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Free template

NDIS progress note template

A progress note (or shift note) is the record a support worker writes after each shift or visit. It says what support was delivered, how the participant went against their goals, anything that changed, and what the next person needs to know.

Progress notes are often the main evidence that a claimed support actually happened. The NDIS rules don't prescribe a format, but registered providers must keep accurate, current participant records under the NDIS Practice Standards, and every provider needs records that back up what they claim.

Updated 7 October 2026 · Free to use, no sign-up

What the rules expect

Summarised from the sources listed at the end of this page. Check the current versions before you rely on them.

  • →Participant information is accurately recorded, current and confidential, and stored with proper access, retention and disposal processes (Practice Standards — Information management).
  • →Participants can access their own information and ask for it to be corrected, so write every note as if the participant will read it.
  • →Under the 2026 NDIS law changes, providers must keep records of supports and payments for seven years.
  • →Anything that may be a reportable incident goes through your incident management system, not just the note.

The template

Copy it into your own document, print it, or download it as plain text.

NDIS Progress Note

1. Shift details

Participant name
Date of support
Start time and finish time
Where the support was delivered
Home, community, SIL house, online
Support worker name
Type of support
e.g. assistance with daily life, community access

2. Supports delivered

What you did with the participant, in order
Plain verbs: prepared, prompted, drove, assisted

3. Goals worked on

Repeat for each goal you worked on this shift. Use the goal wording from the participant's support plan.

Goal (in the participant's words)
What the participant did
Level of help
Independent / verbal prompt / gesture / physical assistance — and how often
Compared with last time
More, less or the same — with a detail

4. Health and wellbeing

Describe what you saw and heard. Avoid labels like "difficult" or "non-compliant".

Mood and engagement
What the participant said and did
Meals and fluids
If part of the support
Medication
Given, declined or not applicable — record on the medication chart as well
Personal care
Any change in health or presentation

5. Incidents and concerns

Did anything happen that needs an incident report?
No / Yes — incident report reference
Concerns raised by the participant or others
What you did about it, and who you told

6. Handover

What the next worker or coordinator needs to know
Follow-up needed, and by whom

7. Sign-off

Worker signature
Date and time note written
Reviewed by (if your policy requires)

Free template from Suppora · suppora.com.au/templates/ndis-progress-note-template

Example

Worked example

A made-up participant, for illustration only.

Shift: Tuesday, 9:00am–12:00pm, community access from Sam's home. Worker: J. Lee.

Supports: Met Sam at home and reviewed the shopping list together. Drove to the local shopping centre. Sam chose items from the list and paid at the self-checkout. Drove home and helped Sam put the groceries away.

Goal — "I want to plan and buy my own groceries": Sam found 6 of 8 items on the list on his own and needed one verbal prompt to find the cereal aisle. Last week he found 4 items on his own. He paid at the self-checkout without help for the first time.

Wellbeing: Sam was chatty on the drive and said "I liked doing the card myself." He ate the lunch he had packed. No medication was due during the shift.

Incidents: None.

Handover: Sam would like to try the full list next week at a quieter time (before 10am). He mentioned he is running low on his usual shampoo — added to next week's list.

How to fill it in

Step by step

  1. 1

    Write it the same day

    Write the note at the end of the shift, or as soon as possible after. Notes written days later are harder to rely on.

  2. 2

    Record the facts of the shift

    Participant, date, start and finish times, location and your name. These must match what is claimed.

  3. 3

    Describe what you did

    List the supports in the order they happened, using plain verbs.

  4. 4

    Link the support to goals

    For each goal, say what the participant did, how much help they needed and how that compares with last time.

  5. 5

    Report what you saw and heard

    Describe behaviour and quote the participant's own words instead of using labels or guesses.

  6. 6

    Flag incidents and hand over

    Say whether an incident report is needed, then note what the next worker or coordinator needs to know.

Questions

Are progress notes mandatory for NDIS providers?
The NDIS rules don't set a progress note format. But registered providers must keep accurate, current participant records under the Practice Standards, and any provider needs evidence that the supports it claimed were delivered. In practice that evidence is the progress note.
How long should a progress note be?
Long enough to show what was delivered, how the participant went against their goals and anything that changed. For a routine three-hour shift that is usually a few short paragraphs. Detail matters more than length.
Can participants read their progress notes?
Yes. The Practice Standards say participants are told how they can access and correct their information. Write every note as if the participant, or their family with consent, will read it.
How long do we keep progress notes?
Under the 2026 NDIS law changes, providers must keep records of supports and payments for seven years. State or territory laws and your own policy may require longer, for example for records about children.
What should never go in a progress note?
Opinions presented as fact, diagnoses you are not qualified to make, labels such as "aggressive" or "attention-seeking", and information about other participants. Describe what happened instead.

Related templates and tools

All templates
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Incident report template

What happened, who was involved, injuries, actions, notifications and the reportable incident check.

Template

Support plan template

About me, goals, daily supports, health, risks, emergency planning, consent and review.

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Service agreement template

Parties, supports and prices, responsibilities, cancellations, emergencies, complaints and signatures.

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Progress note writer

Turn rough shift notes into a structured, goal-linked progress note.

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Reportable incident checker

Work out if an incident is reportable and when each notice is due.

References

Sources checked 7 October 2026.

  1. NDIS Practice Standards — Core module: Provider governance and operational management — NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
  2. NDIS Practice Standards — Core module: Provision of supports — NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
  3. Securing the NDIS for future generations (record keeping requirements) — National Disability Insurance Agency
  4. Reportable incidents — NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission

This templateis general information, not legal advice. Adapt it to your organisation's policies and the supports you deliver.

In Suppora

Notes from every shift, tied to the shift and the goals.

In Suppora, workers write structured progress notes from the app at the end of each shift. Notes are linked to the shift and the participant's goals, can be reviewed by a coordinator and exported to PDF.

Progress notes in Suppora See pricing