management services. This communication may have suggested or inferred that all workers engaged to deliver any part of plan management services must provide certified qualifications and professional memberships as a part of current or future audits. This is not the case.
DIA members should be assured that the NDIS Commission has made no changes to audit requirements for Plan Managers.
Recently we directed AQAs to not only ‘sight’ samples of NDIS Provider compliance with worker screening and professional qualification requirements, but to collect certified copies of those samples. We have directed AQAs to implement this change in auditor practice only for NDIS Providers delivering Plan Management Services (0127) currently. This means that the positions and roles within a Registered Plan Management Provider which has always been required by the NDIS Commission to hold qualifications and professional memberships will now need to support their audit by providing copies of these qualifications and professional memberships to their chosen AQA.
All regulatory reforms being progressed by the NDIS Commission are published on our Regulatory Reform Hub.
The NDIS Commission regularly engages with Approved Quality Auditors (AQAs) about auditor practice. The NDIS Commission is currently working with AQAs to strengthen their evidence gathering methodology at the time of the audit.
The direction to AQAs is directly informed by the NDIS Commissioner’s Own Motion Inquiry into Support Coordination and Plan Management. Part 2 of the Own Motion Inquiry outlined actions the NDIS Commission could take to improve the quality and integrity of support coordination and plan management services delivered across the NDIS market. Action 4 of the Action Plan addresses enhancements to auditing and assessment.
The NDIS Commission engages in continuous improvement activities across all regulatory functions and the initiative set out above is just one demonstration of procedural and practice improvements in progress. These activities do not involve changes to the NDIS Commissioner’s statutory or regulatory framework and so are not regulatory reform activities. The above initiative should not impact NDIS Providers actively complying with their registration obligations.
The NDIS Commission encourages DIA members receiving advice from their AQAs that is unclear or potentially incorrect, to inform DIA.
The NDIS Commission thanks DIA and its members for bringing this matter to our attention.
Linda Blue
Acting Assistant Commissioner, Market Operations
Regulatory Operations Division
NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
Should DIA members be instructed by their AQA that all workers are required to hold formal qualifications and professional memberships please contact DIA with details of the situation.
Again DIA thanks the NDIS Commission for their genuine engagement and attention to this matter.
DIA is a members-based organisation. We are only able to do the work that we do because of the ongoing support of our members. Thank you to all DIA members that continue to support the work we do. If you’re a provider delivering Support Coordination or Plan Management are not yet a member, you should consider joining. Click here to join from our homepage.