Participant Rights, Safety & Advocacy
As an NDIS participant, you have the right to feel safe, be respected, make choices about your life, and speak up if something is not okay. This page explains your rights in plain language, what safe services look like, and how advocacy can support you.
Your Rights
Key rights as an NDIS participant – choice and control, respect, privacy and being heard.
Feeling Safe
What safe services should look like, warning signs, and what to do if something feels wrong.
Advocacy & Speaking Up
How family, friends, support coordinators and independent advocates can help you be heard.
1. Your Rights as an NDIS Participant
NDIS participants have rights that come from disability law, human rights law and NDIS rules. You do not have to “earn” these rights – they apply because you are a person.
Key Rights (Plain Language)
| Right | What That Means in Everyday Life |
|---|---|
| Respect & dignity | People speak to you respectfully, listen to you, and do not shame, bully or threaten you. |
| Choice & control | You have a say in who provides your supports, how and where they are provided, and who is involved in decisions. |
| Safe & good quality supports | Supports are provided in a way that is safe, reliable and as agreed in your service agreements. |
| Privacy & confidentiality | Your personal information is handled carefully. People ask before sharing information, unless there is a serious safety concern. |
| Communication that works for you | Information is explained in a way you can understand (simple language, interpreters, visual supports, Auslan, etc.). |
| Cultural safety | Your culture, identity, language and beliefs are respected, not ignored or treated as a problem. |
| Speaking up & complaints | You can say if you are unhappy, ask for changes, or make a complaint without being punished or losing your services. |
These rights apply even if you need a lot of support, live in shared accommodation, or have a guardian or nominee. People supporting you should help you understand and use your rights, not take them away.
2. What Safe Services Look Like (and Warning Signs)
Safe services protect you from harm and help you feel comfortable. Sometimes something can be “technically allowed” but still not feel right to you. Your feelings and instincts are important.
Safe, Respectful Services Usually Look Like:
- Workers arrive on time (or let you know if they are running late).
- People explain what they are doing and ask for your consent.
- You are supported to make choices about your routines, activities and goals.
- Staff follow boundaries – they are friendly but understand they are at work.
- Money, medication and personal items are handled according to clear rules.
- People respond seriously if you say you feel unsafe or uncomfortable.
Warning Signs That Need Attention
- Feeling scared or pressured to agree to supports you don’t want.
- People shouting, swearing, bullying or threatening you or others.
- Unexplained injuries, bruises or marks.
- Staff borrowing money, asking for gifts, or using your belongings without asking.
- Workers coming to your home uninvited or contacting you outside agreed ways.
- Supports regularly cancelled with no explanation or unsafe staffing levels.
If You Are in Immediate Danger
If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 000 and ask for police, ambulance or fire.
Once you are safe, you can talk with a trusted person, advocacy service or support coordinator about next steps.
3. What Is Advocacy?
Advocacy is about standing up for your rights and interests. An advocate is someone who is on your side and helps you be heard. Advocates should be as independent as possible – their priority is you.
People Who Can Advocate With You
- Family members or friends you trust.
- Support coordinators, if you are comfortable with them helping in this way.
- Independent disability advocacy services (they are not your provider).
- Legal or community support services in some situations.
You can have more than one advocate. For example, a family member and an independent advocate can work together.
How Advocates Can Help
- Explain your rights in simple language.
- Help you prepare for planning or reassessment meetings.
- Support you to make a complaint or escalate concerns.
- Attend meetings or phone calls with you and help write letters or emails.
- Help you change providers if things are not safe or not working.
Finding Advocacy Services
Depending on where you live, there may be different advocacy organisations for:
- People with disability (general disability advocacy)
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
- People from culturally and linguistically diverse communities
- People with specific types of disability (e.g. mental health, sensory disability)
You can ask your support coordinator, local area coordinator, GP or community centre to help you find a local disability advocacy service, or search online for “disability advocacy” in your area.
4. If Something Doesn’t Feel Right: A Simple Step-by-Step Guide
You can speak up at any time – even if you’re not sure whether something is “serious enough”. It is okay to ask questions and ask for help.
Step-by-Step
-
Tell someone you trust.
This might be a family member, friend, advocate, support coordinator, or doctor. -
Talk to the provider, if it feels safe.
You can use the contact details in your service agreement to raise a concern or ask for a meeting. -
Use the provider’s complaints process.
Ask for a copy in writing. You can ask someone to help you write a complaint or attend a meeting. -
Seek advocacy or coordination support.
An advocate or support coordinator can help if the issue is complicated, or if you feel anxious about speaking up on your own. -
Use external options if needed.
If the issue is not resolved, or involves abuse, neglect or serious concerns, you can make a complaint to external bodies (for example the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission or relevant state services). See our Complaints & Feedback page for more detail.
You have the right to keep receiving safe, respectful supports when you make a complaint. Retaliation (for example, punishing you or cancelling supports because you spoke up) is not okay and can be a serious breach of NDIS rules.
5. Planning Ahead for Safety
You can build safety into your everyday supports, rather than only reacting when something goes wrong.
Ideas You Can Use in Your Plan
- Include goals about communication, decision-making or self-advocacy in your Goals & Planning Tools.
- Ask providers to clearly explain how they manage incidents and risks.
- Plan regular check-ins with someone independent (e.g. support coordinator or advocate).
- Use service agreements to set clear expectations and boundaries.
Personal Safety Strategies
- Agree on who will be contacted first if there is a concern.
- Keep important phone numbers (family, advocate, support coordinator, GP) in your phone and somewhere visible at home.
- Use a trusted person to regularly ask “Are you feeling safe with your supports?”
- Write down any incidents, dates and who was involved – this can help if you later decide to make a complaint.
