About this resource
This monthly check covers storage, labels, allergen separation, cleaning, and mealtime plans, so that a home kitchen stays safe and is still a home.
Purpose
A monthly kitchen check for food safety, allergies, textures and hygiene.
Who it is for
Primary profession: NDIS providers and support coordinators. Also relevant for disability support workers.
Client or participant group: Registered NDIS providers: directors, quality and compliance staff, house and team leaders.
Practice setting: Registered NDIS providers, including supported independent living homes.
Suggested uses
- Day-to-day records for a registered provider
- Audit evidence that a process is used in practice
- Induction and team training
Instructions for practitioners
- Add your organisation's name and details, and delete what does not apply.
- Show workers how and when to use it, and where completed copies are stored.
- Complete it at the time, in plain and respectful language.
- Check a sample regularly and add any improvements to your Continuous Improvement Register.
Accessibility considerations
Clear tables with room to write. The Word version can be filled in on screen.
Scope and limitations
An editable template and practical record. It is not legal advice and does not by itself show that a provider meets the NDIS Practice Standards. Check it against the current Practice Standards, NDIS rules, your registration groups and your state or territory's laws, and adapt it to how your service really works.
Research basis
Food Standards Australia New Zealand guidance is to keep potentially hazardous cold food at 5 degrees C or colder and hot food at 60 degrees C or hotter, and to check temperatures with a probe thermometer. The NDIS Commission warns that dysphagia and choking are serious risks. Participants who need mealtime support should be assessed by a qualified practitioner, have a current mealtime management plan, and be supported by trained workers who follow it.
- Food Standards Australia New Zealand. Food temperature and thermometers. https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/business/charities/temperature-control
- NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. (2022). Practice alert: Dysphagia, safe swallowing and mealtime management. https://www.ndiscommission.gov.au/sites/default/files/2022-05/practice-alert-dysphagia-safe-swallowing-and-mealtime-management.pdf
- NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. Aspiration pneumonia. https://www.ndiscommission.gov.au/rules-and-standards/quality-practice/aspiration-pneumonia
- NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. NDIS Practice Standards and Quality Indicators. https://www.ndiscommission.gov.au/rules-and-standards/ndis-practice-standards
What is included
A 2-page printable A4 PDF, including a practitioner notes page with the research basis (version 1.0).
Originality
Original Practitioner Plus content: wording, activity structure, layout and icons were created for this resource. No third-party worksheets, illustrations or text were reproduced. Written for Practitioner Plus from the NDIS Practice Standards and NDIS rules listed in the research basis; no third-party template was used. It is not an NDIS Commission form.
