Worker Screening
The NDIS Worker Screening Check, Explained for Providers
What the check is, which of your workers need one, how they apply in your state, and what you have to keep on file as a registered provider.
The Short Answer
What is the NDIS Worker Screening Check?
It is a national check of whether a person poses a risk to people with disability. Registered NDIS providers must make sure workers in risk-assessed roles hold a clearance. Workers apply through the worker screening unit in their state or territory, and a clearance is recognised across Australia and across employers.
01Who Needs One
Risk-Assessed Roles, Not Every Job Title
The requirement attaches to the role, not the person’s title. A role is risk-assessed when it involves key personnel duties, delivering specified supports or services, or more than incidental contact with people with disability.
As a registered provider you decide which roles are risk-assessed, and you must be able to show that each worker in one holds a clearance, or an accepted application where the rules allow work to start while it is processed.
Key personnel
Directors, CEOs and others with significant influence over the organisation.
Direct support
Workers delivering specified supports or services to participants.
More than incidental contact
Roles with regular physical or face-to-face contact, or contact that builds a rapport.
Your records
Keep a record of each risk-assessed role and the clearance of whoever fills it. Auditors ask for it.
02How Workers Apply
Through Their State or Territory
- Apply onlineThe worker applies to the screening unit where they live. The table below links each one.
- Prove identityEach state has its own identity step. In NSW, for example, workers verify in person at a Service NSW Centre.
- Link the employerWorkers name the providers they work for, so the provider can verify the clearance.
- Verify and recordThe provider checks the clearance through the Commission’s systems and keeps the record on file.
State by State
Where Workers Apply
| State or territory | Who runs screening | How to apply |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | Service NSW | In NSW the check is called the NDIS Worker Check. Workers apply online through a MyServiceNSW account, then visit a Service NSW Centre within 28 days to verify their identity. Official page |
| Victoria | Victorian NDIS Worker Screening Unit | Workers apply for the NDIS Worker Screening Check online through Service Victoria, and the NDIS Worker Screening Unit assesses the application. Official page |
| Queensland | Queensland Worker Screening Services | Queensland runs NDIS worker screening as Disability Worker Screening, through Queensland Worker Screening Services. The quickest route is the online portal at workerscreening.qld.gov.au. Official page |
| Western Australia | Department of Communities | The NDIS Worker Screening Unit sits within the WA Department of Communities, and the NDIS Check application is made online through the DoTDirect portal. Official page |
| South Australia | Department of Human Services Screening Unit | Workers apply for an NDIS Worker Check through a Screening SA account, after their employer has verified the application with its NDIS Employer ID. Official page |
| Tasmania | Tasmanian Department of Justice | In Tasmania, workers apply for Registration to Work with Vulnerable People (RWVP) and request an NDIS Worker Screening Check as part of that application. Official page |
| Australian Capital Territory | Access Canberra | In the ACT, NDIS worker checks are part of the Working with Vulnerable People (WWVP) scheme run by Access Canberra. A cleared worker’s WWVP card shows “NDIS ACTIVITIES - Yes”. Official page |
| Northern Territory | SAFE NT | SAFE NT (Screening Assessment for Employment NT) manages NDIS worker screening in the Territory. Workers apply online and need their employer’s NDIS Employer ID before they start. Official page |
Sources
Checked against these sources on 13 October 2026.
Get Screening Right Before the Audit
Worker screening records are among the first things an auditor asks for. We set up the register and the policy with you.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is a clearance valid?
A clearance is valid for a set period and is monitored continuously while it is current. Check the current period with your state or territory screening unit.
Does an unregistered provider need screened workers?
The legal requirement applies to registered providers. Many participants and plan managers ask unregistered providers for screened workers too, and it is good practice.
Can a worker start before the clearance comes through?
In some circumstances, under conditions set by the rules. Check the Commission’s guidance before relying on it, and record the decision.
Is this the same as a Working with Children Check?
No. They are separate checks, though some states run both through the same agency.
Keep Reading
More NDIS Guides
- The NDIS Practice Standards, Explained SimplyThe NDIS Practice Standards explained simply: the Core Module, the supplementary modules, the verification…Read the guide →
- NDIS Registration as a Sole Trader: What Changes and What Does NotRegistering as an NDIS provider as a sole trader: what you need, which audit applies, how the standards…Read the guide →
- Your NDIS Provider Number: What It Is and How You Get OneWhat an NDIS provider number is, how registered providers get one through registration, where to find it,…Read the guide →
By Profession
Checked against NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission and NDIA published guidance in October 2026. NDIS rules change: confirm anything you are about to act on against ndiscommission.gov.au or ndis.gov.au, or ask us.
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