It is essential that all workers in the disability support NDIS sector—whether they provide face-to-face support to NDIS participants or work in administrative or management roles—are appropriately trained for their specific responsibilities.
Every worker should have a solid understanding of the core NDIS Practice Standards, incident reporting procedures, restrictive practices, and the NDIS Code of Conduct. Additional training may be required based on the worker’s specific role and responsibilities.
Who needs to do NDIS training or courses?
All workers and providers delivering NDIS-funded services should complete NDIS training or courses to ensure they meet their responsibilities under the NDIS Code of Conduct and NDIS Practice Standards.
The NDIS Practice Standards and NDIS Code of Conduct both place a strong emphasis on workers understanding their roles and responsibilities in delivering safe, respectful, and person-centred support.
The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission expects this training to be a part of workforce induction and ongoing training.
What are the Different Categories of NDIS Training?
Overall, there are two main types of NDIS training or courses, these are
- Mandatory training and;
- Role specific training
Mandatory training
In terms of mandatory training, all NDIS workers—regardless of their role—must complete training or courses that cover the NDIS Practice Standards, infection control and hand hygiene, as well as other requirements such as first aid and CPR.
Role-specific training
Different roles within the NDIS sector require different types of training.
For example, a frontline worker providing hands-on support to NDIS participants may be required to complete mandatory training in manual handling, including personal care techniques and the use of lifters.
In contrast, an administration team member may not need this type of training but instead would be trained in areas more relevant to their role, such as how to manage complaints effectively.
What free training options are available by the NDIS?
Worker Orientation Module: Quality, safety and you
The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission offers a range of free, online training modules designed to help NDIS workers understand their roles, responsibilities, and how to better support people with disability. These include the Worker Orientation Module: Quality, Safety and You, a 90-minute course focused on the NDIS Code of Conduct and key principles like human rights and risk.
These modules were co-designed with people with disability, NDIS providers, and workers, and are accessible to all workers in the sector.
https://www.ndiscommission.gov.au/workforce/online-training-modules
How do workers verify that a course meets NDIS provider or commission standards?
There is no requirement under the NDIS Practice Standards or by the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission for mandatory or role-specific training to be delivered through accredited courses.
The responsibility for ensuring that a course meets the learning needs of a particular role lies with the organisation, or with the worker themselves if they operate as a sole trader.
When selecting training, it’s important to review the course syllabus, examine example content where available, and consider reviews from other workers or organisations who have previously completed the training to assess its suitability.
You also need to be able to demonstrate to an NDIS auditor how the training met the required learning outcomes of the NDIS Practice Standards. Courses designed for this purpose will have this within the course and showing the auditor the training as well as staff training logs is suitable evidence.
What are examples of role-specific NDIS training?
Each role in an organisation will require additional training relevant to its responsibilities with examples being:
Administration staff:
- Privacy and confidentiality rules around releasing personal information
- Completing service agreements
- Navigating the NDIS portal
Care staff:
- Trauma informed practice
- Cultural awareness
- Medication administration
Nurses:
- PEG feeding
- Catheter care
- Wound management
Allied Health professionals:
- Prescription of equipment
- Design of home modifications
- Training with complex equipment
Support coordination:
- Crisis and risk planning
- Advocacy and capacity building
- Accidental counselling
How often should NDIS workers renew their training?
It depends on the situation.
The NDIS Practice Standards clearly state that infection control and hand hygiene training must be renewed annually
For other topics—such as incident management, complaints management, and role-specific training like manual handling—the frequency of refresher training is at the discretion of the organisation, or the individual if they are a sole trader.
However, it is important to note that most auditors consider annual refresher training on these topics to be a reasonable and best-practice expectation.
What training is recommended for working with participants with high-intensity or complex behaviors?
Workers supporting individuals with high-intensity needs or complex behaviours must complete additional, specialised training relevant to those areas.
For example, a worker may need specific training in bowel care and management to support a participant safely.
Another example could include learning how to assist a participant with donning and doffing a lower limb prosthesis—an individualised and potentially technical procedure requiring careful instruction and practice.
Starting NDIS Related Education with Take5Learning
At Take5Learning, we know that NDIS training must be more than just a checkbox—it needs to be practical, time-efficient, and directly aligned with the real responsibilities of workers to meet the requirements of the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.
That’s why we’ve created a library of short, sharp, 5-minute online modules that help teams meet their mandatory training requirements under the NDIS Practice Standards (Core Modules 1–4).
Whether you’re onboarding new team members or maintaining ongoing compliance, Take5Learning supports:
Our training is built around how adults learn best—short, focused, and immediately applicable.
Start training smarter today.
September 29, 2025
