Free checklist

Support worker onboarding checklist for NDIS providers

A free, printable checklist covering pre-employment checks, day one, the first week and the first month of a new support worker's induction. No email required. Print the page below or save it as a PDF from your browser.

This is a practice tool, not a policy document

This checklist gives a manager a working sequence for onboarding. It is not an induction policy, and it does not set your organisation's pre-employment check or induction requirements. The NDIS Practice Standards ask for an orientation and induction process to be completed and documented. They do not prescribe the exact steps, which is why most providers build a checklist like this one and adapt it to their own registration groups and roles.

Add, remove or reorder items to match how your service actually onboards. It is yours the moment you print it.

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NDIS Support Worker Onboarding Checklist

Worker name
Role / position
Start date
Inducted by

Before day one

  • NDIS Worker Screening Check requested and confirmed
  • Right to work in Australia verified
  • Proof of identity sighted and filed
  • Position description issued and discussed
  • Employment contract signed
  • Emergency contact details collected

Day one

  • Welcome and introduction to the team
  • WHS induction, including manual handling and incident reporting basics
  • Systems access set up (rostering, communication, training platform)
  • Uniform, ID and any required equipment issued
  • Key policies issued for acknowledgement

First week

  • NDIS Worker Orientation Module assigned and started
  • Mandatory training pathway assigned for the role
  • Buddy or shadow shift scheduled, with a named senior worker
  • Buddy shift outcome recorded: who was shadowed, when, and readiness noted
  • Introduced to the people they will be supporting, and any specific support needs briefed

First month

  • First supervision session booked
  • First Support Observation scheduled (practice watched on shift)
  • Mandatory training pathway completion checked
  • 30-day check-in conversation held
  • Any outstanding credentials or documents followed up
Worker signature and date
Manager signature and date

Where this lives if you want it held digitally

CORA derives this checklist from live records, so it can never disagree with the register behind it. One complete course is also free: Professional Boundaries & Ethics.

Common questions

Yes, with no email required. Print the page or save it as a PDF straight from your browser's print dialog.

At minimum: pre-employment checks completed before day one, a WHS and systems induction, the mandatory NDIS Worker Orientation Module, your organisation's own induction record signed by the worker and the person who inducted them, a buddy or shadow shift with a named outcome, and the training pathway assigned for the role. The NDIS Practice Standards ask for an orientation and induction process to be completed and documented; they do not prescribe the exact steps, which is why most providers build a checklist like this one.

No. This is a practice checklist, not an onboarding policy. It does not set your organisation's induction requirements or pre-employment check process. Those remain entirely your own, set by your policies and your registration conditions.

There is no fixed NDIS timeframe. Most providers run the pre-employment and day-one items before a worker's first shift, and treat the first month as the window for supervision, a first Support Observation and any remaining training to be completed.

That depends on how the records are held. A printed checklist stays with the worker's file until your organisation's retention period ends. In CORA, the worker's record, including onboarding, training and credentials, is retained on the organisation's account, and the seat they occupied is recyclable to their replacement.

Building supervision into the first weeks too? Free supervision agenda template.