Audit & Compliance · 8 min read · 2026-04-27

NDIS Audit Checklist by Service Type

NDIS auditors tailor their focus based on your service type. A SIL provider audit looks different from a daily living support audit, which looks different from allied health. Here's what to prepare based on your service.

Sam Tsen

Founder, Provider Scale · Director, Enrichment Care (live NDIS provider)

Daily Living Support Providers: What Auditors Focus On

Daily living support includes personal care, hygiene, medication, mobility support, domestic help. Auditors will focus on: personal safety protocols (how do you prevent falls, medication errors, exposure?), dignity and privacy (intimate care documentation), participant choice and involvement (consent for support, right to refuse), incident response (medication errors, falls, complaints), worker competence (intimate care training, understanding body-care protocols), and documentation (daily logs, care plans specific to each participant's needs). Prepare evidence: sample daily logs showing specific support provided, worker training on intimate care and privacy, incident logs (especially medication or hygiene incidents), participant feedback on care quality. Auditors will interview workers on their approach to privacy and consent during intimate care.

Community Access and Social Support Providers: What Auditors Focus On

Community access includes outing, social activities, recreational support. Auditors will focus on: participant choice and personalisation (are activities chosen by the participant?), community inclusion (are you connecting participants to genuine community?), risk management (safety during community access), incident response (injury during outing, participant distress), worker competence (understanding inclusion, managing behaviour in community), and feedback (is the participant enjoying activities?). Prepare evidence: participant files showing activity preferences documented, evidence of choice (email from participant choosing activity), feedback forms post-activity, incident logs if any community incidents occurred, worker training on inclusion and supporting behaviour in community.

SIL Providers: What Auditors Focus On

SIL (supported independent living) includes accommodation and support. Auditors will focus on: participant rights and autonomy (how do you support decision-making?), safeguarding (protecting vulnerable adults living independently), emergency protocols (what if a participant has a crisis?), accommodation standards (safety, accessibility, maintenance), financial management (if managing participant funds), incident response (especially safeguarding incidents), worker screening (enhanced vetting for overnight/live-in staff), risk management (what are the risks of independent living?), and staff competence (supporting independence, recognising safeguarding concerns). Prepare evidence: safeguarding policy comprehensive and specific, accommodation safety documentation (photos, maintenance logs), financial records (if managing funds), incident logs including safeguarding concerns, worker vetting documentation, risk assessments for each participant's independent living arrangement.

Behaviour Support Providers: What Auditors Focus On

Behaviour support includes assessment and planning for challenging behaviour, coaching workers/families. Auditors will focus on: assessment quality (functional behaviour assessment identifying the function of behaviour), plan quality (behaviour support plans that are specific and measurable), staff competence (workers understanding PBS principles), supervision (clinical oversight), risk management (safety during behaviour support), restriction of rights documentation (if limiting freedoms, is it justified?), outcome measurement (is the plan working?), and family/participant involvement (understanding and consent). Prepare evidence: functional behaviour assessments for 5-10 participants (showing function identified), behaviour support plans tailored to each participant, supervision notes (monthly case reviews), outcome measurement (pre/post data showing change), staff training in PBS, incident logs (especially incidents related to challenging behaviour), documentation of family/participant involvement.

Allied Health Providers: What Auditors Focus On

Allied health includes physio, OT, speech pathology, exercise physiology. Auditors will focus on: assessment quality (is the assessment comprehensive and person-centred?), goal alignment (are treatment goals linked to the participant's NDIS plan?), clinical competence (evidence of skill, ongoing professional development), supervision (clinical oversight and case review), outcome measurement (is treatment achieving goals?), professional registration (AHPRA, for applicable professions), insurance (professional indemnity), equipment safety (if using equipment), and documentation (clinical notes specific to the participant). Prepare evidence: sample assessments and treatment plans, clinical notes showing progress, outcome measurement data, professional registration certificates, insurance certificate, CPD records, supervision notes, AHPRA registration verification.

Mental health support includes counselling, psychological assessment, trauma-informed support. Auditors will focus on: assessment quality (diagnostic formulation, risk assessment), treatment plan quality (evidence-based approach), therapeutic competence (credentials, ongoing training), supervision (clinical oversight), risk management (suicide/harm risk assessment and response), consent and capacity (understanding participant capacity to consent), confidentiality and privacy, incident response (managing crisis), and outcome measurement (is therapy helping?). Prepare evidence: sample psychological assessments and formulations, treatment plans with clear goals, risk assessment and safety planning documentation, supervision notes, crisis response protocols, outcome measurement (symptom improvement, functional change), professional credentials and registration.