An Incident Has Happened—What Should You Do First?

Imagine you are a support worker assisting a participant at home. During the shift, the participant falls and suffers an injury.

At that moment, your first question may be:

What do I do now?

The incident report is not necessarily the first action.

First, focus on the participant’s immediate safety and wellbeing. Depending on the situation, this could involve providing appropriate assistance, seeking medical help or contacting emergency services.

Once the immediate situation is under control, the incident needs to be documented and reported through your organisation’s incident management process.

The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission outlines a clear incident management process: identify the incident, support the affected person, record what happened, report and assess the incident, investigate where necessary, and use the findings to improve future supports.

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Step 1: Make Sure the Participant Is Safe

Before thinking about paperwork, deal with the immediate situation.

For example, if a participant falls during a support shift, your actions may include:

• Checking whether they are injured
• Providing appropriate immediate assistance
• Seeking medical attention if required
• Calling 000 in an emergency
• Informing the appropriate person within your organisation

The NDIS Commission states that providers should ensure people affected by an incident are safe and well. Where immediate medical care is required or a criminal offence is suspected, emergency action should not be delayed.

Think of the process like this:

Incident happens → Ensure safety → Take immediate action → Record what happened → Report internally → Assess further requirements

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Step 2: Gather the Facts Before Writing the Report

One of the biggest mistakes in incident reporting is starting to write before you have clearly established the facts.

Before completing the report, identify:

• What happened?
• When did it happen?
• Where did it happen?
• Who was involved?
• Who witnessed the incident?
• What did you personally observe?
• What immediate actions were taken?
• Was anyone injured or affected?

You do not need to investigate the entire incident yourself before writing your initial report.

Your role is to document the information you know accurately and clearly.

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Step 3: How to Write an NDIS Incident Report

A good incident report should help someone who was not present understand what happened.

Let’s look at a simple example.

❌ Poor Incident Report Example

John was behaving badly and suddenly fell over. I think he was not paying attention. He was hurt, so I helped him.

This report creates several problems.

• What does “behaving badly” actually mean?
• What caused the fall?
• What did the worker actually observe?
• How was the participant injured?
• What assistance was provided?

The report includes assumptions and vague language.

✅ Better Incident Report Example

At approximately 2:15 pm, the participant was walking from the living room towards the kitchen. I observed the participant lose balance and fall onto the floor. I immediately approached the participant and asked whether they were injured. The participant reported pain in their right knee. I informed my supervisor at approximately 2:25 pm and followed the organisation’s incident response procedure.

Notice the difference.

The second example focuses on:

• What was observed
• When it happened
• What happened next
• What action was taken

It does not assume why the participant fell unless there is evidence to support that conclusion.

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A Practical NDIS Incident Report Template

You can use the following structure when preparing an internal incident report. However, your organisation’s own incident reporting form and procedures should always be followed.

1. Participant Details

• Participant name
• Participant ID, if required by your organisation
• Date of birth, where relevant to the internal form

2. Incident Details

• Date of incident
• Approximate time
• Location
• Type of incident

3. What Happened?

Describe the incident in chronological order.

A useful structure is:

Before the incident → What happened → What you observed → What happened afterwards

Example

At approximately 2:15 pm, the participant was walking from the living room towards the kitchen. I observed the participant lose balance and fall to the floor.

Keep this section factual.

Avoid statements such as:

• “The participant was careless.”
• “The participant deliberately caused the incident.”
• “The participant was behaving badly.”

Unless you are recording an actual statement made by someone, avoid presenting assumptions as facts.

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4. Immediate Actions Taken

Explain exactly what you did after the incident.

For example:

I immediately attended to the participant and checked whether they had sustained an injury. The participant reported pain in their right knee. I informed my supervisor and followed the organisation’s incident response procedure.

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5. Injury or Impact

Record the known impact of the incident.

This may include:

• Physical injuries
• Emotional distress
• Property damage
• Ongoing risks

Only record information you actually know or observe.

For example:

The participant reported pain in their right knee.

Avoid diagnosing the injury unless that diagnosis has been provided by an appropriately qualified professional.

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6. People Involved or Witnesses

Record:

• The people directly involved
• Workers present
• Other witnesses

If someone provides information about the incident, clearly distinguish their statement from your own observations.

For example:

The participant stated that they felt dizzy before falling.

This is different from writing:

The participant fell because they were dizzy.

The first records what the participant said. The second makes a conclusion that may not yet be established.

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Step 4: Report the Incident Through Your Organisation’s Process

After completing the incident record, follow your provider’s internal reporting procedure.

Registered NDIS providers are required to maintain an incident management system, with documented procedures covering how incidents are identified, recorded, reported and managed. The system should also identify relevant reporting responsibilities and corrective actions.

Your organisation should clearly tell workers:

• Who receives the incident report
• How the report should be submitted
• What internal timeframes apply
• Who assesses the incident
• Who is responsible for deciding whether external notification is required

Do not assume that submitting an incident report ends the process.

The provider may need to assess the incident further.

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Step 5: Is the Incident a Reportable Incident?

This is where many workers and providers need to be careful.

Not every incident is automatically a reportable incident.

However, registered NDIS providers must notify the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission about specific serious incidents connected with the delivery of NDIS supports or services.

These include:

• Death of a person with disability
• Serious injury
• Abuse or neglect
• Unlawful sexual or physical contact or assault
• Sexual misconduct, including grooming
• Certain unauthorised restrictive practices

The notification requirements and timeframes depend on the type of incident. Most listed reportable incidents must be notified within 24 hours of the registered provider becoming aware of the incident. Different requirements apply to some unauthorised restrictive practices.

For the current requirements, providers should review the official NDIS Commission reportable incidents guidance.

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Step 6: What Happens After the Report Is Submitted?

The report may be reviewed to understand:

• What caused the incident
• Whether immediate actions were appropriate
• Whether the incident could have been prevented
• Whether further investigation is required
• Whether additional people or organisations need to be notified
• What changes could reduce similar risks in the future

The NDIS Commission emphasises that incident management is not simply about recording an event. Providers should assess incidents, respond appropriately and use what they learn to improve the safety and quality of supports.

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Quick Checklist: Before You Submit an Incident Report

Ask yourself:

• Have I described what actually happened?
• Have I included the date, time and location?
• Have I clearly recorded what I personally observed?
• Have I avoided assumptions and personal opinions?
• Have I explained the immediate actions taken?
• Have I recorded known injuries or impacts?
• Have I identified relevant witnesses?
• Have I followed my organisation’s reporting procedure?

Managing incident reports and other administrative documentation can take significant time for NDIS providers. GlobalAdminX can support providers with practical NDIS administration processes, helping teams maintain organised and consistent documentation.

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Conclusion

When an incident involving an NDIS participant occurs, a clear response starts with the participant’s safety.

The next challenge is documenting what happened accurately. A strong incident report should provide a factual account of the event, the people involved, the immediate impact and the actions taken.

The goal is not to write a complicated report. It is to create a clear and accurate record that helps your organisation understand, manage and learn from the incident.