HR, safety and compliance for health and social care

Sleepover shifts under the SCHADS Award (Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award) attract a flat allowance, not an hourly rate. The exception is if the employee is woken to perform work during the sleepover. In that case, overtime rates apply for the time worked. This distinction is frequently misapplied by care employers, often because the definition of ‘work’ during a sleepover isn’t clearly documented.

Employers should also ensure overnight interruptions are recorded, as failure to do so is one of the most common sources of Fair Work underpayment liability in the sector.

Multi-location care providers need rostering software that does more than fill shifts. It needs to interpret awards automatically, match staff to shifts based on qualifications, AHPRA registration, and process payroll directly from approved timesheets, without manual data re-entry.

foundU is built for exactly that environment. It covers both the SCHADS Award and the Health Professionals and Support Services Award, flags compliance issues like fatigue, minimum hours and rest breaks in real time, and supports central or site-specific pay rules across multiple locations.

Because rostering and payroll sit in the same platform, approved shift data flows directly to payroll. That removes the manual handoff between systems, and with it, the risk of errors and underpayments.

Registered NDIS providers are required to maintain the following WHS documentation:

Written WHS policies and procedures.
Hazard identification registers and risk assessment records.
Incident management and notifiable incident reporting systems.
Worker induction records and evidence of ongoing WHS training.
Records of regular WHS reviews and corrective actions.

The NDIS Practice Standards require providers to demonstrate active WHS governance – meaning your documentation must reflect what actually happens in your organisation, not just what’s written in policy. Auditors look for evidence of practice, not just the existence of documents.

Providers should also ensure their WHS systems align with the Work Health and Safety Act 2011. This includes meeting your obligations as a Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking (PCBU) and managing psychosocial hazards – an area that’s increasingly scrutinised in NDIS audits.

ISO 9001 certification helps with NDIS registration by providing documented, third-party verified evidence that your quality management system meets a recognised international standard. While ISO 9001 isn’t mandatory for NDIS registration, it strengthens your position during audit by demonstrating that quality governance is embedded across your organisation – not just documented for compliance purposes.

For aged care, ISO 9001 aligns with several Aged Care Quality Standards requirements around governance and continuous improvement, making it relevant across both registration frameworks.

ISO 45001, which covers occupational health and safety management, supports your WHS compliance obligations under both the NDIS Practice Standards and the Work Health and Safety Act 2011.

Both certifications can also strengthen competitive tender applications and funding submissions where quality assurance is assessed – a practical advantage that goes beyond the audit itself.