New board boosts standards for disability workforce

The Victorian Government has launched a major recruitment drive to find Board Members and a Chairperson for the state’s first Disability Worker Registration Board.

The Victorian Government has launched a major recruitment drive to find Board Members and a Chairperson for the state’s first Disability Worker Registration Board.

The board – the first of its kind in Australia – will set quality standards for the registration of disability workers and their practice and will screen individuals for their safety and suitability to become registered disability workers. Education programs and providers will also be able to be accredited to provide clear, high quality pathways for obtaining registration as a disability worker.

The public will be able to bring complaints to the Board about registered disability workers, which will strengthen the safeguards for people with disability and their families in Victoria.

The Board will also contribute to disability workforce planning and system improvement by collecting data and maintaining publicly accessible registers. This will enable people with disability to check the registration status and qualifications of disability workers and make more informed choices about the workers who are best placed to provide their supports.

The registration scheme is an outcome of the is Disability Service Safeguards Act, which is set to commence in July 2020. It forms part of the Victorian Government’s ‘zero tolerance’ approach to the abuse of people with disability.

The introduction of the scheme complements safeguards under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) – the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission will register and regulate service providers, while the Victorian Registration Scheme registers and regulates individual disability workers.

This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to the governance of this new regulator. Applications are now open and will close on 26 March 2019.

The government is committed to ensuring that its boards and committees reflect the diverse composition of the Victorian community. In addition to people with disability, we welcome applications from regional, Aboriginal, and young people, women and people from LGBTI and culturally diverse communities.

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