Victoria’s disability workers now have new obligations under the Disability Worker Regulation Scheme which started on 1 July 2020 - here’s what they mean for you.
Disability Service Safeguards Code of Conduct
The Disability Service Safeguards Code of Conduct covers all disability workers in Victoria, including employees and contractors.
There are seven new standards to abide by, which are aligned to the NDIS Code of Conduct.
The Code requires that disability workers, in providing supports or services to people with a disability, must:
- act with respect for individual rights to freedom of expression, self-determination and decision-making in accordance with applicable laws and conventions
- respect the privacy of people with disability
- provide supports and services in a safe and competent manner, with care and skill
- act with integrity, honesty and transparency
- promptly take steps to raise and act on concerns about matters that may impact the quality and safety of supports and services provided to people with disability
- take all reasonable steps to prevent and respond to all forms of violence against, and exploitation, neglect and abuse of, people with disability
- take all reasonable steps to prevent and respond to sexual misconduct
Find out more about the Disability Service Safeguards Code of Conduct.
Mandatory notifications
Under the Disability Service Safeguards Act 2018 (Vic), disability workers and employers must notify the Commission if they believe that a worker has engaged in certain types of misconduct.
Four types of conduct must be notified to the Commission:
- practising as a disability worker while intoxicated by alcohol or drugs,
- engaging in sexual misconduct while practising as a disability worker,
- placing the public at risk of harm because the disability worker has an impairment that detrimentally affects (or is likely to affect), the disability worker's capacity to practise as a disability worker, or
- placing the public at risk of harm because the disability worker practised, or is practising, as a disability worker in a manner that constitutes a significant departure from accepted professional standards.
A notification must be made when a disability worker or employer reasonably believes that a disability worker has engaged in notifiable conduct.
Find out more about mandatory notifications and download our resources that help explain your obligations.
Contact us
If you’re unsure about how to meet your new obligations under the Disability Worker Regulation Scheme, contact us for assistance.