What is an NDIS audit site visit?
An NDIS audit site visit is the on-site part of a Stage 2 certification audit. NDIS approved quality auditors check that your policies are actually used day to day. They review records, interview at least five participants, talk to workers and managers, and visit your service sites. It runs for at least four hours.
This guide covers what happens on the day, a site visit checklist, the questions auditors ask, and what happens after.
What is an NDIS audit site visit?
Registered providers go through one of two audit types, depending on the supports they’re registered for.
Verification audit | Certification audit, Stage 1 | Certification audit, Stage 2 | |
|---|---|---|---|
What it checks | Basic evidence for lower-risk supports | Your policies, procedures and self-assessment | Whether those policies happen in practice |
Where | Desktop review | Usually offsite | Usually on-site |
Interviews | No | No | Yes: participants, workers, managers |
The site visit is Stage 2. The NDIS Commission describes it as looking for evidence of implementation through day-to-day practice, records and processes. Certified providers also face an NDIS mid-term audit during their registration period.
What happens during an NDIS audit site visit, step by step
Opening meeting. The auditors confirm the schedule, who they’ll speak to, and how they’ll protect privacy.
Records review. They read your registers (incidents, complaints, risks) and sample participant records and worker files.
Participant interviews. At least five participants are interviewed. Participants are included unless they opt out, and the auditors need consent before speaking with them or opening their file.
Worker and management interviews. Support workers, team leaders, managers and governing body members. Worker consent isn’t required, and worker files are always sampled.
Site observation. They visit where supports happen. If you run several sites, they may visit a sample.
Closing meeting. You get a written copy of the findings on the day.
Non-conformities are raised as the auditors find them, so nothing at the closing meeting should be a surprise.
How long does an NDIS audit site visit take?
At least four hours, usually with a two-person audit team. Larger providers take longer: the length depends on how many workers, participants and sites you have, and how complex your supports are. Your auditor’s audit plan sets the exact schedule.
NDIS multi-site audit requirements
If you deliver supports from several sites, such as SIL houses or day programs, the auditors may visit a sample rather than every site. You don’t choose which ones. Every site needs current records and workers who know the processes, because any of them can be picked.
NDIS audit site visit checklist
Two weeks before
Tell every participant about the audit, that they may be selected, and that they can opt out. Record any opt-outs and tell the auditor.
Check every worker file: screening, training and qualifications. Our guide to staff credential tracking covers what to look for.
Run a quick NDIS internal audit on five random participant files using our NDIS participant file checklist.
The week before
Bring your incident and complaints management registers up to date.
Confirm that progress notes match rostered shifts.
Book a quiet, private room for interviews.
On the day
Have one person who can find any record in under two minutes.
Let workers answer in their own words.
For the full list of documents, use our NDIS audit checklist. For the evidence behind each standard, see what NDIS auditors check.
NDIS auditor site visit questions: workers and participants
Auditors don’t use a fixed script, but their questions follow the NDIS Practice Standards. Expect questions like these.
Questions for support workers
What would you do if a participant told you someone had hurt them?
How do you report an incident, and to whom?
Where do you write progress notes, and when?
What training did you do before your first shift?
How do you know what this participant wants from their supports?
Questions for participants
Do you know how to make a complaint?
Do workers ask you what you want?
Did you get a copy of your service agreement?
Do you feel safe with the people who support you?
Don’t script answers. Auditors notice rehearsed replies, and a worker who can’t explain a process in their own words reads as a training gap. Prepare people by making sure they know the process, not the wording.
Common mistakes on the day of an NDIS site visit
Hand-picking “good” files. Auditors choose the sample, and offering only your best files looks like you’re hiding the rest.
Coaching workers to recite policy. It shows.
Records spread across four systems. If finding one progress note takes 20 minutes, the auditor notices.
Not recording participant opt-outs. The auditor needs that list so nobody who said no gets selected.
What happens after the NDIS audit site visit?
Every finding is a conformity or a non-conformity.
Finding | What it means | What you must do |
|---|---|---|
Minor non-conformity | A gap in meeting a standard | Provide a corrective action plan the auditor accepts, within 7 days |
Major non-conformity | A barrier to certification | Fix it through a corrective action plan. The auditor reviews it within 3 months. The NDIS Commission can’t register you while it’s open |
You’ll see the full audit report and can comment on it before it goes to the NDIS Commission. The auditor must submit it within 28 calendar days of the last on-site day. Our guide to common NDIS audit findings shows where providers usually slip.
Can an NDIS Stage 2 audit be done remotely?
Only in limited cases. Stage 2 is usually on-site. A videoconference audit may be allowed for remote or regional providers, providers that operate from virtual sites, or providers with limited participant contact.
How CareVisor keeps you ready for a site visit
When an auditor asks for a record, the question is how fast you can show it. CareVisor keeps participants, shifts, progress notes, incidents and worker credentials on one record, with a time-stamped audit trail of every change. A live audit-readiness score, mapped to the NDIS Practice Standards, shows gaps before the auditors do. It’s part of our NDIS compliance software.
Key takeaways
The NDIS audit site visit is Stage 2 of a certification audit, and it checks practice, not paperwork.
Expect at least four hours, two auditors and interviews with at least five participants.
Participants can opt out. Worker files are always sampled.
Minor non-conformities need a corrective action plan within 7 days. Majors block registration.
Frequently asked questions
What’s the difference between a verification audit and a certification site visit?
A verification audit is a desktop review for lower-risk supports. A certification audit has two stages, and Stage 2 includes the site visit and interviews.
Do participants have to take part in an NDIS audit?
No. Participants are included unless they opt out, and auditors need their consent before interviewing them. The NDIS Commission’s audit fact sheet for participants is a good thing to share before the visit.
Can we choose which participants are interviewed?
No. The auditors select the sample. Your job is to tell every participant about the audit, record anyone who opts out, and pass that list to the auditor.
What happens if we fail the site visit?
A major non-conformity stops registration until it’s fixed. You’ll need a corrective action plan, and the auditor reviews it within 3 months.
How much does an NDIS certification audit cost?
It depends on your auditor’s quote, your size, the number of sites and the modules you’re registered for. Our guide to NDIS registration cost explains what drives it.
How do I prepare staff for auditor interviews?
Make sure every worker knows how to report an incident, where to write notes and how to raise a complaint. Then let them answer in their own words. Our guide on how to prepare for an NDIS audit covers the rest.
Ready before the auditors knock
It sounds like the date is booked and you’re not sure which file the auditors will ask for first. That’s a fair worry. Start a 7-day free trial with no credit card and see your live audit-readiness score, mapped to the NDIS Practice Standards, before the auditors arrive.
About CareVisor
CareVisor is an Australian NDIS operating system for disability service providers. It brings participant management, rostering, SCHADS payroll calculations, progress notes, incident reporting, worker compliance and NDIS claiming into one platform, with a mobile app for support workers on iOS and Android. Pricing scales with participant numbers, every plan includes unlimited staff, and data is hosted in Australia. Learn more about CareVisor NDIS provider software.
