Free template · incidents
Incident report template for NDIS providers.
An internal incident record with a place for every item the NDIS incident rules say it must hold — plus the reportable check, both deadlines, the person's own views and the follow-up. There's no scale to fill in: the law's categories decide what's reportable, not a number.
Who it is for: Registered and unregistered NDIS providers, and the supervisors who decide whether an incident is reportable.
No email, no sign-up. Checked against the rules on 26 September 2026.
What's in it
7 sections, built on the rules.
- 01Immediate safetySafety steps taken · Evidence protected · Advocate or support person offered
- 02What happenedRecord number · Written by (name and role) · Your phone or email · Date and time you wrote this · Date, time and place of the incident · Who you told, and when · People with disability affected · Other people involved · Witnesses · What happened · What was happening just before · Harm or impact on the person · What was done straight away · Evidence and documents kept · Your signature
- 03Is it reportable?Could it be one of the six reportable kinds? · Why it is, or isn't, reportable · Deadline that applies · Deadline falls due (date and time) · Notifications to the NDIS Commission · Information held back, and why · Anyone else told · Significant new information sent to the Commission (date)
- 04AssessmentCould it have been prevented? · How well was it managed and resolved? · What needs to change, so it doesn't happen again or does less harm? · Does anyone else need to be told? · What the person thinks · Risks now, and what is in place for each
- 05Working with the personConversations with the person · How the person was involved in resolving it · Reports or findings given to the person · When, and in what format · Communication support used
- 06Investigation and corrective actionInvestigation needed? · Why, or why not · Investigated by (name and position) · Dates of the investigation · How it was investigated, and what was found · Fairness to anyone an allegation is about · Corrective actions · Final report asked for by the Commission? Due date, date sent
- 07Learning and close-outIncident type (for your trend reports) · Setting and support type · Earlier records for the same person or worker · Closed by (name and role) · Date closed · Next review date
Every incident record holds twelve things
The NDIS incident rules set the minimum: what happened and the harm it caused, whether it's reportable, when and where (or when it was first noticed), the people involved and any witnesses with their contact details, the assessment, the actions taken, the conversations with the people affected, whether they were given any reports or findings, any investigation and its outcome, and who made the record. This template has a place for each.
NDIS (Incident Management and Reportable Incidents) Rules 2018, section 12 — legislation.gov.auSix kinds of incident are reportable — allegations too
The death of a person with disability, serious injury, abuse or neglect, unlawful sexual or physical contact or assault, sexual misconduct including grooming, and the use of a restrictive practice outside a state or territory authorisation. Contact with a negligible impact isn't reportable; an authorised practice becomes reportable when it isn't used as the behaviour support plan says.
NDIS Act 2013, section 73Z, with the incident rules, sections 16–17 — legislation.gov.au24 hours or 5 business days, from when you became aware
Registered providers notify the NDIS Commission through its Portal. Five of the six kinds are due within 24 hours, and restrictive-practice incidents within 5 business days — but the Commission says one that caused harm must be reported within 24 hours. A late notification can lead to an infringement notice or other compliance action.
Reportable incidents — NDIS Quality and Safeguards CommissionEvery provider should manage incidents
Registered providers must keep an incident management system that suits their size and supports; the Commission says every NDIS provider should have one. The Code of Conduct binds registered and unregistered providers and their workers alike: raise and act on concerns about safety, and take all reasonable steps to prevent and respond to abuse, neglect and sexual misconduct.
Incident management — NDIS Quality and Safeguards CommissionKeep it for seven years
Incident records are kept for 7 years from the day the record is made. For a reportable incident, the record is kept for 7 years from the day the Commission was notified. Other Commonwealth, state or territory laws can require longer.
NDIS (Incident Management and Reportable Incidents) Rules 2018, sections 12 and 25 — legislation.gov.auThe template
Use it here, or take it with you.
Print it, save it as a PDF, or download the Word file and put your own name and logo on it.
Incident record
Organisation: ______________________________
01 Immediate safety
Do this first. Write the record once the person is safe.
Safety steps takenCall 000 if anyone needs urgent medical help or a crime may have happened.
- The person is safe and supported
- First aid given
- 000 called
- Police contacted
Evidence protectedWhere you can, leave the scene as it is, and keep clothing, bedding and documents.
- Yes
- Not applicable
Advocate or support person offeredTell the person they can have an advocate or a support person, and offer to help arrange one.
- Offered and accepted
- Offered and declined
- Not yet offered
02 What happened
Filled in by the worker who saw it or was told about it. Facts only: what you saw, heard and did.
Record number
Written by (name and role)
Your phone or email
Date and time you wrote this
Date, time and place of the incidentIf you don't know when it happened, write when it was first noticed.
Who you told, and whenYour supervisor, a manager or the person who notifies the Commission — as soon as possible.
People with disability affected
| Name | Contact details | NDIS number (only if needed) |
|---|---|---|
Other people involvedIncluding anyone an allegation is about. Record their details, but don't question them.
| Name | Role (worker, family, visitor, other) | Contact details |
|---|---|---|
Witnesses
| Name | Contact details | Statement kept? Where? |
|---|---|---|
What happenedWhat you saw and heard, in order, with times. Put the person's own words in quotation marks. No guesses, diagnoses or opinions.
What was happening just beforeFacts only: where, who was there, what was going on.
Harm or impact on the personWhat you could see, or what the person told you: where on the body, size, colour, what they said they felt. Leave medical assessment to health professionals.
What was done straight awaySupport given, first aid, ambulance, and police or anyone else told — with times.
Evidence and documents keptPhotos, clothing, messages, notes: what they are and where they're kept.
Your signature
03 Is it reportable?
Completed by the supervisor or the person who notifies the Commission. Registered providers must notify reportable incidents; record the decision either way.
Could it be one of the six reportable kinds?Tick every one that might apply. Allegations count too.
- Death of a person with disability
- Serious injury
- Abuse or neglect
- Unlawful sexual or physical contact, or assault
- Sexual misconduct, including grooming
- Restrictive practice not authorised, or not used as the behaviour support plan says
- None of these
Why it is, or isn't, reportableInclude whether it happened in connection with the supports you provide — the Commission reads that broadly.
Deadline that appliesCounted from when your organisation became aware. A restrictive practice that caused harm or injury: treat it as 24 hours.
- 24 hours
- 5 business days
- Not reportable
Deadline falls due (date and time)
Notifications to the NDIS CommissionMade through the NDIS Commission Portal: the immediate notification first, then the 5-day form.
| Form | Sent by | Date and time | Portal reference |
|---|---|---|---|
Information held back, and whyOnly where giving it would prejudice a criminal investigation or put a person with disability at risk of harm.
Anyone else toldPolice, child protection, the guardian or family (with consent), the coroner, a state or territory body.
| Who | When | By whom | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
Significant new information sent to the Commission (date)For example, the kind of incident changes, or there's a further incident.
04 Assessment
Every incident is assessed, and the views of the person affected are part of the assessment.
Could it have been prevented?
How well was it managed and resolved?
What needs to change, so it doesn't happen again or does less harm?
Does anyone else need to be told?
What the person thinksTheir views on each question above — in their words where you can.
Risks now, and what is in place for eachDescribe each risk in words and what is being done about it, including any interim decision about a worker.
05 Working with the person
Conversations with the person
| Date | Who took part | What was discussed | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
How the person was involved in resolving it
Reports or findings given to the person
- Yes
- No
- Not yet
When, and in what format
Communication support usedInterpreter, communication aid, Easy Read, a support person.
06 Investigation and corrective action
Investigation needed?
- Yes
- No
Why, or why not
Investigated by (name and position)
Dates of the investigation
How it was investigated, and what was foundThe plan, who was interviewed, the findings and the outcome.
Fairness to anyone an allegation is aboutWhat they were told, and their chance to respond.
Corrective actions
| Action | Who | Due | Done (date) |
|---|---|---|---|
Final report asked for by the Commission? Due date, date sentIf the Commission asks for one, it's due within 60 business days unless they set a longer time.
07 Learning and close-out
Keep this record for at least 7 years from the day it was made — for a reportable incident, 7 years from the day you notified the Commission. Store it securely, keep one file per incident, and limit who can open it.
Incident type (for your trend reports)
Setting and support type
Earlier records for the same person or workerRecord numbers. Small incidents can add up to a pattern.
Closed by (name and role)
Date closed
Next review date
A free template to adapt — not an official form, and not legal or compliance advice. Corella is not affiliated with the NDIA or the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. The rules behind it change, so check the current guidance and your own obligations before you rely on it. A free template from Corella — corellacare.com.au/templates/ndis-incident-report/
Filling it in
What makes it a good record.
Write it while it's fresh
Write the record as soon as the person is safe — on the same shift if you can — and note when you wrote it. The Commission's guidance is to record events at the time, or as soon as possible afterwards.
Facts, not conclusions
Write what you saw and heard, in order, and put the person's own words in quotation marks. Leave out guesses about why it happened, and describe an injury rather than naming it.
Awareness starts the clock
The deadlines run from when your organisation became aware, which is usually the moment a worker told a supervisor, a manager or the person who notifies. Record that moment exactly.
Don't investigate on your own
If someone is the subject of an allegation, record their details but don't question them. Protect the scene and anything that could be evidence, and leave investigating to the people whose job it is.
No scale to fill in
Whether an incident is reportable, and how fast, depends on which legal category it falls in — not on a number. Describe the harm you saw, and let the person who notifies decide against the categories.
One file per incident
Keep everything about one incident together, store it securely, and limit who can open it. Records about a worker an allegation is about belong with the incident, not in their personnel file.
A free template to adapt — not an official form, and not legal or compliance advice. Corella is not affiliated with the NDIA or the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. The rules behind it change, so check the current guidance and your own obligations before you rely on it.
In Corella
The same record, kept for you.
In Corella, a worker reports an incident from their phone and the office is told straight away. When a person marks it reportable and picks the category, the incident shows the 24-hour notification as a flag until someone records it, and counts down to the five-business-day report. Follow-up actions carry an owner and a due date, and each incident prints as a branded PDF filed on the person's record. Corella keeps the dates; deciding whether it's reportable, and notifying the Commission, stay with you.
Fair questions
Before you use it.
Sources
- NDIS (Incident Management and Reportable Incidents) Rules 2018 — legislation.gov.au
- NDIS Act 2013 — legislation.gov.au
- NDIS (Code of Conduct) Rules 2018 — legislation.gov.au
- Reportable incidents — NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
- Incident management — NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
- Detailed guidance: reportable incidents (PDF) — NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
- Detailed guidance: incident management systems (PDF) — NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
- Responding to incidents: guidance for workers (PDF) — NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
Is there an official NDIS incident report template?
Does filling this in notify the NDIS Commission?
Do unregistered providers have to report incidents?
What counts as a serious injury?
Why is there no severity scale?
How long do we keep incident records?
Keep this record in one system.
See how Corella keeps the same record on the shift it belongs to — book a walkthrough, or try a live demo with a time-boxed pass.