NDIS templates

NDIS participant handbook template (welcome pack)

Written by James, creator of BluetailPublished 26 October 2026

A participant handbook is the welcome pack you give someone when they start with you: who you are, what they can expect, and who to call when something isn't right. This template is written in plain language, so it works as the participant-facing summary of your policies.

Word templateWorking with participants

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The document pack

82 registration documents pre-filled with your business name and logo. Preview every page free; $65 once to unlock the editable Word files.

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Participant Handbook / Welcome Pack at a glance
Document	Participant Handbook / Welcome Pack
Part of the pack	Working with participants
Format	Editable Word file, pre-filled with your business name, ABN and logo
Cost	Page one is free below; the editable file is in the $65 pack

What the template covers

The handbook covers who you are and what participants can expect from you, their rights, how the service agreement works, cancelling or changing a shift, giving feedback or making a complaint (acknowledged within 2 business days, resolved within 21 days where possible), their privacy, keeping them safe, using an interpreter or getting information in another format, and ending or changing supports. It lists outside contacts too: the NDIS Commission (1800 035 544), the Disability Gateway to find an independent advocate (1800 643 787), the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner and 1800RESPECT.

Sections in the document

Who we are
What you can expect from us
Your rights
Your service agreement
Cancelling or changing a shift
Giving feedback or making a complaint
Your privacy
Keeping you safe
How to use an interpreter or get information in another format
Ending or changing supports
Any questions?

Which NDIS rules it helps you meet

Core Module 1.1 - Person-centred supports (communication in each participant's preferred language and format)
Core Module 1.3 - Privacy and Dignity (each participant is told about your confidentiality policies)
Core Module 1.5 and 2.5 - information about advocates, and how to make a complaint

Who needs it

Registered providers, especially under a certification audit, where auditors interview participants and check they know their rights and how to complain. Unregistered providers can use it too - it is a simple way to give people the information they need in one place.

Page one, free

This is the real document, filled in for an example business so you can see exactly what you get.

Example Provider Pty Ltd Page one

Welcome to Example Provider Pty Ltd

Your handbook · Version 1.0 · Effective 1 June 2026

This handbook tells you what to expect from Example Provider Pty Ltd, how to get the most from your supports, your rights, and what to do if anything goes wrong. Please keep it somewhere handy. If you would like this handbook in Easy Read, large print, another language, or read out to you, please ask - we are happy to provide it.

Who we are

Example Provider Pty Ltd (ABN 12 345 678 901) is your NDIS support provider. Your main contact with us is:

Name: Sarah Mitchell
Phone: 0400 123 456
Email: sarah@example.com.au
Website: www.example.com.au

What you can expect from us

Supports that are safe, respectful and delivered by trained workers.
A worker who is on time, ready to work, and respects your home and your privacy.
Clear information about what we will do, when, and how much it will cost your NDIS plan.
Your information kept private and only shared with your permission, or where the law requires.
Honest answers to your questions, and someone to talk to when something is not working.

Your rights

You have the right to:

Be treated with dignity and respect at all times.
Make your own choices about your life, your supports, and how they are delivered.
Be safe - free from abuse, neglect, exploitation, violence and discrimination.
Have your privacy respected.
Have your culture, identity and beliefs respected, and express yourself - including your relationships and your sexuality.
Take everyday risks and try new things, with support to understand them ("dignity of risk").
Have a support person, advocate or family member with you for any conversation or decision - and we can help you find an independent advocate.
Give feedback or complain without it affecting your supports.
Be charged fairly - you should not be charged a higher price for goods just because you are an NDIS participant, and we will not do this without a fair and reasonable explanation.
Change provider at any time, for any reason.

These rights are protected by the NDIS Code of Conduct, the NDIS Practice Standards, the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Get it with your business name on it

The Participant Handbook / Welcome Pack is one of 82 documents in the Bluetail registration pack, each pre-filled with your business name, ABN and logo and editable in Word. Build your pack to preview every document free, then unlock them all for a one-off $65. The documents help you prepare - they don't register you.

See the $65 pack

Before you use it

Match every timeframe and promise to your actual policies - the handbook is often the first thing an auditor compares them against.
Add your own contacts, hours and after-hours arrangements.
Offer it in the formats your participants need - easy read, large print, another language, or read aloud.
Record when each participant received it and how it was explained to them.

A template is a starting point. An auditor looks for a document that matches how your business really runs and evidence that you follow it, so read it through and change anything that isn't true for you.

Common questions

What should be in an NDIS participant handbook?

Who you are, what participants can expect, their rights, how service agreements and cancellations work, how to give feedback or complain, how their privacy is protected, how you keep them safe, how to get information in another format, and the outside contacts they can use, such as the NDIS Commission and independent advocates.

Is a participant handbook required for NDIS registration?

There isn't a rule that says "handbook", but the Core Module expects participants to be told about their rights, privacy, complaints and advocacy in a way they understand. A handbook is the usual way to show that, alongside the service agreement.

Does the handbook replace the service agreement?

No. The service agreement sets out the supports, prices and terms you have agreed with the participant. The handbook explains how you work and what their rights are. Most providers give both at the start.

Related templates

The section list and page one are read from the current version of the document, so they match what you download. This page is general information to help you prepare for NDIS registration. It isn't legal or compliance advice and isn't affiliated with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission or the NDIA.