November 25, 2020

Gateways passes the external audit for certification against the NDIS Practice Standards

Registered NDIS disability service providers undergo a yearly external assessment that the services they provide comply with all legislation and the NDIS Quality and Safeguarding Framework and NDIS Practice Standards. This ensures registered services remain safe and of a high quality standard.

The NDIS Quality and Safeguarding Framework and the NDIS Practice Standards came into effect 1 July 2019 and Gateways Support Services has been working hard to be re-accredited against the new standards of service delivery.

In the last 16 months we:

• Reviewed most of our policies, procedures and forms to ensure they are in line with new standards,
• Developed new policies and procedures,
• Conducted extensive staff training,
• Communicated with participants and families regarding the changes,
• Conducted many internal checks to make sure we had everything we needed in place across all our services.

The auditors were extremely positive about Gateways’ services and staff. They also talked to many of our participants and families to get feedback about our service delivery, complaints handling, incident management and more.

Feedback received included:

• Overall a high-performing organisation that is evidence based and with focus on continuous improvement,
• Strong risk management. Participant feedback included, “we feel safe, Gateways understands risks”,
• Strong HR processes including staff support and supervision,
• Therapy services were person-centred and outcome focussed,
• Support Coordination staff are dedicated to delivering a high-quality service meeting the needs of the participants,
• Positive Behaviour Support, excellent systems in place and “one of the best service models I’ve seen…Outstanding”.

The auditors suggested a few minor areas for improvement, which we are now working on to ensure they are implemented in the near future.

We are very proud that independent auditors confirmed that we work hard to deliver high quality person-centred services to you and your family!