
NDIS Skills Assessment & Competency: What Auditors Expect in 2025
For disability service providers preparing for NDIS audits, it is crucial to demonstrate that their support workers have the necessary training to meet the NDIS skills and competency assessment.
Insights from our webinar, Empowering Your Workforce: The Role of Training in NDIS Compliance—delivered alongside National Disability Services (NDS) and Engels Floyd—highlighted how auditors will look closely at how service providers manage training, assessment, and skills validation in 2025.
Let’s dig into how service providers can provide NDIS audit evidence through the insights explored in the webinar.
Is a practical assessment required for medication support?
The short answer: it depends. While the NDIS Practice Standards do not specifically address practical training for medication support, the need for such assessments is influenced by the following:
- The type of medication
- Specific participant requirements
- Risks
- Required processes
Most medication management training includes some type of assessment to ensure information is understood, and competency assessments are also used when providing support to higher-risk participants.
How do you assess skills from eLearning programs?/How do you prove training was effective?
From a support worker’s perspective, the training usually consists of two components:
- eLearning for the knowledge-based theory
- Practical application for hands-on skills
To achieve the skills and certification for the practical component, senior team members or trainers/assessors usually observe a support worker while they are working. These senior members know what skills and competencies to look for and observe against key criteria to determine if a support worker can safely and correctly perform the skill in a real-world setting.
The following can be used to assess skills:
- On-the-job assessments by supervisors or trainers
- Skills checklists signed off after observation
- Refresher training with practical components
- RTOs (Registered Training Organisations) for accredited units like First Aid or Manual Handling
Note: the assessor must be competent and current in the skill being observed. It’s not enough that someone once did the skill years ago—they need to have recent, relevant experience. In short, the observation must be structured, documented, and conducted by someone qualified.
As for proving the effectiveness of the training, the competency assessments play a part in it. Other markers include incidents and complaints. Fewer incidents and complaints suggest the training is working; in contrast, more incidents and complaints suggest a worker either wasn’t appropriately trained, didn’t understand the training, or didn’t understand the requirements.
Keeping an eye on these patterns is also mandatory, so reviewing them gives providers proof of compliance. It’s also paramount that service providers review any incidents and look for improvements—whether that be more training or more frequent internal audits.
Who can observe and sign off on competency?
As we explored earlier, observers of practical assessments can include:
- Senior team members with more experience than the person being assessed
- Team leaders
- Trainers
- Assessors
All of these people must have the appropriate level of training to conduct the assessment, which must also be current and relevant.
What training must be physically demonstrated?
Specific skills must include a physical demonstration to meet NDIS competency assessments, particularly if they involve direct interaction with participants or high-intensity skills.
Typically, such training will involve observational assessment for the following areas:
- Manual handling and mobility support (e.g. using hoists, transferring clients)
- Medication assistance (if part of the worker’s role)
- Infection control procedures (e.g. PPE use, hand hygiene)
- First aid and CPR (must be assessed in person under HLTAID units)
- Use of assistive technology or equipment
- Behaviour support strategies (especially where restrictive practices are involved)
Wrap up
Ensuring staff competency is not just about ticking boxes; it’s about ensuring support workers are capable and confident in their roles, especially when providing complex care. Through practical assessments, rigorous documentation, and ongoing competency validation, service providers can ensure that support workers and participants are well-supported, ultimately leading to safer, high-quality care delivery.