Incident Management and Safeguarding

Colab Therapy

Colab Therapy is committed to ensuring the safety, wellbeing and rights of the people we support. We take all incidents seriously and have clear processes in place to respond quickly, support those affected and prevent incidents from happening again.

This statement outlines how Colab Therapy identifies, responds to and manages incidents in accordance with the requirements of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

Our Commitment

At Colab Therapy we are committed to:

• protecting the rights, safety and dignity of participants
• responding quickly and appropriately when incidents occur
• supporting participants and others affected by incidents
• reporting serious incidents in line with NDIS safeguarding requirements
• learning from incidents to improve our services and reduce future risks

We maintain an incident management system that supports safe, fair and transparent responses to incidents.

What Is an Incident?

An incident is any event or situation that results in harm, or has the potential to cause harm, to a participant, worker or member of the community.

This may include:

• events that result in injury or distress
• near misses where harm could have occurred
• damage to property
• situations where services did not occur as expected
• unlawful or inappropriate conduct

All incidents are recorded and reviewed so that appropriate actions can be taken.

Serious Incidents (Reportable Incidents)

Some incidents are considered reportable incidents and must be reported to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.

These include incidents involving:

• the death of a participant
• serious injury to a participant
• abuse or neglect of a participant
• unlawful sexual or physical contact with a participant
• sexual misconduct committed against, or in the presence of, a participant (including grooming)
• the unauthorised use of restrictive practices

Where required, reportable incidents are notified to the Commission within the required timeframes.

Restrictive Practices

Restrictive practices are any actions that limit a person’s rights or freedom of movement.

Examples may include:

• seclusion
• chemical restraint
• mechanical restraint
• physical restraint
• environmental restraint

Colab Therapy does not use restrictive practices unless they are authorised under relevant NDIS and state legislation and included within an approved behaviour support plan.

Unauthorised restrictive practices must be reported to the NDIS Commission.

How We Respond to Incidents

If an incident occurs, Colab Therapy will take immediate steps to ensure safety and provide support.

Our response may include:

• ensuring the immediate safety of participants and others
• contacting emergency services if required
• providing appropriate support to those affected
• notifying family members, guardians or support persons where appropriate
• documenting the incident and actions taken
• investigating the incident where necessary
• identifying actions to reduce the likelihood of recurrence

Where criminal behaviour is suspected, incidents will be reported to police.

Reporting to External Authorities

Depending on the nature of the incident, reports may also be made to other authorities such as:

• the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
• Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (for serious data breaches)
• relevant Work Health and Safety authorities
• police or emergency services

Learning and Continuous Improvement

All incidents are recorded in an internal incident register.

Incident data is reviewed to:

• identify patterns or risks
• improve systems and procedures
• strengthen safeguarding practices
• improve participant safety and service quality

Colab Therapy is committed to using incidents as an opportunity to improve and strengthen the supports we provide.

Record Keeping

Records relating to incidents are securely stored and maintained in accordance with regulatory requirements.

Incident records are retained for a minimum of seven years.

Participant Rights

Participants and their families have the right to be informed about incidents that affect them and to be involved in decisions about how issues are addressed.

Participants can also raise concerns through our Feedback and Complaints process if they are unhappy with how an incident has been managed.

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