Accountability: we are committed to conducting our business in a manner consistent with service expectations required to discharge our duty of care and responsibilities to uphold the rights of our clients and their carers/significant others.

Client Rights: These include

1. Protections: there are laws protecting client rights
2. Equality: every client must be treated the same including supporting improved access for CALD and ethno specific populations: through utilising of expert Cultural Responsiveness Resources and Staff trained in the same. ? (Adding ATIS)
3. Partnering with clients: i.e. empowering autonomy in choice and planning, shared decision making.
4. Safe & Quality Care: No abuse-physical, verbal, fear/intimidation, neglect or otherwise; No harm; No fear.
5. Quality Service: client needs will be met adequately and appropriately.
6. Advocacy: clients have a right to an advocate to assist them with e.g. getting information and speaking up.
7. Informed: clients have a right to be provided with information in a language they can understand and by means/modalities useable by them to successfully receive that information.

Service Provider Accountability:

1. Know, respect and advocate for their client’s rights;
2. Help clients understand their Rights and Responsibilities.
3. Keep clients informed about the service they are receiving.
4. Be aware of each client’s communication needs, using this to facilitate the client’s successful capability to communicate receive with  understanding and relay their response.
5. Be aware of their client’s cultural background ensuring this is taken into account in the client’s service planning and delivery.

Responsibilities: working to requirements set out in the standards, charters of rights, and relevant legislation. Working to current best practice guidelines.

Integrity :We are committed to conduct ourselves in a transparent, moral and fair manner with all clients, their carers/significant others, the community  and all other stakeholders

Enrich:we will work to ensure our clients and their carers/significant others are enriched to realize autonomy of choice, self-determination, and personal growth. We also a service anticipate we will be honorably enriched as we work with diverse clients who will add to maturity as a service.

Collaboration:we seek to have collaborative partnerships with our clients, their carers/significant others, and other stakeholders so that our clients can have wider options and outputs that are achieved in the most efficient and effective way.

Diligence:we attend to all our business aspects with diligence and prudence in order to achieve sustainable and excellent outputs.

Partnering with Clients:

1. Cooperate partnering:in service planning; service design; service review and service improvement. Clients and their carers/significant others will be invited to periodical focus groups, and surveys as an opportunity to participate in this process.
2. Client specific service:clients will be empowered to participate in all stages of service provision including needs assessment, choosing and planning.
3. Advocacy:we will facilitate advocacy and/or access to advocacy for clients who indicate they need this.

Client Information Management
Client privacy is respected and protected as per our Privacy Policy i.e.

• Information will be collected and securely stored
• Where sharing of information is indicated this will be done with prior written consent by the client.
• Clients wanting to access their records can request this in writing using the ‘Client Record Request’ form and releasing of client information will be reviewed on a case by case basis. All received forms will get an acknowledged of receipt on submission within 3 business days of the request form being received and a response will either be the copy to the file as requested or request for further information. Where the file is required urgently the form has an option to facilitate an expedited release where we aim to have this to the client within 3 working days.
• Request by third parties cannot be honored without prior written consent by the client.

Feedback

We respect and value feedback, and encourage people to share their feedback be it concerns, complaints, compliments, and suggestions with us.  Our feedback management includes filtering the feedback so it can be sent to the appropriate area i.e.

•  concerns/complaints
• continuous improvement suggestions
• complaints
• miscellaneous

Concerns/complaints are prioritised using a risk scale to assist appropriate and timely  action as follows:

Priority 1:

Definition: A High risk situation to Clients, Next of kin; Staff or Community putting them at imminent endangerment that can cause immediate loss of life/impairment/disability AND can only be averted by immediate mobilisation of external emergency services including police, ambulance, and fire fighters.

Performance Target: Resolve 100% of all identified Priority 1 complaints within 12 hours.

Priority 2:

Definition: A Low-Medium Risk situation to Clients, Next of kin; Staff or Community putting them at risk that cumulatively (if rate of offense remains constant) that can cause injury but that injury DOES NOT result in priority 1 endangerment and mediation or change in service plan can eliminate the problem.

Performance Target:  resolve 90% of identified Priority 2 complaints within 3-21 business days of receipt. More complex complaints may take longer to address but initial protections will be mobilized no later than 72 hrs days from receipt of complaint.

Person/s in question are kept informed at every stage about the progress in addressing their complaint.

Performance indicators for concerns/complaints are monitored and reviewed to mobilize improvement where indicated by the data. Clients and their carers/significant others are invited to participate in this review process

Concerns and Complaints:

We take client concerns and complaints seriously. A key principle of our service model is to anticipate client needs to avoid discontent in clients. Our Feedback Framework is designed to be sensitive to pick up on brewing concerns and resolve them before they escalate to complaints. Nonetheless, should complaints arise we have open and transparent Complaints Management process to support clients to arrive at a resolution satisfactory to them and this includes facilitating access to external agencies such as the NDIA?

Access:

We have provided several avenues to make the Complaints process accessible, including:

• Telephone with a Feedback and Complaints option
• Feedback Email
• Post/Mail to the Client Experience Team
• Feedback Form available in all Client Service Agreement or on request or downloadable from our website (instruction to send by post or email)
• Online Feedback Form

Information on all of the above as well as information on Services Available & Service Access Points: is made accessible to all client populations as follows:

Access modality to material:

• Posters displayed for free viewing at the business offices
• Client information Page on the Business website
• Brochures at the office available to take away
• Client Service Information Packs available at the offices or on request or at NDIS Related Conferences and Community Fairs
• Stakeholder Collaboration- other NDIS Service Providers; LGAs; Medicare Locals and  Local Councils other stakeholders have our Client Service Information Packs to provide clients as indicated.
• Client Service Agreement Packs which include Clients and their carers/significant others signing off if they understand key documents such as the Rights and Responsibilities Document, Service Agreement, How to get help or more information, Opportunities to participate in the service and Feedback Process

Access Understandibility:

• All Client documentation is written in English and highly used publications are translated to the other Languages common to the LGA of our service catchment
• The Interpreter Service is employed where indicated by a Client’s language needs during planned meetings.