Referral Contact
Incident management

When something goes wrong

Things do sometimes go wrong in disability support. What matters is what happens next: that it is written down, taken seriously, explained to the people affected, and used to make the support safer.

Tell us about something Our safeguarding commitment

What counts as an incident

An incident is anything that has caused potential harm or actual harm to a participant, or has affected their rights, safety or wellbeing. It also covers near misses, where nothing happened this time but easily could have.

  • An injury, a fall, or a medication error
  • Someone being treated badly, ignored, or spoken to unkindly
  • Being stopped from doing something you have a right to do
  • Support that did not arrive, or arrived unsafely
  • Property damage, or something going missing
  • Financial abuse — your funding not being used correctly, or money missing from your plan
  • Sexual abuse, or any unwanted sexual behaviour towards you
  • Anything that frightened you or made you feel unsafe

If you are not sure whether something counts, tell us anyway. Working that out is our job, not yours.

Easy Read

What we do, step by step

Every incident follows the same six steps, whether it is small or serious.

  1. Something happens

    A worker, a participant, a family member or anyone else notices that something has gone wrong, or nearly went wrong.

  2. We write it down

    The incident is recorded the same day in our incident system, with what happened and who was affected.

  3. We look into it

    A manager assesses how serious it is and what caused it. Some incidents — what the NDIS Commission calls reportable incidents — must also be reported to them.

  4. You are part of it

    If it involved you, we talk with you about what happened and what you want to happen next. You can bring a family member or advocate.

  5. We suggest what to improve

    We collaborate with you and agree on actions — support changes, extra training, a new way of working — and who is responsible for each one.

  6. We consult with you to see if it's working

    We put the changes in place, then come back to you to check they made a difference and that the same thing is not happening again.

Which incidents must be reported, and how quickly, is set by the NDIS Commission — see reportable incidents.

Your part in it

If an incident involved you, it is your incident as much as ours. The NDIS Practice Standards require us to involve you, and we would want to anyway.

You are told what happened

We explain what we know, in the way that works best for you.

You have a say in what happens next

We ask what you want to see change. You do not have to accept an outcome you are not happy with.

You can bring someone

A family member, a friend, a support coordinator or an independent advocate can be with you at every conversation.

You are kept up to date

If it takes a while, we tell you where it is up to rather than leaving you wondering.

Nothing changes because you spoke up

Reporting an incident never affects your supports, your placement, or how you are treated by our team.

You can go outside us at any time

You do not need our permission, and you do not have to raise it with us first. The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission takes complaints about any NDIS service on 1800 035 544.

Incidents we must report to the NDIS Commission

As a registered NDIS provider, some incidents have to be reported to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission — within 24 hours for the most serious. We do this whether or not anyone asks us to.

  • The death of a participant
  • Serious injury to a participant
  • Abuse or neglect of a participant
  • Unlawful sexual or physical contact with, or assault of, a participant
  • Sexual misconduct committed against, or in the presence of, a participant
  • Use of a restrictive practice that was not agreed in the participant’s plan

You can also report any of these directly to the Commission yourself, on 1800 035 544. In an emergency, or if someone is in immediate danger, call 000.

Your safety and wellbeing matter

If you or someone else is in immediate danger, please call Triple Zero (000). If you are worried about the safety of a child or vulnerable person, you can contact the police or the relevant protection authority in your state or territory. You can choose the support option that feels right for you.

If you or someone you know would like confidential support after experiencing harm or abuse, help is available. You may contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 for 24-hour crisis support, or the Blue Knot Foundation Helpline on 1300 657 380. You are welcome to seek support when you feel ready.

What we do afterwards

An incident that is recorded and then forgotten has taught us nothing. Every month our leadership team reviews what has been reported across all of our homes and services, and looks for the pattern behind it.

We look for the cause, not someone to blame

Most incidents come from how work is set up — a roster, a handover, a missing instruction — rather than one person's mistake.

We change what needs changing

New training, a clearer protocol, a different way of doing a support task, or a change to a participant's plan with their agreement.

We check the change held

Actions have an owner and a date, and we follow up to confirm the problem actually stopped.

We report on it

Trends inform our quality reporting and our conversations with participants, families and support coordinators.

Who else you can talk to

These bodies are independent of MMT Care. You can contact them at any point, and you can do it without telling us.

All states

NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission

1800 035 544 Visit their website
Victoria

Disability Services Commissioner

1800 677 342 Visit their website
New South Wales

Ageing and Disability Commission

1800 628 221 Visit their website
Queensland

Department of Families, Seniors, Disability Services and Child Safety

1800 491 467 Visit their website

Process and Easy Read

Our Incident Management Policy and its Easy Read guide are being finalised and will be published here. Ask us for a copy at any time — call 1300 066 822. Everything else sits on the resources page.

Something you want to tell us?

Use the feedback form — it takes what you type straight to our Practice and Service Excellence team. You can leave your name out.

Go to the feedback form Call 1300 066 822