Goodo Verification Policy

Draft for legal review — not yet legal advice

This policy explains how Goodo checks who people are and what role they hold, what each badge means, how long badges last, and what happens when something expires or goes wrong.

It is written to match the badge rules in our software (packages/vetting/src/badges.ts) and the credential types in our database (credential_types). If this document and the software ever disagree, we treat that as a defect and fix whichever is wrong. The rules in section 4 are intended to read exactly like the code.

1. What verification is, and what it is not

• A badge means: on the date we checked, the person met the requirements listed for that badge. Nothing more.
• A badge is not a recommendation, an endorsement, a quality rating, or a guarantee about the person's conduct or the safety of their services.
• Goodo is not a regulator and cannot do criminal-history checks. Where a check depends on a government clearance (for example an NDIS Worker Screening Check), we review the evidence a person gives us. We cannot query the NDIS Worker Screening Database ourselves, so we may not learn straight away if a clearance is withdrawn. That is why we re-verify on a schedule (section 6) and require people to tell us about changes (section 9).
• Everyone must have a verified identity and a verified role to take part in posting, groups, events and location discovery. An account with no live badge (pending, expired or revoked) can look around but cannot post or take part in role-restricted spaces until the issue is resolved.

2. Roles

Every account has one primary role:

Moderators and admins are Goodo staff and do not hold badges.

3. Credentials we use

A credential is one thing we have checked. A credential is live when its status is verified and it has not passed its expiry date. Each credential type has a standard validity period. Where the issuer's own document has an earlier expiry date (for example, a screening clearance or an insurance certificate), the earlier date applies.

Notes:

• The Working With Children Check is recorded where provided but is not currently a requirement for any badge.
• Registration groups that matter for role badges are 0127 Plan Management and 0106 Assistance in Coordinating or Managing Life Stages, Transitions and Supports (support coordination). The Provider Register is the source of truth for which groups an organisation holds.

4. Badge rules

A badge is granted when any one of the listed requirement sets is fully met by live credentials and, where stated, by the organisation. Badges are only assessed for the roles shown.

"Organisation approved" means the organisation's Provider Register status is Approved. "Organisation authorised" means the organisation has confirmed this person works for it.

Verified participant

• Role: participant
• Route A: Identity verified + NDIS plan evidence
• Route B: Identity verified + Vouched as participant

Verified carer or nominee

• Roles: nominee, carer
• Route A: Identity verified + Nominee or carer declaration + NDIS plan evidence (the participant's plan)
• Route B: Identity verified + Nominee or carer declaration + Vouched as participant

Verified registered provider

• Roles: provider staff, plan manager, support coordinator, allied health, sole trader
• One route: Identity verified + NDIS Provider Register match + organisation approved + organisation authorised
• Shows the organisation's registration groups.

Verified plan manager

• Role: plan manager
• One route: Identity verified + NDIS Provider Register match + organisation approved + organisation authorised + organisation holds registration group 0127

Verified support coordinator

• Role: support coordinator
• Route A (registered): Identity verified + NDIS Provider Register match + organisation approved + organisation authorised + organisation holds registration group 0106
• Route B (unregistered or sole trader): Identity verified + Active ABN + NDIS Worker Screening Check clearance + NDIS Worker Orientation Module + Insurance certificate of currency

Verified support worker

• Roles: support worker, sole trader, support coordinator, allied health
• Route A: Identity verified + Active ABN + NDIS Worker Screening Check clearance + NDIS Worker Orientation Module
• Route B: Identity verified + organisation authorised + NDIS Worker Screening Check clearance + NDIS Worker Orientation Module

NDIS Worker Screening Check and Orientation Module are conditions of this badge even where the law would not require a check for the worker's role.

Verified allied health professional

• Role: allied health
• One route: Identity verified + AHPRA registration

Which badges each role can earn

Pending and expired

An account whose requirements are not yet met shows Pending. An account whose badge has lapsed shows Expired. Neither can post or take part in role-restricted spaces until resolved.

5. Vouching

A person holding a live Verified plan manager or Verified support coordinator badge may vouch that someone is a participant, nominee or carer they know through their work.

• A vouch is a statement that you have a genuine working relationship with that person and believe they are who they say.
• A vouch lasts 12 months and can be withdrawn at any time. Withdrawing a vouch may cause the vouched person's badge to lapse unless they hold other live credentials.
• A vouch gives a participant a badge without them sharing plan documents. Because this relies on a provider-side person's word, we monitor vouching patterns. A voucher who vouches for people who turn out not to be participants may lose their own badge and be dealt with under the Community Guidelines.
• A vouch must not be made in return for anything. It is a conflict of interest to vouch for someone in exchange for referrals, payment or any benefit (see the Conflict of Interest Statement).
• Vouching does not give the voucher any access to the vouched person's account or information.

6. Re-verification and expiry

• Every credential carries an expiry date. We check expiries every day. When a credential passes its expiry date, its status becomes expired and our system re-evaluates the person's badges straight away.
• A credential is valid up to and including its expiry date. There is no grace period after expiry.
• Reminders: we notify you before a credential is due to expire so you can renew in time. [Reminder timing to be confirmed — proposed 30 days and 7 days before expiry.]
• Provider Register: we refresh the Provider Register monthly. If an organisation's status changes (for example, suspended, revoked or lapsed) or its registration groups change, badges that depend on it are re-evaluated and may be revoked.
• When we find a problem (for example, the register shows a status other than Approved, an ABN is cancelled, or evidence turns out to be false) we may revoke a badge at any time without waiting for expiry.
• Renewing: you resubmit the credential that has expired or is about to. Your other live credentials stay in place. When the new credential is verified your badge returns.
• What happens to your account on expiry: you keep your account, your published videos stay up and your messages stay available to you. You cannot post new videos, create groups or events, or take part in role-restricted spaces until the badge returns. Where a badge is revoked because of a safety concern we may also hide your content while we review.
• Provider side: your public profile no longer shows the lapsed badge. Participants who followed you still follow you.

7. Evidence, privacy and what we store

We keep as little as possible.

• We never store identity documents or your date of birth. The identity verification vendor checks your ID through the Document Verification Service and gives us a pass/fail result, a reference, and a confirmation that you are 16 or over. We store those only.
• Evidence files (for example, a plan cover page, screening clearance, insurance certificate, certificate of completion or authorisation letter) are uploaded to a private area that only you and authorised Goodo reviewers can open. Reviewers open them through short-lived links.
• After a decision we delete the evidence file. Our job deletes evidence 30 days after a decision, which covers the 7-day appeal window. We keep:
  • the outcome (verified, rejected, expired or revoked)
  • the reference number (for example, a clearance number, registration ID or identity-check transaction reference)
  • the issuer, issue date and expiry date
  • a cryptographic hash (SHA-256) of the file, so we can show what was reviewed without keeping the file
  • the name of the reviewer and the date of the decision
  • the reason, if rejected
• If you submit evidence and no decision is made within 30 days, the request is closed and the file is deleted. [Timing to be confirmed.]
• For participants and carers we keep "verified on [date]" and the reference. We do not keep a copy of your NDIS plan or NDIS number beyond what is needed to reach a decision. [NDIS number handling to be confirmed in the Privacy Impact Assessment.]
• Our full retention periods are in the Data Retention Schedule. How we handle your information is explained in the Privacy Policy.

8. Who reviews

• Automatic checks (identity vendor, ABN lookup, Provider Register match, AHPRA lookup) run without a person, but a person looks at any result that is unclear, a near-match, or a mismatch.
• Manual checks are done by Goodo trust and safety staff (moderators and admins) who are trained in privacy, disability awareness and document checking. They can see evidence only for the cases they review, and every view is logged.
• A reviewer must not review their own application, or an application from someone they know personally or have a financial relationship with.
• A second reviewer checks a sample of decisions each month, and every revocation made on the grounds of false information.
• Paying Goodo any fee does not affect a verification decision. See the Conflict of Interest Statement.
• Timing: automatic checks complete in minutes. We aim to complete manual review within 3 business days. [Target to be confirmed.] This is a target, not a promise. Review times may be longer during busy periods.

9. Your obligations

If you hold a badge you must:

• give true, complete and current information
• only submit documents that belong to you
• tell us within 2 business days if something changes that affects a badge, such as your screening clearance being suspended, withdrawn or conditions placed on it; your registration, insurance or ABN ceasing; ceasing to work for the organisation; or your organisation's registration changing [timing to be confirmed]
• not allow anyone else to use your account

Giving false documents or information leads to immediate badge revocation, and usually a ban. We may refer it to police, the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission or another authority.

10. Rejections and appeals

• If we reject a credential, we tell you why and what you can do, in plain language.
• You can resubmit with better evidence at any time.
• You can appeal a rejection or a revocation within 7 days of the decision. A different reviewer from the one who made the decision looks again. We aim to respond within 7 days of receiving your appeal. [Target to be confirmed.]
• Evidence is normally deleted 30 days after a decision. If you appeal, we pause deletion of that evidence until the appeal is decided, then delete it. If it has already been deleted, we will ask you to send it again.
• If you are still unhappy you can complain to us (see the Privacy Policy for how), or to the relevant external body.

11. Changes to the rules

Badge rules may change, for example when government registration requirements change. We build new categories in a way that does not require existing users to start from scratch. If a change means an existing badge no longer applies, we give notice and a reasonable time to meet the new requirements, unless the change is needed urgently for safety.