Aura OS documentation
Everything you need to set up and use Aura OS — the compliance and operations app for Australian NDIS SIL providers. Written for owner-operators and admins. Support workers get a worker-scoped experience described under Roles & permissions.
New to Aura? Start with What is Aura OS? and the sign-up walkthrough. Already running? Jump into the feature guides.
What is Aura OS?
Aura OS is the day-to-day operations app inside Clearline Health. It handles the records the NDIS Commission expects you to keep — shifts, handovers, medications, incidents, progress notes, policy reviews — and turns them into a one-click evidence pack when an auditor or plan manager asks.
The core promise: audit-ready evidence in sixty seconds. Pick a participant, pick a date, pick a Practice Standard → seven-section PDF. See Audit Evidence.
Who it's for
- SIL providers (registered or unregistered) preparing for the 1 July 2026 NDIS reforms.
- Owner-operators running 1–20 workers.
- Plan managers and OTs who connect via Clearline Connect.
What Aura OS is NOT
A short list of things people ask about. If any of these is your primary need, Aura isn't the right tool — we'll happily point you at one that is.
- Not a rostering tool. Shift logging happens here, but roster planning (who's working next fortnight) belongs in ShiftCare, Deputy, or similar.
- Not a CRM. Customer-relationship tracking, sales pipelines, leads — all out of scope.
- Not a clinical record system. Clinical observations can be logged as progress notes, but full clinical records (pathology, imaging, allied-health notes) aren't Aura's remit.
- Not a general healthcare platform. SIL-specific by design. Aged care, mental health standalone, allied-health solo practice — not the target.
- Not a participant-facing tool. That's Compass, a separate free app for families and carers.
- Not a payroll system. Aura flags Fair Work SCHADS breaches but doesn't file Single Touch Payroll. Pair with Xero, MYOB or Employment Hero for pay runs.
What's included on Free vs Pro
| Feature | Free | Pro ($49/month flat) |
|---|---|---|
| Participants, shifts, handovers, progress notes, incidents | ✓ | ✓ |
| Compliance score + six-pillar breakdown | ✓ | ✓ |
| Commission audit PDF | ✓ | ✓ |
| Participants cap | 5 | Unlimited |
| Workers cap | 5 | Unlimited |
| Audit Evidence pack (per Practice Standard) | — | ✓ |
| Medication Administration (MAR) | — | ✓ |
| Webster pack OCR | — | ✓ |
| Invoice PDFs + PACE CSV export | — | ✓ |
| Xero integration | — | ✓ |
| Connect messaging with family & OTs | — | ✓ |
New accounts come with a 7-day Pro trial, no credit card, no reminder emails. Reverts to Free at day 7 — your data stays.
Payment + refund terms
- Monthly: $49/month AUD (GST inclusive). Billed the same date every month.
- Annual: $490/year AUD (GST inclusive) — two months free versus monthly. Pick annual at Stripe Checkout.
- Payment methods: Visa / Mastercard / Amex, or BECS Direct Debit (lower fees, recommended for Australian providers). Both options appear at checkout.
- 7-day money-back guarantee from the day you upgrade. No questions. Email hello@clearlinehealth.com.au.
- Cancel anytime from the Stripe customer portal linked in Settings → Plan. Your plan stays Pro until the end of the billing period, then reverts to Free. No cancellation fee.
Sign up for an account
Visit clearlinehealth.com.au/aura-os. The signup form asks for:
- Your name
- Organisation name
- Email address
- Password (minimum 8 characters)
- Phone number (optional)
- Your role — Owner, House Manager, Compliance Officer, etc.
- Operating mode — "Just me" (sole trader, covers own shifts) or "I manage a team". See Solo vs team mode.
Your first login
After signing up, you'll land on the Dashboard. The Finish setup card walks you through the first 4 (team) or 5 (solo) tasks that unlock your compliance score:
- Review a policy in PolicyDesk
- Add your first worker (team) or complete your worker profile (solo)
- Add your first participant
- Log your first shift
- Log a supervision session (solo only)
Add your first participant
Go to Participants in the sidebar, then click + Add participant. The form opens with six essential fields visible and five collapsible sections for optional detail. You only need to fill what you know now — edit the rest later.
Essential fields
- First name (required)
- Date of birth
- Primary disability
- NDIS classification (Standard, Improved Liveability, Fully Accessible, Robust, HPS)
- Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander status (required — NDIS reporting)
- Language spoken at home (required)
Collapsible sections
- NDIS plan & living arrangement — NDIS number, plan start/end dates, living arrangement (SIL shared, SIL individual, etc.)
- Plan manager contact — name, email, ABN. Needed to push DRAFT invoices to a connected Xero tenant. See Xero integration.
- Emergency contact — name, phone, email.
- Behaviour support plan — toggle active + triggers/de-escalation notes (encrypted at rest).
- Connect ID — link a family member, carer, or OT via a six-character code or QR scan. See Clearline Connect.
Bulk import via CSV
If you're onboarding many participants at once, use the Import CSV button at the top of the Participants list. See Bulk CSV import for the full walkthrough.
Invite support workers
Applies to team mode only. Skip this section if you're on solo mode — your worker record was created automatically on signup.
You can invite workers from three places:
- Staff → + Add worker. Fill in name, role, employment details + email, keep "Send sign-in link" ticked. Creates the worker record, sends the invite.
- Settings → Team → Invite by email. Creates only the invite; the worker record is created on accept.
- Participants → participant card → Assign workers. Handy if you just added a participant and want to give an existing worker access.
How workers sign in
Workers don't set a password. They click the emailed sign-in link, which opens Aura OS logged in. On subsequent visits they use Email me a sign-in link on the login screen.
Assigning workers to participants
Workers only see the participants they've been explicitly assigned to. The fastest way to set this up is the assignment matrix:
Settings → Team → Assignment matrix shows workers × participants as a grid. Tap any cell to toggle the assignment. Changes save instantly.
Log your first shift
Open the Shift logs module. Admins click + New shift; workers click ⚡ Start shift now which pre-fills today's date, the current time, and the worker.
Required fields
- Participant
- Support worker
- Date + start + end time
- Five end-of-shift checks: Handover completed, No incidents, Medications given (if applicable), Notes completed, BSP followed (if applicable)
- Wellbeing acknowledgement — ticking "I have sighted the participant and confirmed their wellbeing" unlocks sign-off
Check-in, check-out, sign-off
- Check-in (optional) — on arrival, stamps the time + GPS coordinates. Native geo on the Android wrap; browser geo elsewhere.
- Check-out (optional) — on departure, stamps departure time + GPS.
- Sign-off — end of shift, when all five checks pass. Triggers:
- An auto-billing row (for Pro users with a default service assignment on the participant)
- Audit log entry
- The shift becomes read-only for non-admins
Generate your first invoice
Pro feature. Requires at least one signed-off shift with an auto-billing row.
Open Billing & Claims. The Generate new batch card at the top takes a date range + a format:
- Invoice PDF (plan manager) — for invoicing plan-managed participants.
- PACE CSV (registered provider) — for registered providers lodging direct with the NDIA.
Pick a range using the presets (This fortnight / Last 28 days / Last month) or set custom dates. Click Generate. A 5-minute presigned download link opens in a new tab.
See Billing & claims for the full workflow (Xero push, send to plan managers, batch history).
Participants
The Participants module is where you add, edit, archive, and assign the people you support.
Add & edit
Covered in Add your first participant. To edit an existing participant, click their name in the list then Edit.
Archive
Click the participant card → Archive. Archived participants stop counting against your Free-tier cap but their shift history stays in the audit log. Restore from the Archived tab.
Assign workers
Two entry points:
- Participant card → Assign workers — tick the workers who support this person.
- Settings → Team → Assignment matrix — grid view of the whole team.
Assignments are what drives worker scope: a worker only sees the participants they're assigned to, in every module.
Connect family & OTs
Each participant has a Clearline Connect ID field. Ask the family member or OT for their Connect ID (or scan their QR code via 📷 Scan). Linking them unlocks Connect messaging. See Clearline Connect.
Shifts & handovers
Shifts are the spine of Aura OS — they drive the compliance score, feed auto-billing, and generate the handover chain that the next worker reads before they start.
Shift statuses
| Status | Means |
|---|---|
| In progress | Checked in but not signed off. Blocks the next shift's Handover from being finalised. |
| Signed off — complete | All 5 checks passed. Read-only for non-admins. Auto-billing row created. |
| Signed off — flagged | One or more checks = No. Admin can review and unflag after resolution. |
Handover notes
A handover note is what the outgoing worker writes at sign-off. The incoming worker reads it on the Handover screen before they start. The NDIS expects every handover to be acknowledged on the next shift — the Handovers module tracks this.
/docs/screenshots/handover-overview.png.Pending handovers show up as amber on the dashboard "Needs your attention" row (admin view).
Editing a past shift
Admins can edit any shift; managers can edit shifts on participants they manage; workers can edit their own shifts until sign-off. After sign-off, only admins can correct.
Handover
The worker's first-screen-of-the-day. Handover notes from the previous shift, medications due this shift, open incidents, and the participant's behaviour support notes — all on one screen.
Open from the sidebar Handover, or tap Open Handover for this participant first → inside the Log Shift modal.
Medication administration (MAR)
ProThe Medication Administration Record tracks scheduled + PRN medications, with S4 / S8 controlled-schedule support and witness capture for S8.
Add a medication
Open Medications, pick the participant, click + Add medication. Fill:
- Drug name, strength, form (tablet, liquid, patch, etc.), route (oral, sublingual, IV, topical, etc.)
- Schedule type — Scheduled (fixed times, e.g. 08:00 / 20:00) or PRN (as-needed with instructions + max-doses cap)
- Controlled schedule — None / S4 / S8. S8 auto-ticks "witness required" — every dose will prompt for a second worker to witness.
Log a dose
On the MAR module, each due dose appears in the Due list. Click Record dose:
- Administered-at time (defaults to now, and remembers your last-used time for batch-logging missed doses)
- Outcome — Given / Refused / Omitted / Vomited (with mandatory reason for anything non-Given)
- Witness worker (S8 only — the dropdown appears when controlled=s8)
- Notes (optional)
Low-quantity alert
When the remaining quantity of a scheduled medication drops under 7 days, an alert appears on the Dashboard. Admin only.
Progress notes
Short-form notes on each participant's progress. Categorised by type (Support / Behaviour / Medical / Goal / Other) with optional goal reference and date.
Used for NDIS reporting + plan reviews. Workers can add notes on participants they're assigned to; admins see all.
Incidents
Incidents are anything that triggers an NDIS Commission reportable-incident review: medication errors, serious injury, use of restrictive practice, neglect, abuse, unexplained death. Aura guides you through the five-step Commission investigation framework on resolve.
Report an incident
Quick-action + Report an incident from the Dashboard or FAB. Fill:
- Participant, date, time, location
- Type (medication error, injury, restrictive practice, etc.)
- What happened, immediate actions taken, who was notified
Resolve an incident
Open the incident → Resolve. The stepper walks you through five Commission-aligned prompts:
- CCTV or location footage reviewed?
- Staff on shift interviewed?
- Family / guardian contacted?
- NDIS Commission notified (if reportable)?
- Prevention actions taken?
Each prompt is a yes/no radio + a detail textarea. Answering auto-advances to the next unanswered prompt — you can blast through all five on a phone without scrolling.
Audit Evidence
ProThe sixty-second audit test. Pick a participant, a date, a Practice Standard → get a seven-section evidence pack you can hand straight to an auditor or plan manager.
How to generate a pack
- Open Audit Evidence in the sidebar.
- Pick a participant (defaults to whoever had the most recent shift).
- Pick a date you want audited.
- Pick a Practice Standard — SIL-specific, Rights & Responsibilities, Governance, Provider Governance, Support Provision, etc.
- Click Generate pack.
What's in the pack
Seven sections, rendered as a branded PDF:
- Cover — your org, Connect ID, compliance score, date range.
- Participant profile — demographics, NDIS plan, primary supports.
- Shift log for the date — check-in/out times, worker, GPS, 5-check outcomes, handover written and acknowledged.
- Medication record — every dose logged that day, with S4/S8 witness trails.
- Incidents — any open or resolved incident affecting the participant.
- Policy evidence — the specific policies the selected Practice Standard requires, with last-reviewed dates.
- Worker credentials — NDIS Worker Screening, mandatory training expiries for the worker who was on shift.
Email to auditor
After generation, click Email to auditor. The pack is delivered via Resend with a short cover note and the PDF attached. The recipient doesn't need a Clearline account.
Billing & claims
ProInvoice plan managers or lodge with NDIA direct. Aura aggregates every signed-off, uncancelled shift billing in a period into one document.
Service codes
Before billing works, each participant needs a default service assignment — a mapping from their shifts to an NDIS service code (e.g. 01_011_0107_1_1 for standard weekday support). Set this up in Billing & Claims → Participant assignments.
Generate a batch
- Pick a format: Invoice PDF (plan manager) or PACE CSV (registered provider lodging direct).
- Pick a date range (use the presets for speed).
- Click Generate.
The resulting PDF or CSV opens in a new tab with a 5-minute presigned download URL. A batch record is saved; you can re-download it from the Batches tab.
/docs/screenshots/billing-generate-form.png.Xero skip warning
If your org is connected to Xero and you pick Invoice PDF, Aura runs a pre-check before generating. If any participant in the period lacks a plan-manager contact on their profile, a confirm dialog lists them by name and explains:
"3 of 5 participants in this batch have no plan manager. They'll appear in the invoice PDF but WILL NOT push to Xero as DRAFT invoices…"
Cancel to add plan-manager contacts, or OK to generate anyway (PDF covers everyone; Xero push only covers the ones with a plan manager).
/docs/screenshots/billing-xero-skip-dialog.png.Send to plan managers
On any invoice batch in the Batches tab, click Send to plan managers. Aura emails each participant's plan manager with the invoice PDF attached. Skipped recipients (no plan-manager email on file) are reported in the toast.
Click View sends to see delivery status per recipient (delivered / bounced / queued).
Batch history
Every generated batch is logged with its period, row count, total value, and current status. Re-download the PDF or CSV at any time (a fresh 5-minute presigned URL is minted).
Xero integration
ProOne-way push: every invoice batch you generate also creates DRAFT invoices in your Xero tenant, one per participant. Review and authorise in Xero as you would any DRAFT.
Connect your Xero account
- Go to Settings → Xero integration.
- Click Connect Xero. You'll be redirected to Xero.
- Authorise Aura OS against the Xero organisation you want to use.
- You'll be redirected back to Settings with a "Xero connected" toast and the tenant name in the Xero card.
/docs/screenshots/settings-xero-connected.png.What gets pushed
- One DRAFT invoice per participant per batch.
- Invoice number format:
CL-INV-<batch-id>-<sequence>-P<participant-index>. - Contact = the participant's plan manager (name + email + ABN on the participant record).
- Line items mirror the invoice PDF.
- Reference: "Aura OS batch <batch-id-prefix> · <participant name>".
Participants skipped from Xero
A participant is included in the invoice PDF but not in the Xero push if they have no plan-manager name and no plan-manager email on their profile. Fix: open the participant, expand the Plan manager contact section, fill in at least one of name or email.
Disconnecting
Settings → Xero integration → Disconnect. Future batches stop pushing until you reconnect. Existing Xero invoices are untouched.
Clearline Connect ID
Your Connect ID is a six-character code (format CLR-XXXX-XX) that links you with families, OTs, and plan managers outside your org. Once linked, you can exchange messages, share reports, and push plan updates without email chains.
Where to find yours
Bottom of the sidebar, under the Suite Home link. Click Copy ID to copy, or QR to display a scannable code.
Linking a family member or OT
- Open a participant's Edit modal, expand the Connect ID section.
- Ask the family member for their Connect ID, or click 📷 Scan to use your camera on their QR code.
- Save the participant. The link is live — the other party now sees the participant and can message.
Inviting someone who doesn't have Clearline yet
Click Invite on the Connect card in the sidebar. Aura pre-fills a message with your Connect ID; you send it via any channel (SMS, email, WhatsApp). They sign up, get their own Connect ID, and you link via the participant profile.
Webster pack OCR
ProPhotograph a Webster pack label → Claude vision reads it → medication rows are pre-filled for your review before they save.
How to use it
- Open Medications → pick a participant → click 📷 From photo.
- Your camera opens (mobile). Take a clear photo of the Webster pack label.
- Wait 5–10 seconds for Claude to extract the medications.
- Review each row — drug, strength, schedule, confidence chip, raw label quote. Edit any row that looks wrong, or tap Skip to drop it.
- Click Save selected. Saved rows become real medications on the MAR.
/docs/screenshots/webster-review.png.Push notifications
Aura sends push notifications to your Pixel, Samsung, or iPhone when you install the native wrap (Android available on Richard's Pixel 9 Fold today, Play Console publish pending; iOS on the roadmap).
What triggers a push
- New Connect message from a family member or OT
- Incident reported on a participant you're assigned to
- Shift handover filed for the shift starting within the hour
- Due medication reminder (MAR, 10 minutes before dose time)
You can opt-out per category in Settings → Notifications.
Roles & permissions
Aura has four roles. The role is set when an invite is sent and can be changed from Settings → Team.
| Role | Access |
|---|---|
| Admin | Full control. The org owner is always an admin. Only admins can change billing, invite workers, disconnect Xero, export audit logs. |
| Manager | Mid-tier admin. Rosters shifts, approves onboarding, reviews incidents. Can't change plan or invite admins. |
| Worker | Support worker. Sees only the participants they're assigned to. Logs their own shifts, handovers, notes, meds. Can't see org-wide compliance, peer shifts, or admin-only modules. |
| Member | Legacy read-only. Rarely used. |
What workers don't see
- Dashboard compliance score ring + six-pillar breakdown (org-wide data).
- Staff module — they see their own profile instead, under "Your worker profile".
- PolicyDesk, Reports, Billing & Claims, Upgrade, Settings → Team.
- Clearances or training expiries of peers.
"Acting as worker" toggle (admin only)
Admins can temporarily switch to a worker-only view to test what their workers see. Settings → Multi-hat card → Act as worker. The banner at the top of every page reminds you you're in worker view. Clear via the banner's Back to admin button or by signing out.
Solo vs team mode
Picked at signup. Changes how Aura branches:
| Solo | Team | |
|---|---|---|
| Auto-worker on signup | Yes — you're created as your own worker immediately | No — you invite workers yourself |
| "Invite workers" UI | Hidden | Visible |
| Assignment matrix | Hidden | Visible |
| Setup checklist | 5 steps (incl. supervision) | 4 steps |
| Shift Log default | You + your only participant auto-picked | Pickers empty, you choose |
| Dashboard title | "Your worker profile" | "Staff" |
Switching modes
Settings → Operating mode card. Solo → team always works. Team → solo requires exactly one worker linked to the current admin (so Aura knows who the sole trader is); otherwise you get a "cannot switch — you have more than one worker" warning.
Compliance score
An overall 0–100 score plus six weighted pillars. Visible on the Dashboard (admin + manager only). ≥ 90 is audit-ready.
The six pillars
Each pillar is weighted — the overall score is a weighted average of the six. Weights reflect what the NDIS Commission prioritises.
| Pillar | Weight | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Incidents | 25% | Rate of incident-free shifts + timely resolution of any reported incidents. |
| Worker screening | 20% | Every active worker carries a valid NDIS Worker Screening clearance. |
| Training currency | 15% | Mandatory training (first aid, CPR, manual handling, NDIS Orientation) current on every worker. |
| Supervision cadence | 15% | Supervision sessions logged per worker per quarter (NDIS 90-day cadence). |
| Restrictive practices | 15% | Behaviour support plans current, authorisations in place where required. |
| Policy reviews | 10% | 12 mandatory policies reviewed within the last 12 months. |
Where the weights come from: the bigger the direct participant-risk signal a pillar sends the Commission, the higher it's weighted. Incidents and worker screening together carry 45% because those two drive most reportable-incident + investigation cases.
Click any pillar row to drill down to the specific workers, policies, or incidents pulling the score down.
30-day delta
The score banner shows how much the number has moved in the last 30 days. Useful for steering — if you fix three policies this week, you'll see the pillar + overall score respond.
PolicyDesk
Twelve mandatory NDIS policies, pre-seeded as templates. You review each one, date it, and optionally attach a method note. The Policy Reviews pillar reads from this module.
Marking a policy reviewed
- Open the policy card.
- Click Mark reviewed.
- (Optional) Add a review method note — "Reviewed at team meeting 23 Apr 2026, all staff present".
- Save. Next-due date is auto-stamped for 12 months out.
Admins can download any policy as a branded PDF for their evidence folder (Pro).
Commission audit PDF
One-click export of your whole compliance posture as a branded PDF, Commission-ready. Different from Audit Evidence (which is per-participant per-date) — the Commission audit PDF is org-wide, for registered-provider audits.
Generate from Reports → Commission audit PDF.
Organisation settings
Admin-only. Under the Settings sidebar item:
- Plan — current tier, trial status, upgrade / downgrade.
- Operating mode — solo / team (see above).
- Multi-hat — "Act as worker" toggle.
- Team — worker list, invites, assignment matrix.
- Organisation profile — name, ABN, address, email, phone.
- NDIS registration — registration number (appears on generated documents + evidence packs).
- Invoice + bank details — name, BSB, account number, payment terms, footer text. Embedded on every generated invoice PDF.
- Logo — PNG/JPEG/WebP, max 2MB, renders at 120×50px on the invoice header.
- Xero integration — connect / disconnect.
- Audit log — every important action, searchable.
Bulk CSV import
For onboarding many participants or workers at once. Max 100 rows per import.
Steps
- Open Participants or Staff, click Import CSV.
- Download the blank template if you don't have one already — ensures column names match exactly.
- Fill your data into the template, save as
.csv. - Choose your file. Aura validates the headers:
- If no recognised columns → "This doesn't look like a participants CSV." — check you're uploading the right template.
- If a required column is missing → explicit list of what's missing.
- If there are unrecognised extra columns → amber banner in the preview showing which ones will be ignored.
- Review the preview table. Rows with validation issues are flagged (row-by-row, with the specific field at fault).
- Click Import N rows. Valid rows are created; skipped rows are reported in the results screen.
What's in the template
Participants: name, dateOfBirth, ndisNumber, planStartDate, planEndDate, planManagerName, planManagerEmail, planManagerAbn, classification, livingArrangement, primaryDisability, carerName, carerEmail, carerPhone, indigenousStatus. Only name is required.
Workers: name, roleTitle, email, phone, startDate, ndisScreeningId, ndisScreeningExpiry, employmentType. name + roleTitle are required. Payroll/bank/TFN fields are not imported via CSV — add those per-worker via the Edit modal for privacy reasons.
Common questions
I can't see the Add Worker button
You're either on solo mode (the button is hidden by design — switch to team in Settings) or signed in as a worker (admins only). Check Settings → Operating mode, or ask your admin to promote you.
My compliance score is stuck at zero
The score starts at a baseline until you have activity — at least one worker, one participant, one shift. Once data lands, the pillars populate within 30 seconds. Reload the Dashboard if it hasn't refreshed.
I marked a policy reviewed but the pillar still shows 0%
The compliance score is cached for 10 minutes to avoid hammering the DB. Either wait or reload the Dashboard — the pillar will update.
I generated an invoice but no DRAFT appeared in Xero
Check:
- Is Xero connected? Settings → Xero integration should show "Connected" + tenant name.
- Does the participant have a plan-manager name or email on their profile? (Pre-Generate warning catches this now; if you saw the confirm dialog, the skipped participants are listed.)
- Was the generated format Invoice PDF? PACE CSV batches don't push to Xero.
- Pulled straight from Xero — the invoice appears as DRAFT, not Authorised. Check the Draft tab.
A worker can sign in but sees no participants
They haven't been assigned yet. Admin: Settings → Team → Assignment matrix → tick their row against the relevant participants.
Why can't I delete a shift?
Signed-off shifts are protected — deleting them would break the audit trail. Admins can edit to correct details or mark as "cancelled" (which excludes from billing and compliance).
Sync & offline
Aura OS runs mostly in your browser. Actions sync to the cloud as you do them. If your connection drops:
- Shift check-ins, check-outs, handovers, and notes save locally and sync when the connection returns.
- Medication doses and incidents require connection at the moment (offline support is on the roadmap with the Capacitor wrap).
- If you see an amber "Offline — changes queued" banner at the top, your device is working but will retry automatically.
Force a sync
Sidebar → bottom → Sync now. Pulls fresh cloud state and replays any queued local changes.
Get support
Email hello@clearlinehealth.com.au. Include:
- Your Clearline Connect ID (sidebar footer).
- A screenshot of the issue.
- What you were trying to do.
We reply within one business day. Founder reads every message.