Immediate danger or urgent medical need
Call Triple Zero (000)
Ask for police, fire or ambulance. Move to a safer place if you can do so without placing yourself or another person at greater risk.
Call 000Safety, dignity and action
Safety, Incidents & Safeguarding
Know how to recognise a safety concern, get urgent help and report something that has happened—or nearly happened—during NDIS support.
Urgent danger comes first
Call 000 for police, fire or ambulance when someone is in immediate danger.
You will be heard
You can tell us yourself or ask a trusted person, advocate or interpreter to help.
Safe to speak up
Raising a genuine concern will not reduce your support or lead to unfair treatment.
Choose the safest next step
What to do when something does not feel safe
You do not need to be certain that harm has occurred. Report a concern, allegation, near miss or change that makes you worried about someone’s safety or wellbeing.
Tell HelpAlong
Report the concern as soon as you can
Tell a HelpAlong worker or manager, call the office or after-hours number, email us, or use the feedback and complaints form.
Report through HelpAlongIndependent reporting
Contact the NDIS Commission directly
You can report unsafe or poor-quality NDIS support without raising it with HelpAlong first. Interpreters and relay options are available.
Report to the NDIS Commission (opens in a new tab)HelpAlong is not an emergency service
Do not wait for a staff member to respond if someone needs urgent police, fire or ambulance assistance. Call 000 first, then notify HelpAlong when it is safe to do so.
Recognise a concern
Safety concerns can take many forms
A safety concern can be something someone does, fails to do, threatens to do or tries to hide. It may happen once, repeatedly, online, in private or during everyday support.
Violence and physical abuse
Hitting, pushing, rough handling, threats, intimidation, unsafe restraint or using force that is not lawful or necessary.
Neglect and unsafe support
Not providing agreed food, medication, personal care, supervision, health support or a safe environment, including repeated poor-quality care.
Emotional abuse and harassment
Bullying, humiliation, controlling behaviour, coercion, isolation, discrimination, punishment or repeatedly ignoring a person’s voice.
Financial abuse and exploitation
Taking money or property, pressuring someone to pay or sign, misusing funds, overcharging, theft, scams or benefiting unfairly from the relationship.
Sexual misconduct or abuse
Unwanted sexual contact, comments, messages, images, grooming, pressure, exploitation or any sexual conduct without free and informed consent.
Privacy, boundaries and worker conduct
Sharing private information without authority, inappropriate relationships, falsifying records, retaliation, serious boundary breaches or hiding an incident.
The NDIS Code of Conduct requires providers and workers to act on safety concerns and take reasonable steps to prevent and respond to violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation. Read the official NDIS Code of Conduct (opens in a new tab).
Our response
What happens after you tell HelpAlong
Our first priorities are immediate safety, wellbeing and listening to the person affected. The response will depend on the concern, the person’s wishes and our legal responsibilities.
We check immediate safety
We identify urgent health, medical, environmental or protection needs and contact emergency services when required.
We listen and record the facts
We listen without blame, use the person’s preferred communication and record what happened, including allegations and near misses.
We assess and escalate
Appropriate leaders review the risk and decide what protective, clinical, staffing or service actions are needed straight away.
We notify when required
Serious incidents may need to be reported to the NDIS Commission, police, a guardian or another authority within required timeframes.
We involve and support the participant
We explain next steps, offer a trusted person or advocate, consider the person’s views and provide updates that can lawfully be shared.
We review and improve
We look at contributing factors, corrective actions and lessons that can reduce the chance of the concern happening again.
Respect throughout the response
Privacy, choice and support after an incident
A person affected by an incident should feel safe, respected and informed. Their communication needs, preferences and relationships must remain part of the response.
Support centred on the person
- Ask who they want involved, such as family, an advocate, nominee or trusted person.
- Provide communication support, an interpreter, Easy Read information or more time when needed.
- Discuss medical, emotional, cultural and practical support following the incident.
- Consider changes to workers, routines, risks or the service arrangement to help the person feel safe.
Privacy with clear limits
- Information is handled respectfully and shared only with people who need it for safety, response or legal requirements.
- We cannot promise complete confidentiality when someone may be at risk or reporting to an authority is required.
- Anonymous concerns are accepted, although limited information may affect what can be investigated or communicated back.
- People who raise genuine concerns must not be threatened, punished or treated unfairly.
Prevention and accountability
How HelpAlong works to prevent harm
Safeguarding is more than responding after something goes wrong. It includes everyday systems, trained people and respectful support that reduce risk and make concerns easier to raise.
Worker suitability
Required screening, recruitment checks, role clarity and supervision help ensure workers are suitable for the support they provide.
Competence and training
Workers must understand participant rights, professional boundaries, incident reporting, safe practice and role-specific responsibilities.
Person-centred risk planning
We identify risks with the participant, balance safety with dignity of risk and keep support information current when needs change.
Clear reporting pathways
Workers and participants need clear ways to report incidents, complaints, hazards, near misses and suspected misconduct promptly.
Review and corrective action
Incidents and trends are reviewed so risks, training, environments, systems and service delivery can be improved.
Choice, privacy and advocacy
People are supported to make decisions, understand information, protect their privacy and involve an independent advocate.
Restrictive practices require strong safeguards
A regulated restrictive practice must meet behaviour-support, authorisation and reporting requirements. It must be used only as permitted, with a focus on protecting rights and reducing and eliminating its use. Unauthorised use is a serious concern and may be reportable.
Understand behaviour support and restrictive practices (opens in a new tab)You do not have to report alone
Contact HelpAlong or choose independent support
A participant, family member, advocate, worker or member of the public can raise a safety concern. Choose the contact pathway that feels safest and most appropriate.
HelpAlong contacts
Tell our team
Call during office hours, use the after-hours number for an urgent service concern, or email the team responsible for feedback and safety matters.
NDIS Commission
Report NDIS quality or safety concerns
Contact the independent regulator about a provider, worker, unsafe support, abuse, neglect, exploitation or another quality concern.
1800 035 544
TTY 133 677. Interpreters can be arranged.
Independent advocacy
Ask someone independent to support you
A disability advocate can help you understand your rights, decide what to do, prepare a report and make sure your voice is heard.
Find disability advocacy support (opens in a new tab)Communication support
Tell us what will make reporting easier
Ask for Easy Read, plain language, larger text, an interpreter, a communication aid, a trusted support person or more time.
Speak up early
You do not need proof before raising a genuine concern.
Share what you know, what you observed or why you feel worried. We will listen, assess the risk and explain the next step as clearly as we can.