NDIS participants have the same right to safety as other members of the community, including when they use supports and services.

This NDIS Participant Safeguarding proposals paper provides information about what the NDIS Review has learned so far on this topic, as well as ideas we have to improve safeguards for participants that we want your feedback on.

Some participants, carers and families have already spoken to us about their experiences of safety in the NDIS. Responses tended to take a broad view of safety, and did not distinguish safety from health and wellbeing. Many people told us that access to good supports and services in their plan supported them to be safe and well, and that they felt unsafe when their circumstances changed and they were not able to access the services they needed.

People from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, including First Nations people, told us about some of the experiences they have had with services that were culturally safe and the positive impact this had on their safety, health and wellbeing.

Overall, we have heard so far that participants, carers and families want safeguards in the NDIS to:

• Support them to uphold their rights
• Ensure their supports are safe (including culturally safe) and high quality
• Recognise their personal circumstances
• Be psychologically safe
• Respond when their circumstances change.

The reviewers also think that:

• Participants with strong natural safeguards are better supported to be safe than those with poor natural safeguards.
• Safeguards should match the needs and preferences of participants.
• More intensive safeguards may be needed when participants have fewer natural safeguards, or are in circumstances that may present higher risks (such as living in a group home).

The review wants to hear from stakeholders about how to improve participant safeguarding. Consultation is open until 31 July 2023.