About this resource
How workers support safe, nutritious and enjoyable meals, including for people with swallowing difficulties. It is an editable template with a purpose, commitments, who does what, step-by-step procedures, the records that prove it happens, and the standards it relates to.
Purpose
To make sure participants who need help at meals receive nutritious food of the right texture, and enjoy their meals safely.
Who it is for
Primary profession: NDIS providers and support coordinators. Also relevant for disability support workers, speech pathologists.
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
- Building your policy manual before a certification or verification audit
- Replacing a policy that is out of date
- Worker induction and refresher training
- Yearly policy review with management and participants
Instructions for practitioners
- Replace everything in square brackets and delete what does not apply.
- Check every step against what your workers really do, and change the step or the practice.
- Have your governing body or owner approve and date it, and list it in your Policy and Document Control Register.
- Train workers in it, keep the training record, and give participants an accessible version where it affects them.
Accessibility considerations
Clear headings and numbered steps. The Word version is fully editable so you can add your logo and details.
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.
Higher-risk topic: use only within your training, supervision and organisational procedures.
Research basis
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 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. Registered NDIS providers are assessed against the Core Module of the NDIS Practice Standards. The quality indicators expect documented systems that are used in practice, not only written down. This document is organised around those indicators; using it does not by itself demonstrate compliance.
- Food Standards Australia New Zealand. Food temperature and thermometers. https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/business/charities/temperature-control
- National Disability Insurance Scheme (Provider Registration and Practice Standards) Rules 2018 (Cth). https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2018L00631/latest/text
- National Disability Insurance Scheme (Quality Indicators for NDIS Practice Standards) Guidelines 2018 (Cth). https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2018L00700/latest/text
- 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 3-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.
