Participant Service Charter

Your rights and responsibilities

We support your right to make your own choices and decisions, to speak up, and to live free from abuse, neglect and discrimination. This charter sets out your rights, how we will treat you, and what we ask of you.

We give every participant this charter in our Participant Handbook and in Easy Read when they start with us. Ask us for a copy in another format at any time.

Your rights

You have the right to:

• Supports that promote, uphold and respect your legal and human rights.
• Make informed choices and have control over your supports.
• Freedom of expression, self-determination and decision-making.
• Supports that respect your culture, diversity, values and beliefs.
• Privacy and dignity, and to see the personal information we keep about you.
• Be supported to make informed choices that build your independence.
• Supports free from violence, abuse, neglect, exploitation or discrimination.
• Supports that are well managed, with sound risk and incident management.
• Workers who are competent, qualified and skilled in person-centred support.
• Have a person of your choice support you and speak for you, such as an advocate.
• Refuse a service without it affecting your future access to our services.
• Change providers, with our support to do so.
• Decide whether we share your information with other providers when you move between services.
• Make a complaint to us or to an outside body, without fear of it affecting your support.

Your responsibilities

When you use our services, we ask you to:

• Treat our staff and other participants with courtesy and respect, and keep their workplace safe, healthy and free from harassment.
• Follow the terms of your service agreement.
• Give us enough information to plan, deliver and review your supports, and tell us when your needs or health change.
• Understand that your services may need to change as your needs change.
• Take responsibility for your choices, including choices that involve some risk.
• Give us at least 24 hours' notice if you will not be home for a service.
• Understand that our staff can only do the hours and tasks in your service agreement.
• Take part in safety checks of your home, keep pets under control, and keep the space smoke-free while we are there.
• Pay the agreed amount for the services you receive.
• Tell us, in writing if you can, before the day you want to stop using our services.
• Tell us if you have a problem with our staff or services.

Our commitment to you

We will:

• Treat you with dignity, fairness and respect, without discrimination.
• Involve you in every decision about your supports, and respect your preferences, choices and culture.
• Explain your rights and responsibilities when you start, in Easy Read and in our handbook.
• Protect your personal information and only use it for the right reasons.
• Keep you safe and work in ways that prevent injury to you and others.
• Arrange an interpreter or other language services if you need one.
• Give you advice and options about other supports and services, and help you connect with them.
• Make sure our staff have the skills to meet your needs.
• Follow your signed service agreement.
• Tell you how to make a complaint and how we will respond.
• Meet or exceed the NDIS Practice Standards, the NDIS Code of Conduct and the NDIS rules.