# 29 October 2026 Source: https://docs.astalty.com.au/training-and-updates/changelog/october-2026/29-october-2026 > Astalty updates released on 29 October 2026: Archiving Regions; Preferred Names in Reports and Pickers; Archiving a Participant Record Type; Archiving User... ## Archiving Regions A Region can now be archived instead of deleted, so everything already tagged to it - Participants, staff and sites - keeps working across lists, reports and exports, while the Region itself can no longer be assigned to anything new. Use the **Status** filter (**Active**, **Archived** or **All**) to find one, and unarchive it at any time. Deleting a Region that's still tagged now offers **Archive instead** right from the message explaining why it can't be deleted. ![The Regions page in Settings with Status set to All, listing Brisbane North, Brisbane South, Gold Coast, Logan marked Archived, and Northern Rivers](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/settings-regions-list-status-filter.png) For more information, visit the [Regions](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/settings/regions#archiving-a-region) guide. ## Preferred Names in Reports and Pickers Your account's **Participant Name Display** and **Staff Name Display** settings now also control names in more places: in-app reports - including the name you search or sort by - more Participant pickers such as Group Support and Form Participant Select fields, and the filename of an exported or emailed schedule PDF. Legal names still appear on payroll, invoicing, exports, signing records and audit trails. For more information, visit the [Participants Settings](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/settings/participants-settings#participant-name-display) or [Users Settings](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/settings/users-settings#staff-name-display) guide. ## Archiving a Participant Record Type Participant Record Types can now be archived instead of deleted. Select **Archive** from a type's row menu, or **Archive instead** when deletion is blocked because the type is already in use. Archiving stops it being offered for new Records and drops it from the required-record count, but existing Records are unaffected, and you can unarchive it at any time. Use the new **Status** filter to show Active, Archived, or All types. ![The Participant Record Types table with the Status filter set to Active. The actions menu for Consent Form is open, and an orange arrow points to its Archive option below Edit.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/participant-record-types-archive-action.png) ![The Unable to delete Participant Record Type dialog, explaining the type is in use, above a list of 58 Participants who hold a record of that type, each with a View link. The Archive instead button is highlighted beside Close.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/participant-record-types-archive-instead.png) For more information, visit the [Participant Record Types](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/settings/participants-settings/participant-record-types#archiving-a-record-type) guide. ## Archiving User and Site Record Types User Record Types and Site Record Types can now be archived instead of deleted, the same way Participant Record Types already can. An archived type stops being offered for new Records and stops counting as required - and any Record Notifications configured for it stop sending - but existing Records are unaffected, and it can be unarchived at any time. Use the new **Status** filter (Active, Archived or All) to find one. ![The User Record Types list with the Status filter set to All, showing an Archived chip beside the Induction Checklist record type](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/user-record-types-archived-status-filter.png) For more information, visit the [User Records](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/settings/users-settings/user-records#archiving-a-user-record-type) and [Sites Settings](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/sites-settings#archiving-a-record-type) guides. ## Confirming When You Roster an Unavailable Worker When you create a shift or add attendees to an internal event, Astalty now asks you to confirm if a selected worker has approved leave, recorded unavailability, or a pending leave or availability request overlapping it. It's a warning, not a block - you can still confirm and proceed. ![A Confirm dialog over the shift creation form reading John Doe is not available during this shift, and John Smith has a pending leave request during this shift, asking Are you sure you want to continue, with Cancel and Confirm buttons](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/availability-confirm-rostering-unavailable-worker.png) For more information, visit the [Managing Availability](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/scheduling/managing-availability#confirming-an-unavailable-worker-when-you-create-a-shift) guide. ## Choosing Which Shifts to Keep When Approving Leave Approving a leave or unavailability request no longer has to unassign the worker from every affected shift. The approve screen now lists each affected shift, ticked by default to unassign, so you can untick any the worker should keep - with an **Unassign all** checkbox for releasing or re-ticking them all at once. ![The Approve Leave drawer listing six affected shifts, five ticked to unassign and one unticked to keep the worker on it, with an Unassign all checkbox above the list](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/availability-approve-keep-shifts.png) For more information, visit the [Managing Availability](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/scheduling/managing-availability#choosing-which-shifts-to-keep) guide. ## Notifying the Requester's Team Leader for Availability Requests If your organisation uses Teams, availability and leave request notifications can now go to just **the requester's Team Leader** instead of a fixed list of people every time. Turn on **The requester's Team Leader** on the notification form, and Astalty notifies whoever leads that person's Team - falling back to your chosen User Groups and Users if the requester has no Team, no Team Leader, or the Team Leader can't approve the request. This option is off by default. ![The Update Unavailability Request Notification drawer, scrolled to Notification recipients. The requester's Team Leader checkbox is ticked, with the note "Only the team leader is notified. The user groups and users below are notified instead when the requester has no team leader who can approve the request." beneath it. The User Groups field holds team member and admin chips, and the Users field holds Admin User, Camron Toy, Berry Ratke and Edgardo Streich as fallback recipients.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/availability-request-notification-team-leader-recipient.png) For more information, visit the [Availability Request Notifications](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/scheduling/setup/availability-request-notifications#notifying-the-requesters-team-leader) guide. ## Broadcasting Internal Shifts Unassigned internal shifts - like staff training, meetings or other admin time - can now be broadcast to Support Workers from **Unassigned Shifts**, the same way support shifts already are. Each occurrence broadcasts on its own, even if the internal event it belongs to repeats. ![The Shift Details page for an unassigned internal shift named Staff Training, with the Broadcast Shift button highlighted next to Actions and Update Details.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/shift-board-broadcast-internal-shift-button.png) ![The Select Shift step of the Shift Board's Add Shift flow, with the Shift Type filter set to Internal Shift and a Staff Training shift listed below it.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/shift-board-add-shift-internal-filter.png) For more information, visit the [Shift Board Workflow](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/scheduling/shift-board-workflow#broadcasting-an-unassigned-shift) guide. ## Contracted and Maximum Hours Award Alerts Scheduling Award Alerts now flag two more situations: a part-time worker rostered past their contract's **Weekly Hours**, and any worker - including casuals - rostered past an optional **Maximum Weekly Hours** limit, such as a visa work restriction. Both limits are scaled to your pay period, and show up wherever Award Alerts already appear. ![The Smart Award Alerts settings with an arrow pointing to the Contracted Hours alert, set to Prevent Selection, and the Maximum Hours alert, set to Warn Only.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/scheduling-award-alerts-contracted-maximum-hours.png) For more information, visit the [Scheduling Award Alerts](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/scheduling/scheduling-award-alerts#contracted-and-maximum-hours) guide. ## Participant Initials on Calendar Events Calendar events linked to a Task with a Participant now show that Participant's initials as a small coloured badge beside the event name, in day, week and month views. The badge only shows to someone who could already see that Participant, and the initials follow your account's Participant Name Display setting, using a Preferred Name when one's set. ![The weekly Calendar view with events such as Plan review, Support check-in and Home visit, each showing the Participant's initials in a small coloured badge before the event name. An orange arrow points to the GW badge on a Plan review event. Events without a linked Participant, such as Community Engagement Planning, have no badge.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/calendar-participant-initials.png) For more information, visit the [Navigating the Calendar Interface](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/calendar/using-the-calendar/navigating-the-calendar-interface#participant-initials-on-events) guide. ## Funding Utilisation The **Funding Utilisation** card - shown on tasks, supports and wherever you choose what to charge a Participant - now breaks spending down by funding period, can be hovered for a funding schedule chart, and lets you switch between **Hours** and **Dollars**. On a PACE plan with several funding periods, the card shows which period limits how much more you can book, with a **Total** line and red chips for any period that's over. The Utilisation Report also gained an **Over-committed** filter, and Funding Over-commitment Notifications now alert per funding period. ![The Funding Utilisation card for a Level 2 Coordination Service in hours: 64h spent and 14h scheduled, 41h 50m left in 1 Oct to 31 Dec 2026, a total of 78h of 119h 50m committed across the plan, and the hourly rate used.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/funding-utilisation-card.png) ![The Funding Utilisation card in dollars for a Level 2 Coordination Service that is over: $300.42 spent and $2,904.06 scheduled, Over by $2,404.48 in 15 Oct 2026 to 14 Jan 2027, red chips for Oct-Jan 2027, Jan-Apr 2027, Apr-Jul 2027 and +1 more, and a total of $3,705.18 of $3,200.00 committed across the plan.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/funding-utilisation-card-over-dollars.png) For more information, visit the [Funding Utilisation](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/participants/ndis-plan/funding-utilisation) guide. ## Recurring Transport Budgets for PACE Plans PACE plans can now fund Recurring Transport through a fourth budget group, **Recurring**, alongside Core, Capacity Building and Capital. The NDIA pays this straight to the Participant each fortnight, so it can't be implemented or claimed by a provider - adding it defaults its Management Type to Self Managed, and it's excluded from Implementations. ![The Budgets form with a Recurring Supports group below Capital Supports, reading "Paid by the NDIA straight to the participant, so it can't be implemented or claimed." Its Transport Recurring budget is set to Self Managed with an amount of $2,676.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/ndis-plan-recurring-budget-group.png) For more information, visit the [NDIS Plan Budgets & Implementations](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/participants/ndis-plan/budgets-implementations) guide. ## Spread Remaining for Budget Funding Periods and Allocations Budget Funding Periods gained a **Spread Remaining** shortcut beside the existing amount-copying and **Redistribute Evenly** options: it keeps whatever you've already entered and splits only what's left of the total evenly across the remaining periods, so fixing up a few periods no longer means wiping out a custom split. The same **Spread Remaining** action is available on the Budget Item Allocations matrix, a beta feature enabled per account by Astalty. ![The Update Budget Funding Periods drawer with four periods. Period 1 is set to $8,000, and the split icon beside it is highlighted with its tooltip, "Spread the funding still needed evenly across the 3 remaining periods". Periods 2 to 4 each hold about $5,094.55, and Periods Total matches Budget Total at $23,283.64.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/budget-funding-periods-spread-remaining.png) ![The Edit Budget Item Allocations drawer with an orange arrow pointing to the Spread Remaining button under Support Coordination Level 2: Coordination of Supports. That item has 70 hours in the first funding period and 46.19 hours in each of the three later periods, beside a Distribute button. A second item, Kilometres - Level 2 Coordination, has its own Distribute and Spread Remaining buttons.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/budget-item-allocations-spread-remaining.png) For more information, visit the [Budget Functionality](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/participants/budgets#editing-funding-periods) guide. ## Editing Multi Select Answers on Submitted Forms A **Multi Select** answer on a submitted form - an incident report, a register entry, or any other form - can now be edited in place, the same way other field types already could. If the field is required, at least one option has to stay selected when you save the change. For more information, visit the [Viewing Submissions for a Form](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/forms/manage-forms/submissions#editing-a-submitted-field) guide. ## Editing User Select Answers on Submitted Forms A **User Select** answer on a submitted form - such as a Support Coordinator question on a register entry - can now be edited in place, the same as Multi Select answers already could. Editing it opens a staff picker pre-filled with everyone currently selected, and you can choose more than one person from the account's active staff. ![A submitted register entry's Support Coordinator field in edit mode, a User Select staff picker with one person selected and cancel and save controls beside it.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/forms-edit-user-select-field.png) For more information, visit the [Viewing Submissions for a Form](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/forms/manage-forms/submissions#editing-a-submitted-field) guide. ## Recent Submissions in the Astalty App Where your account is subscribed to Premium, Support Workers using the Astalty app can now look back at a General Form's recent submissions for Participants on their shifts - useful for checking something like when medication was last given. Turn it on per General Form from **Who Can View Form Submissions → Recent Submissions in the Astalty App**, choosing how many days back Support Workers can see. It's off by default; while off, Support Workers see only their own submissions. ![The Who Can View Form Submissions section of Form Settings, with an orange arrow pointing to a highlighted Recent Submissions in the Astalty App card beneath the Groups card, reading "Support Workers can see submissions from the last 7 days for participants on their shifts."](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/form-settings-recent-submissions-card.png) ![The Forms screen in the Astalty app, listing a Participant Forms section with Cecelia McClure - Medication Administration marked Submitted, and a General Forms section with Continuous Improvement Suggestion, Shift Feedback and Hazard Report. A Medication Administration sheet is open at the bottom showing two recent submissions, both by John Smith.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/app-recent-form-submissions-shift.png) For more information, visit the [Form Settings](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/forms/manage-forms/settings#recent-submissions-in-the-astalty-app) guide. ## Inserting a Note Template in Chat Chat now has a note template icon in the message toolbar, so you can insert a saved Note Template straight into a message instead of retyping or pasting it. It's inserted at your cursor, or at the end of the message if you haven't clicked in yet; bold, italics, underline, strikethrough, lists and links carry over, while headings and highlighted text come through as plain text. Only people who can view Note Templates see the icon - Support Workers can't by default - and it's browser-only, not yet in the Astalty app. ![A group Chat conversation with the note template picker open above the message box. The picker has a Search box and lists the templates Running late, Shift reminder and Please check your roster, and an orange arrow points to it from the template button in the message toolbar.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/chat-insert-note-template.png) For more information, visit the [Messaging](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/chat/messaging#inserting-a-note-template) guide. ## Saving SMS Attachments to a Participant or Case Note Attachments received over SMS can now be saved straight into a Participant's documents, or attached to one of their existing case notes, without leaving the inbox. Click **Save photo(s)** or **Save file(s)** on the message, choose the Participant and where it should go, and save. ![An inbound SMS message with two photo attachments and a Save photos button.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/two-way-sms-save-button.png) For more information, visit the [Two-Way SMS](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/settings/two-way-sms#saving-photos-and-files-to-a-participant-or-case-note) guide. ## Incidents and Feedback on the Registers Page Incidents and Feedback & Complaints now also appear on the Registers page under a **System** section, so they're easy to find alongside your own registers and can be starred into Favourites. Selecting one takes you straight to Incidents or Feedback & Complaints. ![The Registers page with a System registers section listing Incidents and Feedback](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/registers-system.png) For more information, visit the [Registers Overview](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/registers/overview#where-to-find-it) guide. ## Referral Source Every referral now records a **Source** - such as Social Media, Word of Mouth or NDIA or LAC - shown on the referral, the Referrals register and the Waitlist, and filterable on the register. Admins can link a form question like "How did you hear about us?" to **Referral Source** in the form builder, matching each answer to a source automatically. The Referral Conversion Report can also be filtered and broken down by Source. ![The How did you hear about us question's Advanced panel with Referral Source selected, and each answer option - Facebook, Instagram, Word of Mouth and others - matched to a source such as Social Media or NDIA or LAC](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/referrals-form-builder-source-matching.png) For more information, visit the [Referrals Overview](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/referrals/referrals#referral-source) guide. ## Action Items Export You can now bulk export every action item raised across your incident, feedback, referral and custom registers as one CSV file, with the register each one came from, its assignee, due date, status and completion date. Find it from **Create Export → Action Items**. It's an optional beta feature; contact Astalty Support to have it enabled. ![The Action Items Export form with register, status, due date and assignee filters](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/action-items-export-create.png) For more information, visit the [Action Items Export](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/exports/action-items-export) guide. ## Action Item Assignment Notifications When an action item is assigned or reassigned to you, Astalty now sends an in-app notification and an email, so you don't have to keep checking the Action Items page for new work. Both link straight through to the action, and you won't be notified when you assign an action item to yourself. ![An in-app notification titled Action Item Assigned to You, with the action's details and a link to view it](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/action-items-assigned-notification.png) For more information, visit the [Action Items](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/action-items#assignment-notifications) guide. ## Notifications Register The **Notifications** page now lists every notification type your organisation can send in one register, showing whether each is set up, who it reaches, and how it's delivered. Filter by **Status** (Configured or Not set up), **Category** or **Delivery**, or search by name. ![The Notifications page listing notification types grouped by category, with a status, recipients and delivery column for each](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/notifications-register.png) For more information, visit the [Notifications](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/notifications#how-notifications-work) guide. ## Flagged Notes: Group Support Notes in Participant Filters The Flagged Notes report's **Participant** filter, and the Flagged Notes export's **Participants** and **Participant Tags** filters, now also surface flags on notes written for a whole Group Support that Participant attended. These show as **All Participants** rather than one name. Search still won't find them by a Participant's name - use the Participant filter instead. ![The Flagged Notes report filtered to Participant Theodora Boyer, listing a group support note shown with All Participants](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/flagged-notes-participant-filter-group-support.png) For more information, visit the [Flagged Notes Report](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/reports/flagged-notes-report) guide. ## Participant Notes Export: Group Support Notes Exporting a Participant's notes now leaves out general notes written for everyone on their Group Supports by default. Turn on **Include general notes from Group Supports**, shown once you've selected a Participant, to include them - the export labels each one **All Participants** rather than a name. ![The Notes export page with CSV selected under Export Format and, under Export Options, the Include general notes from Group Supports checkbox highlighted among Include formatting, Exclude check-ins and Exclude team member names.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/notes-export-include-group-support-notes.png) For more information, visit the [Participant Notes Export](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/exports/notes-export#export-options) guide. ## Years of Experience Report: Include Unschedulable Staff The Years of Experience report has a new pinned **Can be Scheduled for Supports** filter (Yes / No / All), so staff who are never rostered - such as support coordinators - can now be counted too. It defaults to schedulable staff only; switch it to **No** or **All** to include everyone else. ![The Years of Experience Report with a Search staff box, a Filter button, and a pinned filter chip reading "Can be Scheduled for Supports is All", above a staff table listing Years of Experience and Years of Service for each team member.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/years-of-experience-report-can-be-scheduled-filter.png) For more information, visit the [Years of Experience Report](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/reports/years-of-experience-report) guide. ## Shift Approvals Variance Export: New Columns The Shift Approvals Variance Export now includes who each shift was for, the shift's date, the travel leg type, each approval's note, and any comments left on the shift - five new columns in total. Every column after **Support Worker** has moved to make room, so a spreadsheet that reads by column position will need a one-off update. ![Shift Approvals Variance export CSV with the Participants, Shift Date, Travel Type, Approval Note, and Comments columns highlighted](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/cus-1217/shift-approvals-variance-export-csv-approval-notes-comments.png) For more information, visit the [Shift Approvals Variance Export](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/exports/shift-approval-variance-export#exported-fields) guide. ## Filtering the Utilisation Export by Scheduled or Unscheduled Services The Utilisation Export can now be limited to just scheduled services, just unscheduled services, or both, using two new toggles - **Include scheduled services** and **Include unscheduled services** - on the create-export form. Both are on by default, and at least one must stay selected. ![The Utilisation Export form with Include past services unticked, and an orange arrow pointing to Include scheduled services and Include unscheduled services, both ticked.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/utilisation-export-scheduled-unscheduled-filter.png) For more information, visit the [Utilisation Export](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/exports/utilisation-export#create-the-export) guide. ## Sorting Invoices by Participant The Invoices list, and the Invoices table inside a finalised Invoice Batch, can now be sorted by any column - **Reference**, **Type**, **Participant**, **Date**, **Due Date** or **Total**. Sorting by **Participant** keeps each Participant's invoices together, with the oldest due invoice leading each group - useful for chasing someone with several overdue invoices. For more information, visit the [Invoices](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/finance/invoicing/invoices#overview) guide. ## Xero Now Accepts "Hour" Pay Items Validating a timesheet batch for Xero no longer blocks a custom allowance's earnings rate just because its **Type of Units** is set to **Hour** instead of **Hours** - Xero accepts and pays both. Other units, such as Kilometres, still show a warning and block the export. For more information, visit the [Custom Allowances](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/scheduling/setup/custom-allowances#mapping-an-allowance-to-a-xero-earnings-rate) guide. ## Astalty for Outlook: Note Pre-fill When logging a task from an email in the **Astalty for Outlook** add-in, the task's **Note** field now pre-fills with the email's text, so you don't need to copy and paste it across. You can still edit or clear it before saving; if you keep the panel pinned, save before switching to another email, since switching resets the form and loads the new email's text. ![Astalty for Outlook panel showing the Log a task form with its Note field pre-filled from the email, plus participant, time, Billable and Completed controls, and Create task.](https://docs.astalty.com.au/assets/outlook-add-in-task-panel.png) For more information, visit the [Astalty for Outlook](https://docs.astalty.com.au/guide/other/astalty-outlook-add-in#logging-a-task-from-an-email) guide. ## Listing Webhook Event Types via the API Integrators can now fetch the current list of subscribable webhook event types directly from the API, instead of relying on the static events table. Call `GET /public/v1/webhook-event-types` to get the exact set your account can currently subscribe to - useful for building an event-type picker or config file from a live source. It's part of the Webhooks beta feature. For more information, visit the [Listing Webhook Events via the API](https://docs.astalty.com.au/developers/webhooks/listing-webhook-events-via-the-api) guide.