Becoming a registered provider is a show of commitment to delivering quality services to NDIS participants. It’s also an investment, in time and money.
If you're an allied health provider looking at becoming NDIS registered, you’ll likely have come across the term ‘registration group’.
What are they, and why should you pay attention to them?
Knowing what registration groups are relevant to you before you start the process will help you get a sense of the scale of your audit.
In other words - you can plan for the time, energy and cost involved for your business.
We don't think there's any reason for you to get lost in the weeds of the NDIS registration application process. That's why we've outlined the essentials of registration groups and audits below - to ensure you can navigate this big decision with ease.
What is a registration group?
A registration group is basically just a ‘type’ of support that you can offer to people with disability on the NDIS.
When you apply to be an NDIS registered provider, what you are actually doing is becoming registered for each type of support you offer.
So, you need to select the registration groups that apply to you.
Your registration groups determine your type of audit
There are two types of audits on the path to being a registered provider: a verification audit and a certification audit.
Your combination of registration groups - in other words, the type of support you provide - directly impacts which type of audit you need.
Verification or Certification audit
A verification audit is for NDIS providers who offer lower risk, lower complexity supports. These providers are typically also accredited or registered already through the professional body for their industry. A verification audit is mainly a desktop audit. You’ll need to show evidence of your qualifications, experience and a range of processes and policies you have in place to keep participants safe and manage complaints. There is only one section of the NDIS Practice Standards that you are assessed against (Verification module).
A certification audit is for NDIS providers who offer higher risk, more complex supports. It can involve document reviews, site visits and interviews with your staff or your participants. There can be multiple sections of the NDIS Practice Standards that you are audited against (Core module and any other supplementary modules.) Both are done by independent auditors that you must organise yourself.
How do I know which audit I need?
As an allied health professional, you will likely only need to go for the verification audit. There are two exceptions to this:
- Behaviour support practitioners
- Any allied health therapist offering early childhood intervention support
Behaviour support practitioners offer complex support. If this is you, you’ll have to undergo a certification audit.
If you’re a therapist who offers early intervention support for children aged 7 years or younger, you’ll need a modified certification audit to become registered. This is slightly less than the full certification audit.
Most other allied health providers, like exercise physiologists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, psychologists or speech pathologists, won’t require certification.
How do I know which registration groups to choose?
You'll need to select your registration groups when it's time to submit your application. The registration group names should be descriptive enough to help you choose the ones that match your services.
There are currently 36 registration groups. You can read them all in the Application Pack - Registration Requirements by Supports and Services on the NDIS Commission's website.
At a minimum, if you're an allied health provider (except for behaviour support practitioners) you'll need to select:
- 0128 Therapeutic Supports
This is in addition to any of the other registration groups that apply to your business.
If you get it 'wrong' or select too many or too few groups - it's not the end of the world. The scope of your audit will be double-checked before the registration process kicks off.
At HeyHubble, we work with only the best providers - regardless of their registration status. You can read about the types of quality NDIS providers we connect people with here.
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