NDIS Worker Screening Check

NDIS Worker Screening Check

The NDIS Worker Screening Check is an assessment of whether a person who works, or seeks to work, with people with disability poses a risk to them.

NDIS Worker Screening Check – Explainer and how to apply

What is the NDIS Worker Screening Check?

The NDIS Worker Screening Check is an assessment of whether a person who works, or seeks to work, with people with disability poses a risk to them. The assessment determines whether a person is cleared or excluded from working in certain roles with people with disability.

The NDIS Worker Screening Check is conducted by the Worker Screening Unit in the state or territory where a person applies for it. The Worker Screening Unit also decides whether a person is cleared or excluded. Registered NDIS providers are required to ensure that they only engage workers who have been cleared in certain roles, called risk assessed roles.

Why do I need to apply for a NDIS Worker Screening Check?

You must apply for a NDIS Worker Screening Check if you are allocated a WIL placement in a risk assessed role with a registered NDIS provider. 

The objective of this nationally consistent NDIS worker screening is to protect and prevent people with disability from experiencing harm arising from poor quality or unsafe supports or services under the NDIS, by: 

  • demonstrating that the rights of people with disability to be safe and protected are a high community priority;
  • reducing the potential for providers to employ or engage individuals who pose an unacceptable risk of harm to people with disability;
  • prohibiting individuals who have a history of harm against people with disability from having more than incidental contact with people with disability when working for a registered NDIS provider; and
  • deterring individuals who pose a high risk of harm from seeking work in the NDIS sector.

How do I apply for an NDIS Worker Screening Check?

Applying online through Service Victoria is the fastest way to get your NDIS Worker Screening Check.

To complete the application process, you must have:

  • Employer ID – when prompted by the online application process, please select RMIT University as your employer’s name, or enter Employer ID: 4-G91RP6O
  • a smartphone, for the ID check
  • identification documents – see the Services Victoria website for a full list of accepted documents

After you have submitted your NDIS Check application, you should keep the email receipt confirming your application number, you might need to refer to this later if there are delays with processing your application.

Frequently Asked Questions

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For general information about the NDIS Worker Screening Check, visit the NDIS Commission website.

For more detailed information about applying through Service Victoria, visit the Victorian Government website.

The NDIS Worker Screening Check assessment process includes a check of criminal history with the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC), so a separate Police check is not required for the purpose of the NDIS Worker Screening Check.

However, if your WIL employer requires a standalone Police Check that is something that you will be instructed to organise by your College or School WIL team based on the compliance requirements for your program.

Yes, if your WIL placement may include working with children, you must also meet the Working with Children Check (WWC) requirements set by the jurisdiction in which you work.

If you already have an Employee WWC that you have paid for, you may be eligible for a fee waiver. You can apply to have the WWC Check fee waived by using the WWC Check Interstate Application Form and leaving the payment section blank. You will need to hold an NDIS Clearance before you can get the WWC Check fee waived.

Yes, you can request a refund by completing the online Refund Request Form or download and complete the Refund Request PDF and submit it by email to ndisworkerscreening@justice.vic.gov.au.

Check your student email account. We have prioritised contacting students that need the NDIS Worker Screening clearance this year to avoid delays in their allocation to a WIL placement occurring now. If you have not been contacted by RMIT instructing you to apply, you do not need to apply at this time.

This is a new process we are developing to manage the large number of students requiring the NDIS Check so it’s important we phase the roll out, to ensure any issues are fixed with minimal impact on the student population.

The NDIS provider that is willing to hire you would likely have advised you of any compliance requirements you need to meet to be hired. Please contact your College/School WIL Coordinator to confirm if you need the NDIS Worker Screening Check for your WIL Placement BEFORE you submit you NDIS Check application. 

RMIT reserves the right to not reimburse students the NDIS Check application costs if it is not a requirement of your confirmed WIL Placement.

If your NDIS Check is successful, it will be valid across Australia for 5 years from the date your Clearance is confirmed, unless it is surrendered or revoked.

Your Clearance may be suspended or revoked if you are charged with or found guilty of a relevant offence, or if an adverse finding is made against you by a relevant disciplinary or regulatory entity.

If applying in Victoria, your NDIS Check will cost $121.10. Prices may increase slightly in July of each year. 

You can apply using a manual form. You will need to use the Service Victoria manual NDIS application form if:

  • you are having technical difficulties with your online application, or
  • you don’t have the ID documents listed on the Service Victoria website that can be digitally verified

At certain points in the online application, you should have the option to download the manual application form directly. 

Please understand the assessment of your application will take much longer to process, so you will need to notify your College/School WIL team that you will be applying using a manual form.

For more information, including a full list if ID documents that can be processed through a manual application, visit the NDIS Worker Screening Check page on the Victorian Government website.

If you are having problems completing your application online, you can contact Service Victoria’s customer support team to get support.

You can apply using a manual form. However, the assessment of your application will take much longer, so please notify your College/School WIL team that you will be applying using a manual form.

If you are having problems completing your application online, you can contact Service Victoria’s customer support team to get support. 

At certain points in the online application, you will also have the option to download the manual application form directly.

You will need to use the Service Victoria manual NDIS application form if:

  • you are having technical difficulties with your online application, or
  • you don’t have the ID documents listed on the Service Victoria website that can be digitally verified

For more information, including a full list if ID documents that can be processed through a manual application, visit the NDIS Worker Screening Check page on the Victoian Government website.

In most cases, it could take up to a week for your application to be verified, followed by up to 3 weeks for the Worker Screening Unit to assess your application. In most cases, this will be a much shorter period (for example, if there is no criminal history to assess).

However, if there is a need to assess information, it may take up to 3 weeks for the Worker Screening Unit to assess an application. This time may be extended if:

  • an employer takes longer to verify an applicant's engagement with them
  • you have a common name
  • a criminal history record or a finding has been made against you by a relevant disciplinary or regulatory entity.
  • you lodge a manual application directly to the Worker Screening Unit

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In the first instance, you should contact your College/School WIL team to check if your application was received on RMIT’s NDIS Worker Screening Database.

The NDIS Commission will send you automated emails to advise when the status of your application changes so check your email account regularly.

Yes, while you remain enrolled in an RMIT program that requires you to get an NDIS Clearance, you will need to have your details linked to RMIT on the NDIS Database. To do this, please email WIL Support: wil.support@rmit.edu.au with the following details:

  • Full Name
  • Date of Birth
  • NDIS Clearance ID (found on the final email confirming your clearance has been approved)
  • Clearance Expiry Date
  • Did you apply for your NDIS check through Service Victoria online portal or through another state or territory platform (please specify)?

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