NDIS feedback and complaints register example (filled-in sample)

Why every SIL provider needs a filled-in complaints register

Under the NDIS Practice Standards, all registered NDIS providers — including Supported Independent Living (SIL) providers — must have a documented system for receiving, recording, managing, and resolving feedback and complaints. The complaints management system is one of the most heavily scrutinised items during quality audits, and the complaints register is its central evidence document.

A blank or partially completed register is treated as a systemic failure, not an administrative oversight. Auditors want to see a living record that demonstrates your organisation actually uses its complaints process — not just that one exists on paper.

The NDIS Commission's strengthened Practice Standards framework, which has been progressively rolled out and will have full effect for new and renewing registrations across 2025–2026, places even greater emphasis on participant voice and continuous improvement. Your register is the primary evidence that feedback is heard, acted on, and drives change.

What the NDIS Practice Standards require you to record

The NDIS Practice Standards and Quality Indicators (specifically the Core Module on Governance and Operational Management, and the rights-related elements of the Supplementary Module for SIL providers) require that your complaints management system captures, at minimum:

• The date the complaint or feedback was received
• Who raised the concern (participant, family member, advocate, staff member, or anonymous)
• The nature or category of the concern
• Who in your organisation was assigned to manage the matter
• What actions were taken and the dates those actions occurred
• The outcome and how it was communicated to the person who raised the concern
• The date the matter was closed
• Whether the matter was also reportable to the NDIS Commission (e.g., as a reportable incident)
• Any systemic improvement actions identified

The Code of Conduct also requires that providers and their workers do not take adverse action against a person who raises a complaint. Your register should note if any such risk was identified and how it was managed.

Filled-in sample register entries

The table below shows three realistic example entries. Use these as a template to populate your own register. Real registers typically use a spreadsheet or your quality management software — the format matters less than the completeness of the information.

How to use this register in practice

1. Create a new entry within one business day of receiving any feedback or complaint, even if you cannot yet assess it fully. Timeliness of logging is itself a quality indicator.
2. Assign a responsible person immediately. The register should never sit unassigned. For serious matters, the CEO or Operations Manager should be the assigned person.
3. Distinguish feedback from complaints. Positive feedback and suggestions for improvement should also be logged — they demonstrate participant engagement and are useful for your continuous improvement evidence.
4. Cross-reference with your incident register where relevant. Some matters qualify as both a complaint and a reportable incident under the NDIS (Incident Management and Reportable Incidents) Rules. When in doubt, report.
5. Close entries formally with a written outcome sent to the complainant. Verbal-only closure is a common audit finding. If the person asked for an anonymous response, document how you attempted to communicate the outcome.
6. Review the register at management level monthly. Identify patterns — repeated concerns about the same staff member, house, or process are systemic issues that must be addressed. Document your management review and any resulting quality improvement actions separately.
7. Retain records for the period required under the NDIS Commission's record-keeping rules. Check the current version of the rules on ndiscommission.gov.au for the applicable retention period for your registration type.

Common non-conformances auditors find

• No register at all — the complaints policy exists but nothing has ever been logged, even where verbal feedback clearly occurred.
• Incomplete entries — dates received and closed are missing, or the outcome column is blank.
• No evidence of communication back to the complainant — the participant or family raised a concern and received no written acknowledgement or outcome.
• No management review — entries are logged but there is no evidence that leadership ever reviewed the register for patterns or improvement actions.
• Conflating complaints with incidents incorrectly — not recognising when a complaint also triggers mandatory notification obligations to the NDIS Commission.
• Failure to log anonymous or verbal complaints — providers sometimes only log written, signed complaints, which is inconsistent with the Practice Standards requirement to capture all forms of feedback.

Using this template in your organisation

Adapt the column headings to your quality management system or spreadsheet tool. The language in the sample entries deliberately shows the level of narrative detail auditors expect — brief bullet summaries of actions taken, rather than just "resolved" or "dealt with". Each entry should tell a clear story that a third-party reviewer can follow without needing to ask follow-up questions.

If you are building or overhauling your complaints and governance documentation, the 136-document SIL compliance kit at ndiscompliant.com.au includes an editable complaints register template, a complaints policy, management review report templates, and all related governance documents pre-mapped to the NDIS Practice Standards quality indicators.