The SIRS decision support tool is the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission's online question set for deciding whether an incident must be reported to the Commission. Residential aged care and home services providers can both use it. It is general guidance only, so the decision, and the record of how you reached it, stays with your organisation.
Key Takeaways
- The tool helps you decide whether an incident is reportable, and you must consider incidents that have occurred, are alleged, or are suspected.
- It is general guidance, not legal advice. Your organisation owns the notification decision.
- An incident that is not reportable still has to be managed through your incident management system, and may need to go to someone else.
- Name who runs the tool, when, and where the outcome is saved, so every decision can be explained later.
What is the SIRS decision support tool, and what does it not do?
The tool asks a series of questions about an incident. The Commission's page on SIRS in residential and home services also points providers to it for help choosing between Priority 1 and Priority 2.
It does not make the decision for you. The Commission's disclaimer says the assessment is your responsibility, the tool is not legal advice, and the Commission does not guarantee its accuracy, completeness or currency.
The tool pages also say the Aged Care Act 2024 and Aged Care Rules 2025 now apply and that the Commission is completing updates to align the pages with the new laws. Providers are told to refer to the Act and Rules for their obligations. Treat the tool as a structured prompt, and check the Act, Rules and current guidelines when an outcome looks doubtful. This is general information, not legal advice.
Who should run the tool, and when?
The Commission expects providers to assign roles and responsibilities for reporting incidents and to train the assigned staff. Name a role, such as the quality and compliance lead, and a backup for after hours and leave.
Run the tool as soon as an incident is raised, not after the investigation ends. Alleged and suspected incidents must be reported even if you cannot confirm them, and an internal or police investigation does not remove that duty.
Workers who are unsure should be able to ask the service's manager, as the Commission advises, so everyone must know who to call.
How do you walk through the tool, screen by screen?
Screen one: choose the service type
The first screen asks you to select residential care (or flexible care delivered in a residential aged care setting) or home services (aged care delivered in home and community settings). Home services include Support at Home and the Commonwealth Home Support Program, among other programs.
Choose the setting where the incident happened.
Next screens: incident selection and questions
The tool then asks questions about the incident, and the home services path includes an incident selection step. Answer on the facts you have now, note any assumptions, and rerun the tool if a fact changes.
The outcome
Treat the outcome as one input, then record it. If the incident is reportable, report through the My Aged Care Service and Support portal and set the priority level. If it is not reportable, the matter is not closed, as the scenarios below show.
What do worked scenarios in residential care look like?
Reportable. A care worker tells the clinical lead that a colleague handled a resident roughly during showering, and the resident now has bruising on one arm. Nobody saw it and the colleague denies it. The incident is alleged, and rough handling falls under unreasonable use of force, so it is reportable. The Commission lists an injury needing medical or psychological treatment as a Priority 1 example, so the clinical review drives the priority.
Not reportable, still managed. A resident who understands the risks declines a shower for several days. The Commission says you do not need to notify incidents caused by an informed older person who refuses care or does not follow a recommended course of action. You still document the circumstances, why the person is refusing, and your actions on the risk. The Commission notes your duty to provide care remains if the person is harmed.
What do worked scenarios in home services look like?
Reportable. A client tells the care partner that a support worker took cash from her purse during a visit. Stealing or financial coercion by a staff member is a reportable type, and an allegation counts. Run the tool and report. If you believe an incident involves a crime or ongoing danger, the Commission says to notify the police within 24 hours.
Not reportable, still managed. A client has a bruise from a fall in the garden on a day with no service delivery and no link to any support provided. For home services, the Commission asks for reportable incidents to do with care. If the tool and guidelines show no connection to your care, the incident may sit outside SIRS. Record it, check on the client, and rerun the tool if new information links it to care.
How should you record the decision?
Keep a short decision record for every incident you run through the tool, reportable or not. An auditor will want the reasoning for the incidents you did not report.
- Date and time you became aware, and who raised it.
- Service type selected and the key facts used.
- Tool outcome, with notes of the answers.
- Your final decision, who made it, and why, especially if you departed from the tool outcome.
- Priority level, notification reference and time sent, if reported.
- Other notifications, such as police or family.
- Follow-up actions, owners and dates.
The incident management and reporting policy is the natural home for this routine, and the Serious Incident Response Scheme policy sets out the roles.
What if the answer is uncertain?
Do not leave the tool unfinished while you wait for more information. The Commission says to report alleged or suspected incidents even when you cannot confirm them. If you do not have all the names, notify when you become aware and then provide the rest as soon as possible.
Use a simple rule: when two reasonable people would answer a question differently, escalate to a second reviewer the same day, record both views, and lean toward reporting. The Commission's police guidance runs the same way: if you are unsure whether an incident is criminal, report it to the police.
Clinical questions, such as whether an injury needs treatment, belong with a clinician.
How does the outcome connect to Priority 1, Priority 2 and other reporting?
When you report, you must say whether the incident is Priority 1 or Priority 2. The Commission's page on reportable incidents sets notification at 24 hours for Priority 1 and 30 days for Priority 2, from when you become aware. Our posts on Priority 1 and Priority 2 incidents and the difference between Priority 1 and Priority 2 cover the definitions.
A not-reportable result closes only the SIRS question. The incident still needs managing, and may need reporting elsewhere, for example to police. If staff keep reaching the wrong outcome, the common SIRS reporting mistakes post is a useful team discussion piece, and the SIRS training guide supports the training the Commission expects.
What will an auditor look for?
Expect questions on whether named roles exist, whether those people are trained, and why certain incidents were not reported. A complete decision record answers them. The ultimate guide to SIRS gives the wider scheme context.
Related Resources
- Policy mapping to standards
- Serious Incident Response Scheme policy
- Incident management and reporting policy
- Reportable incident glossary entry
- Ultimate guide to SIRS
- Commission SIRS decision support tool
- Commission guidance on SIRS in residential and home services
Common Questions About the SIRS Decision Support Tool
1. Does the tool work for home services as well as residential care?
Yes. The Commission says both residential aged care providers and home services providers can use it. The first screen asks you to choose between them.
2. Do I have to report an incident that is only alleged or suspected?
Yes. You must consider incidents that have occurred, are alleged to have occurred, or are suspected to have occurred. Reportable incidents must be notified even if you cannot confirm them.
3. What if the tool says the incident is not reportable?
You do not need to notify the Commission under SIRS, but you must still manage it through your incident management system. You may also need to report it to someone else, such as the police.
4. Has the tool been updated for the Aged Care Act 2024?
The Commission says it is completing updates to align the tool pages with the Aged Care Act 2024 and Aged Care Rules 2025, and tells providers to refer to them for their obligations.
5. Who should run the tool in our organisation?
The role your incident procedure names, plus a trained backup. The Commission expects providers to assign and train reporting staff.
Make the decision once, record it well
The tool works best when everyone runs it the same way and writes down what happened. Its answer informs your decision but does not replace it, and the reasoning is what an auditor will read. Name your tool owner and backup this week, then add a one-page decision record to your incident procedure.
