Tasmanian Disability Services Regulations 2015

The Disability Services Regulations 2015 (the Regulations) commenced 27 April 2015.

The Regulations apply to all Department of Communities Tasmania-funded providers who deliver specialist disability services.

The Regulations were enacted as part of a national process to adopt the National Standards for Disability Services (the National Standards). The regulations align Tasmania with national key practice and quality indicators.

Extensive consultation in developing the National Standards included input from people with disability, family and carers, service providers and advocates.

You can view the Regulations at the Tasmanian Legislation website

What is in the Regulations for providers and individuals?

Tasmania's Regulations represent transitional reform towards the quality standards and requirements of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Quality and Safeguards framework.

The Regulations have a greater focus on human rights, person-centred approaches, and promoting choice and control on the services accessed by people with disability. Like the National Standards, the Regulations address the six areas of:

rights
participation and inclusion
individual outcomes
feedback and Complaints
service access, and
service management.

For people who access specialist disability services this means assuredness that the commitments Tasmania made when it became signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities are enshrined in law and become part of the funding and regulatory requirements for specialist disability service providers.

The Australian Government Department of Social Services (DSS) has developed a document to assist service providers' match existing policies and practices to the new National Standards, and thus the Regulations. This mapping document is available on the DSS site along with other resources as tabled below. The National Standards are online at the DSS site

Supporting Resources

National Standards for Disability Services Supporting resource	Description
NSDS – Easy English version	National Standards for Disability Services – Easy English version
NSDS – Stories	Short examples of what each Standard could look like in practice
NSDS – Evidence Guide	A guide to support providers and staff understand and apply the Standards to service delivery
NSDS – Conversation Tool	Guide for workers with direct client contact to consider how best to promote and engage people in conversations about the standards
NSDS – Mapping Tables	To assist service providers align the former standard requirements to the new National Standards
NSDS – consumer Quality Assurance auditing information	Easy read booklet and factsheet, and standard read booklet, explaining the quality assurance process to consumers of services that are being audited.
NSDS – Easy English Posters	Posters for display in workplaces.
NSDS – Self Assessment Worksheets	For service providers to assess their compliance with the National Standards. The template lists each standard and an indicator of practice, with space for providers to include examples of evidence to support compliance, and any improvement actions to be taken.
NSDS – Frequently Asked Questions	In addition to the FAQ's your can email questions about the National Standards to the DSS.

Divisions

Contact Details

Tasmanian Disability Services Regulations 2015

Supporting Resources