Why this matters for your practice
An NDIS Worker Screening Check is a legal precondition for putting someone into a risk-assessed role. Engaging a worker who is not cleared, or letting a clearance lapse unnoticed, is a worker-screening breach that the NDIS Commission treats seriously. Because a clearance lasts up to five years, the risk is not the application itself but the silent gap when it expires, or the moment it is suspended and nobody acts.
The Commission expects registered providers to keep a record of every worker's clearance and to manage it actively.
Who needs one
A worker needs an NDIS Worker Screening Check if they are an employee, volunteer, contractor, or student who works for a registered provider in a risk-assessed role or as key personnel. A risk-assessed role is broadly one where the normal duties involve direct delivery of supports, or more than incidental contact with people with disability. In addition:
- A registered provider can decide that all of its workers must hold a check.
- An unregistered provider can also require its workers to hold one.
How long it lasts, and the monitoring catch
A clearance is valid for up to five years from the date of issue, unless it is suspended, revoked, or the worker is excluded. The check is not a one-off snapshot. The worker is subject to ongoing monitoring against criminal history and other information for the life of the clearance, and a clearance can be suspended at any time. This is why a clearance can never be filed and forgotten.
What providers must do
- Maintain a record or register of each worker's clearance number, status, and expiry date.
- Verify a clearance before the worker starts in a risk-assessed role.
- Track renewals. A worker can apply to renew up to 90 days before expiry, and you should not let the clearance lapse while they remain in the role.
- Act on suspensions or exclusions immediately, including removing the worker from risk-assessed duties.
Common mistakes
- Treating five years as set-and-forget. Expiry and suspension both require active management.
- Not tracking expiry dates across the whole team, so a clearance lapses unnoticed.
- Engaging a worker before the clearance is confirmed.
- No central register, leaving you unable to show the Commission your workforce is cleared.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who needs an NDIS Worker Screening Check?
Workers in risk-assessed roles and key personnel of registered providers need an NDIS Worker Screening Check. A risk-assessed role is one whose normal duties involve delivering supports or more than incidental contact with people with disability. Providers can also require all workers to hold a check.
How long is an NDIS Worker Screening Check valid?
A clearance is valid for up to five years from the date of issue, unless it is suspended, revoked, or the worker is excluded. The worker is monitored on an ongoing basis during that period, so a clearance can be cancelled before the five years are up.
What is a risk-assessed role?
A risk-assessed role is a role with a registered provider where the normal duties include the direct delivery of supports or services, or are likely to involve more than incidental contact with people with disability. Workers in these roles must hold a worker screening clearance.
Related terms
Go deeper
Last reviewed