NDIS Progress Note Template — Use Online or Copy to Your Document
An editable NDIS progress note template for support workers. Covers support delivered, participant response, goal progress, health observations, incidents, and worker declaration. Copy and adapt for your organisation.
What is an NDIS progress note?
A progress note is a contemporaneous record of the support delivered to a participant during a shift. It captures what happened, how the participant responded, any concerns or incidents, and evidence that the funded support was actually provided.
Done well, progress notes serve three purposes at once. They protect the participant by creating a record of their care history. They protect the worker by documenting what was done and any decisions made. And they protect the organisation by demonstrating that supports were delivered as funded — which is what the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission looks for during audits.
What a good progress note must capture
The NDIS Practice Standards do not prescribe a single format, but auditors consistently assess whether notes demonstrate that supports were actually delivered and that the worker engaged meaningfully with the participant's goals. A note that passes audit typically covers:
What support was delivered. Not a category name, but a description of the actual tasks. "Assisted with meal preparation, personal hygiene, and transport to medical appointment" is useful. "Daily living activities" is not.
How the participant responded. Mood, engagement, communication, and any change from their usual presentation. This matters both for continuity of care and as early documentation of any emerging concerns.
Progress toward goals. If the shift relates to a specific goal in the participant's NDIS plan, note what progress was observed. If no plan goal applies, write that explicitly rather than leaving it blank.
Health and wellbeing observations. Changes in physical condition, behaviour, or medication (if in scope for the worker's role). Auditors look for evidence that workers are observing, not just completing tasks.
Incidents and concerns. Any incident, near-miss, or escalation flag, with a reference to a formal incident report where one has been lodged.
Common mistakes that create audit risk
The most common documentation failure is the generic note: "Shift completed. Client in good spirits. No concerns." This is not a progress note. It provides no evidence of what support was delivered, no connection to goals, and no clinical or behavioural observation. If a participant later raises a concern about the support they received, a note like this provides no protection for the worker or the organisation.
A second common mistake is inconsistency across workers. When different staff use different formats, coordination staff cannot quickly identify changes in a participant's condition or trajectory. A standard template across the organisation solves this.
Finally, late notes. A progress note written two days after a shift is not contemporaneous and will be assessed accordingly by auditors. The note should be completed at or immediately after the shift ends.
How Teiro automates progress note tracking
Teiro lets you attach dynamic forms, including progress note templates, directly to job types. When a carer completes a shift on the mobile app, the progress note form appears as part of the shift completion workflow. Entries are timestamped, linked to the participant record, and visible to coordinators in the client's communication timeline. Late submission is flagged automatically. See how it works.
NDIS Progress Note Template
Copy the section below and adapt it for your organisation. The labels in brackets indicate what to write in each field.
NDIS PROGRESS NOTE
Organisation name: [Your organisation's registered name]
Participant name: [Participant's full legal name]
NDIS number: [Participant's NDIS plan number]
Support worker name: [Worker's full name]
Date of support: [DD/MM/YYYY] Time in: [HH:MM] Time out: [HH:MM]
Support category / line item (if known): [e.g. Daily Activities — 01002010711]
1. Support Delivered
[Describe the specific support activities provided during this shift. List tasks completed, activities undertaken, and any assistance given. Be specific — avoid category names alone.]
2. Participant Response and Engagement
[How did the participant respond to the support? Note their mood, engagement level, communication, and whether they were an active participant in the activities. Note anything different from their usual presentation.]
3. Goal Progress
[If the support delivered relates to a goal in the participant's current NDIS plan, note what progress was observed. If no plan goal applies to this shift, write "Not applicable to this shift."]
Goal referenced: [Goal title or description from the participant's plan, or "N/A"]
Progress observed: [What was observed — steps forward, maintained skills, any regression]
4. Health and Wellbeing Observations
[Note anything relevant to the participant's physical or emotional health — changes in condition, medication observations if in scope for your role, mobility, appetite, sleep quality, pain indicators, or anything that differs from their usual baseline.]
5. Incidents, Concerns, or Handover Flags
Was there any incident, near-miss, or concern during this shift?
- No incidents or concerns — routine shift
- Concern noted (describe below)
- Incident report submitted (record report number below)
Details: [Describe the incident or concern in factual terms. What happened, when, how it was managed, and what follow-up is required.]
Incident report number (if applicable): [Organisation incident report reference number]
6. Worker Declaration
By submitting this note, I confirm that the support described above was delivered in accordance with the participant's support plan and my organisation's service agreement, and that this record is accurate to the best of my knowledge.
Worker name: [Print full name]
Signature: [Handwritten signature or digital worker ID]
Date submitted: [DD/MM/YYYY]
*(For digital records: worker ID and submission timestamp serve as the electronic signature)*
*This template is provided as a general guide. Adapt it to your organisation's policies and ensure it aligns with requirements under the NDIS Practice Standards and your registration conditions. If you are unsure whether your progress note format meets audit requirements, contact your employer association or a registered NDIS consultant.*
Ready to move your progress notes off paper or shared drives? Book a Teiro demo to see how digital progress notes work — attached to shifts, timestamped, and visible to your coordination team the moment they are submitted. Or start free with up to five users at no cost.