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At Regional Business Advisors (RBA), we specialize in simplifying complex compliance challenges for businesses operating in the social and community services sector. A recent partnership with Lutheran Disability Services (LDS), a leading faith-based, not-for-profit NDIS provider, illustrates how we help organisations navigate the intricate requirements of the Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award 2010 (SCHADS Award).

The Challenge

Lutheran Disability Services provides Supported Independent Living (SIL) services, employing a large number of disability support workers with varied schedules. Ensuring these workers are paid accurately according to the SCHADS Award had become a growing challenge for Joyce and her team. Their existing payroll system lacked the functionality to identify complex award conditions, leading to:

  • Inaccurate pay calculations, especially for shifts involving sleepovers, broken shifts, and weekend work.
  • Difficulty tracking compliance with minimum engagement periods and overtime regulations.
  • Risk of non-compliance with SCHADS Award provisions, exposing the organisation to potential disputes and penalties.

Our Solution

RBA collaborated with LDS to identify the key aspects of the SCHADS Award that were difficult to manage with their existing payroll system. We developed a custom assessment tool designed to:

  • Ingest Roster Data: Joyce and her team could easily input their roster data into a structured format.
  • Automate Compliance Checks: The tool automatically checked if rosters aligned with SCHADS Award requirements, including minimum hours, overtime rates, and applicable allowances.
  • Highlight Discrepancies: Any potential issues were flagged before payroll processing, ensuring workers were paid correctly the first time.

The LDS Compliance Tool

The backbone of this solution was a comprehensive compliance tool structured to streamline award adherence processes:

  • User Guidance: Provided step-by-step instructions on data input and highlighted key areas for automated compliance checks, making it user-friendly for the LDS team.
  • Roster Data Management: Served as the central hub for employee work schedules, tracking critical details like:
    • Worker Names
    • Shift Start and End Times
    • Total Hours Worked
    • Service Type (e.g., SIL – Night-Time Sleepover, SIL – Standard – Weekday Evening)
  • Enhanced Verification: Monitored factors like sleep disturbances, gap times between shifts, and weekly/fortnightly hours to ensure full compliance with SCHADS Award regulations.
  • Automated Reporting: Applied SCHADS Award rules to automatically calculate adjustments, overtime, and allowances. This ensured LDS could quickly identify discrepancies in payroll.
  • Built-in Logic Framework: Contained the logic and conditional rules that guided payroll calculations, such as ensuring correct application of sleepover allowances and identifying when shifts qualified for overtime due to short rest periods.

The Outcome

By implementing this assessment tool, LDS achieved:

  • Simplified Compliance: The tool ensured that rosters adhered to SCHADS Award requirements, significantly reducing the administrative burden on the payroll team.
  • Accurate Payments: Previous issues with underpayment or overpayment were eliminated, fostering trust and satisfaction among employees.
  • Operational Efficiency: Automating complex calculations freed up time for Joyce and her team to focus on other critical areas of service delivery.
  • Creating Happy Homes: By ensuring accurate and timely payments, LDS could focus more on their mission to Create Happy Homes for their clients, fostering environments where individuals with disabilities feel valued, supported, and empowered.

“We initially engaged with Robin and his team to assist with our Investment Strategy, but their expertise in data modeling and problem-solving quickly caught our attention. Our payroll team was struggling with the time-consuming process of manually recognising SCHADS Award entitlements.

Gio from RBA analysed the data presented, defined key pain points, built an automated model based on award rules, and refined it through live testing with me. After successful implementation, they provided hands-on training to ensure a smooth transition. Within weeks, the model proved invaluable—reducing errors, saving time, and streamlining our payroll process.

We highly appreciate their expertise and the efficiency their model has brought to our operations.”

— Wendy Yin, Finance Manager – Payroll & Financial Reporting

If you’re an NDIS provider struggling to ensure compliance with the SCHADS Award, RBA can help simplify your payroll processes and safeguard your organization against compliance risks.

Our tailored solutions are designed to integrate seamlessly with your existing systems, ensuring your staff are paid accurately and fairly.

Contact Regional Business Advisors today to learn how we can help your organisation achieve SCHADS Award compliance with ease and confidence.


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