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Between the SCHADS Award, NDIS registration requirements, aged care quality standards and WHS obligations – all running simultaneously – it’s a lot to stay across. And the regulatory environment isn’t getting simpler. Here’s what you’re actually up against.
The Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services (SCHADS) Industry Award is consistently ranked among the most complex in the Fair Work system. These are the provisions our advisors are asked about most — and where underpayment risk is concentrated.
Sleepovers attract a flat allowance rather than an hourly rate – unless the employee is woken to perform work, in which case overtime rates apply. The rules on what constitutes ‘work’ during a sleepover are frequently misunderstood.
A common mistake we see: Paying a full shift rate for sleepover hours, or failing to record overnight interruptions and pay overtime accordingly.
Our HR advisors review your current pay arrangements against SCHADS obligations, identify exposure and help you implement compliant systems before issues escalate. Call the advice line any time – no time limits, no extra charge.
CALL THE ADVICE LINEOne place for healthcare HR consulting, workforce management and payroll, safety consulting and ISO certification. No handoffs, no gaps – just one team who understands your industry.
Rostering, payroll and onboarding in one platform – built for award-driven care environments.
Practical, auditable safety systems that meet your obligations under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and aged care regulatory requirements.
Signal to funders, regulators and clients that your organisation operates to the highest standards. ISO 9001 strengthens your position in funding applications. ISO 45001 provides a recognised framework for your WHS management system.
One platform. One provider. Citation Group combines HR expertise, workforce software and safety and ISO consulting into one integrated service. No gaps, no handoffs – just one team who already knows your sector.
HR services, workforce software, safety consulting and ISO certification, all from Citation Group. One relationship, one team, no gaps, no handoffs.
Our advisors know the SCHADS Award and understand your environment. You won't need to explain compliance nuances with a team that already gets it.
When the Award changes, your payroll system reflects it. When you get an enquiry, your HR Advisor can look at your exact payroll data.
Our most recent audit cycle was one of the most positive experiences we’ve had since certifying to ISO/IEC 27001:2022, and the relaxed nature allowed us to engage in discourse that was open and honest about gaps and our plans to fix them.
Daniel van Driel, Risk and Governance Lead
The auditor that was assigned to us was fantastic. He explained what was expected and required before the audit commenced. And even during the audit process, when things were being identified or uncovered, we could work quite dynamically. He was really accommodating and professional, and really quite pragmatic in the recommendations for improvement, which we’ve taken on board.
James Logan, Operations Risk and Compliance Manager
The collaborative relationship we’ve developed with Citation Certification has turned into a true partnership where our business needs are holistically understood and supported.
John Hemingway, Regional HSE Manager
Citation HR feels like they’re the HR department of our business, and is flying a flag for us. We’ve found Citation HR is super supportive, super helpful, super timely and they share our values.
Kuran Ireland, Business Development Manager
Citation HR’s software’s scalable technology means it’ll grow with us, no matter how big or small we get – its platform can be optimised to suit us and gives us the tools and support we need so that we can continue to deliver stellar cleaning and customer service to our clients.
Harvey Frame, CEO
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.
A brief conversation with one of our specialists is all it takes to understand where you stand and what to do next. No jargon, no obligation – just straightforward advice from people who know this sector.
We help you make sense of it and put the right systems in place.
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