Your Right to Safety: What to Do When Support Fails

Safety & Quality Rights (Plain-English)

You have the right to safe, respectful, and high-quality support under the NDIS. This includes supports delivered by your provider (or their workers) that follow your participant plan, meet agreed goals, and do not cause harm. Support should be reliable, tailored to your needs, and delivered professionally. If something feels unsafe, unfair, or not right for you, you don’t have to just “put up with it”.

When support fails, start by documenting what happened. Write down the date, time, location, who was involved, what was said or done, and how it affected you. If there are injuries or serious risks, seek help immediately. Then contact the provider to raise the issue, using their complaints process if they have one. If you’re using plan management, you can also ask your plan manager about next steps. For example, with MyMoney NDIS (www.planmanager.net.au), you can ask how issues may be handled and what information they need. If needed, you can also request a change of provider.

When to take it further: If the issue is not fixed, the behaviour repeats, or there is a serious safety concern, you may need external help. You can contact the NDIS Commission, and you can consider contacting your Local Area Coordinator or Support Coordinator. It can also help to compare options. My Care Finders can be a useful starting point to help you compare providers and choose someone who better matches your safety needs and communication preferences.

Key takeaway: If support is unsafe or not meeting your plan, speak up early, record evidence, use the provider’s complaints process, and escalate if it doesn’t improve.

• Ask for clarity: Request written details about what support will be provided and when.
• Request changes: Ask for a worker with the right skills, better communication, or consistent scheduling.
• Know your rights: You should be treated with dignity, privacy, and respect every time.
• Use supports wisely: Bring a trusted person to meetings or calls if you need help advocating for yourself.