Short version: a good incident report form records who, what, when, where, what was done and what happens next, in plain facts, as soon as the person is safe. Copy the field list below into your own form. If you roster support workers, an incident that runs a shift over also has a pay impact, which our free SCHADS Pay Calculator can check.
What is an incident report form?
An incident report form is the written record of an event that caused, or could have caused, harm to a participant, client, worker or visitor. In disability and aged care it covers falls, injuries, medication errors, behaviours of concern, missing persons, property damage, near misses and complaints that involve a safety issue.
The form does three jobs. It creates a factual record while memory is fresh, it triggers the right follow-up (medical care, family or guardian contact, a manager review) and it gives you the information to spot patterns, such as the same fall happening at the same time of day.
Free incident report template: the fields to include
You can build this in a document, a spreadsheet or a form tool. What matters is that every field is there and that workers can complete it quickly.
1. Details of the person affected
- Full name and, where relevant, NDIS or client reference number
- Whether they are a participant, client, worker, visitor or other
- Any relevant support needs, such as communication or mobility, that help a reviewer understand the event
2. When and where
- Date and time the incident happened
- Date and time it was noticed or reported, which can differ
- Exact location, such as the participant's home, a day program or a vehicle
3. Who was involved or saw it
- Staff on shift and their roles
- Any witnesses, including other participants, family or members of the public
4. Incident type
A tick-box list keeps data consistent and makes later reporting easier: injury or fall, medication, behaviour of concern, restrictive practice, abuse or neglect allegation, missing person, property damage, near miss, other.
5. Description of what happened
This is the section people struggle with most, so it gets its own heading below.
6. Immediate response
- First aid or medical attention given, and by whom
- Whether an ambulance, police or other emergency service was called
- Steps taken to make the person and the area safe
7. Notifications
- Who was told (guardian, family, support coordinator, manager) and when
- Whether the event might be an NDIS reportable incident, and who decided
8. Review and follow-up (manager section)
- Likely contributing factors
- Actions to prevent a repeat, with an owner and due date
- Whether the care plan, risk assessment or roster needs to change
- Sign-off by the reviewer, with date
How to write the incident description
Write what was seen, heard and done, in the order it happened, using specific words rather than judgements.
| Avoid | Better |
|---|---|
| "Client was aggressive." | "Client raised their voice, said 'get out', and threw a cup, which hit the wall." |
| "Fell because the floor was wet." | "Found client on the bathroom floor at 7:40am. The floor near the shower was wet. Client said their foot slipped." |
| "Took meds late." | "Morning medication was due at 8am and was given at 9:15am. Reason: the pharmacy delivery had not arrived." |
Use quotation marks for the person's own words, record times where you can, and leave out guesses about motive. If you did not see the event, say so and record who told you.
Incident reports versus NDIS reportable incidents
This is where providers most often get confused. Your internal form records everything. Registered NDIS providers must also notify the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission of events that fall into the defined reportable categories, which include the death or serious injury of a participant, abuse or neglect, unlawful physical or sexual contact, and unauthorised use of a restrictive practice. The Commission sets strict timeframes, with the most serious categories requiring notification within 24 hours of becoming aware and others within five business days, followed by a more detailed form. Check the current categories and timeframes on the NDIS Commission website before relying on this summary, because they are set by the Commission and can change.
Two practical consequences follow. First, workers should never be the ones to decide whether something is reportable; the form should route straight to a manager. Second, your internal form needs the date and time the provider became aware, because external timeframes run from that moment.
Common mistakes with incident forms
- Waiting until the next day. Details fade quickly, and the report may need to go out sooner than that.
- Mixing fact and opinion. It makes the record less useful and can be unfair to the people named.
- No follow-up section. A report that is filed but never reviewed does not prevent the next incident.
- Free text for everything. Incident type and location as tick-boxes make trends visible.
- Forgetting the roster impact. Time spent responding to an incident can push a worker past their rostered finish. Overtime and minimum break rules are part of the Award, so rostering and payroll need to know.
How RaddeCare+ fits in
RaddeCare+ has a form builder for compliance documents, so you can set up an incident form with the fields above and keep it alongside the rest of your records. The form builder is part of the web platform; dynamic forms are not built into the worker mobile app. The worker app covers geolocated sign in and out, timesheets, leave and offline use, and when an incident extends a shift, the actual hours flow through the Award engines (SCHADS, Aged Care and Nurses) so overtime and break rules are applied to the shift.
Frequently asked questions
Is an internal incident report the same as an NDIS reportable incident?
No. An incident report form is your organisation's own record of something that happened. A reportable incident is a defined category of serious event that registered NDIS providers must notify to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission. Many incidents never reach that threshold, but all of them should still be recorded internally.
Who should complete the incident report form?
The worker who witnessed or first responded to the incident should record the facts as soon as it is safe to do so, in their own words. A coordinator or manager then reviews it, adds the follow-up actions and signs it off.
How soon after an incident should the form be completed?
As soon as the person is safe and the immediate response is done, ideally before the end of the shift while memory is fresh. Registered NDIS providers also have strict notification timeframes for reportable incidents, so a delayed internal form can delay the external report.
Should a worker's opinion be included in the incident description?
Keep the description to what was seen, heard and done. Opinions and assumptions about cause or blame belong in the review section, where a manager can weigh them against other information.