Disability Resources Centre Inc

Disability Resources Centre Inc

Policies and procedures

October 2005

The Disability Resources Centre Inc. (DRC) was formed in 1981 by and for people with disabilities to expand and protect their rights. The DRC is a member and agency of the Disabilities Rights Victoria consortium, which provides advocacy across Victoria.

The DRC provides an individual advocacy service for people with disabilities in greater Melbourne. The DRC is wholly staffed and managed by people with disability and has offices in Abbotsford and Dandenong. The Dandenong office serves the outer southeast growth region of Melbourne.

The DRC works for the empowerment of people with disabilities and this policy manual was designed to refect this. The manual outlines the DRC’s response tothe Victorian Standards for Disability Services and presents the policies and procedures that direct the work of the DRC and enable compliance with the Victorian Standards.

This policy manual was produced with the assistance of a number of organisations. These organisations were People With Disability Australia, Action for Community Living, Headway Victoria, South West Advocacy Association and Paraquad Victoria.

This policies and procedures contained in this manual were ratified by the DRC Committee of Management on 27 October 2005.

Contents

Standard 1Service Access

Standard 2Individual Needs

Standard 3Decision Making and Choice

Standard 4 Privacy, Dignity and Confidentiality

Standard 5Participation and Integration

Standard 6 Valued Status

Standard 7 Complaints and Disputes

Standard 8 Service Management

Standard 9Freedom from Abuse and Neglect

Charter of Client Rights & Responsibilities

Access & Equity Policy & Procedures

Service Access / Intake Policy & Procedures

Service Exit Policy & Procedures

Affirmative Action Policy & Procedures

Harassment Policy & Procedures

Volunteers Policy & Procedures

Occupational Health and Safety Policy & Procedures

Learning and Development Policy & Procedures

Disciplinary Policy & Procedures

Client Grievance Policy and Procedure

DRC Privacy Statement

DRC Information Release Consent Form

Standard 1Service Access

In brief…

DRC will ensure that each person seeking a service has access to a service on the basis of relative need and available resources.

All of DRC’s programs are available and responsive to people with disability irrespective of:

The nature, origin, or degree of the person’s disability
The person’s race, religion, cultural identity, age, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, gender or marital status
Whether or not the person is a member of DRC

In order to facilitate access to its programs, the DRC will promote its services to potential users. It will do so on a continuing basis using strategies that are accessible to people with disability and responsive to their diversity.
Where DRC is not able to meet a request, or need for assistance it will refer the person or group to other sources of assistance, where these exist.
DRC also acknowledges that certain groups of the community experience additional difficulties accessing services. DRC’s Service Access policy stipulates that one way we will compensate for this disadvantage is to grant priority access to these groups, including:

People with severe, profound and multiple disability
People who have critical needs for social assistance (for example, people who are homeless and destitute)
People from non-English speaking backgrounds

The DRC will assess all service requests using the following criteria to determine priority of access to our service:

The relative urgency of the issue for the person

The relative seriousness of the issue for the person

The person’s ability to take action on their own behalf without our assistance.
The relative benefit that the person affected would gain as a result of the assistance to be provided
The relative benefits which might accrue to others through resolution of issues
The opportunities that exist to address the issue and the likelihood that any action taken will result in favourable outcomes for the person.
The availability to the person affected of other sources of support able to provide the assistance required
The degree of expertise DRC possesses in relation to the issue
The strategic significance of the issue, and its relationship to any strategic priorities that are adopted by DRC from time to time

Standard 2Individual Needs

In brief…

DRC will ensure that each person with a disability receives a service which is designed to meet, in the least restrictive way, his or her individual needs and personal goals.

1In all its internal and external activities, DRC will promote a concept of people with disability as human beings with individual identities and needs.

2All DRC’s programs will be provided in a manner which is sensitive to:

Age
Gender
Cultural, linguistic and religiousbeliefs
Socio-economic status and geographic location

3All DRC’s programs will promote the existing skills and developmental potential of people with disability so as to enable them to reach their personal goals.

4Individual advocacy will be provided according to an ‘Individual Advocacy Action Plan.’ This written plan will be developed in close consultation with the person with disability requiring advocacy assistance, to the extent that it is possible to do so. The plan will set out:

The issues of concern
The objectives of the advocacy to be provided
The actions that are to be pursued in relation to those objectives
The roles and responsibilities of the parties involved in the advocacy effort
Wherever possible, the timeframes within which actions are to be taken
The outcomes targeted, including any possible systemic outcomes.

5Individual Advocacy Action Plans are to be completed within two weeks of the allocation of a matter to an advocate. DRC will provide the client with a copy of this plan as soon as it is completed.

6Individual Advocacy Action Plans will be reviewed, and varied if necessary, in consultation with the client, to the extent that it is possible to do so, at least every three months, or earlier, if there is a significant change in circumstances that require it.

Standard 3Decision Making and Choice

In brief…

DRC will ensure that each person with a disability has the opportunity to participate as fully as possible in making decisions about the events and activities of his or her daily life in relation to the services he or she receives.

1All DRC’s programs will reflect and promote the right and capacity of people with disability to make, or contribute to, decisions that affect their lives, irrespective of the nature, origin, and degree of their disability.

2DRC will ensure that people with disability are involved in all key decisions it takes at the organisational and individual advocacy level.

3To assist people with disability to effectively participate in decision making, DRC will:

Provide information about matters for decision in appropriate formats
Outline any options that may be available, together with an analysis of the benefits and limitations of these options
Utilise interpreters for people with disability who are deaf or from a non-English speaking background

4DRC recognises and respects the right of people with disability to make decisions that may be contrary to the wishes of a parent or significant other. Where necessary, DRC will support the person with disability to act in accordance with his or her decision, irrespective of the opposition of significant others.

5In extraordinary circumstances, DRC may take action that is contrary to the expressed wishes of a person with disability where this is necessary to secure their safety and wellbeing or that of another person.

6DRC will document all significant choices and decisions made by people with disability who use its programs.

7Clients of the DRC have meaningful opportunities to participate in the organisation’s decision-making processes by becoming members of the DRC and nominating for membership of the Committee of Management and participating in subcommittees and working parties.

8The DRC will provide a client handbook at the point of service entry. This information clearly states:

the objectives, goals and target group for services;
the nature of the service to be provided to the client;
information on DRC;
what you can expect from the DRC
the DRC’s response to the State Disability Service Standards
general conditions for service entry and exit;
the rights and responsibilities of clients and of management; and
the procedures for receiving and handling grievances.
how to become a member of the DRC

Standard 4Privacy, Dignity and Confidentiality

In brief…

DRC will ensure that each consumers right to privacy, dignity and confidentiality in all aspects of his or her life is recognised and respected.

1The DRC has a documented privacy policy that is compliant with the relevant legislation. This is made available to all clients in appropriate formats.

2All information held by DRC about its clients is strictly private and confidential. All personnel (whether paid or volunteer) have the following obligation in relation to this information:

To keep it private
To maintain it in secure and confidential storage when it is not being worked on
Not copy it or remove it from the office unless authorised to do so by a supervisor

3The fact that information relates to a client indicates that it is confidential information. This applies to information about a client that may be heard or read even where it is not stated that the information is confidential.

4All client information, whether held in electronic form or ‘hard copy,’ is to be stored in a controlled environment and protected from unauthorised access, use or disclosure.

5DRC will obtain client consent, wherever possible, before seeking information about their circumstances from other agencies or individuals.

6Information about clients will be shared internally among staff (whether paid or volunteer) only on a need to know basis.

7DRC will only provide information to external agencies or individuals:

When requested, or authorised, to do so by the client or their legal guardian
When compelled by the law to do so
When it is absolutely necessary to protect the safety and wellbeing of the client, or that of another person
When there is an overriding public interest in the disclosure of the information, but only when such information as disclosed shall not be capable of being used to identify individuals, or the information as disclosed shall be with the explicit consent of the client or their legal guardian

8A breach of client privacy or confidentiality is a serious disciplinary offence, which will result in immediate disciplinary action.

9People with disability may inspect their client file at any reasonable time by arrangement with DRC.

10DRC will only maintain on file client information that is directly relevant to the assistance it is providing.

11Closed client files will be maintained in secure storage for a period of seven years and then destroyed.

Standard 5Participation and Integration

In brief…

DRC will ensure that each person with a disability is supported and encouraged to participate and be involved in the life of the community.

1All DRC programs will promote the human and citizenship rights of people with disability to live in and be a part of the general community.

2All DRC programs will work vigorously to counteract and oppose those forces within society that result in the segregation and exclusion of people with disability from community life. These forces include:

Negative social attitudes
Structural discrimination
Segregated services
Insufficient, inflexible, and unresponsive services
Lack of social experience, and opportunity to develop social skills
Lack of information about socially inclusive service options
Lack of socially inclusive innovation in specialist and generic services
Lack of socially inclusive relationships

3In order to counteract and oppose those forces that result in the segregation and exclusion of people with disability, DRC will:

Challenge all negative attitudes impacting on the right of people with disability to live in the community

Challenge by all available means structural discrimination against people with disability
Challenge programs and services that segregate people with disability from community life
Promote and support the participation of people with disability in all aspects of social and civic life
Promote the development of sufficient, flexible and responsive services
Provide accurate information about socially inclusive service options
Promote socially inclusive innovation in specialist and generic services
Promote and support socially inclusive relationships

4All DRC’s programs will promote the use of general community facilities and services in meeting the needs of people with disability.

5DRC recognises the diversity of community life, and its programs will be delivered in a manner which is sensitive to the:

Age
Gender
Sexuality
Cultural, linguistic and religious beliefs
Socio-economic status and geographic location

Standard 6Valued Status

In brief…

DRC will ensure that each person with a disability has the opportunity to develop and maintain skills and to participate in the activities that enable him or her to achieve valued roles in the community.

DRC’s programs will:

Assist persons with emotional, intellectual, physical, sensory disabilities achieve both individually and collectively full access to human rights defined by the Declaration of the Rights of Disabled Persons adopted by the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3447(XXX) on 9 January 1975.
Promote the rights of persons with disabilities, both individually and collectively.
Uphold the principles of self help.
Act as a model of consumer participation.
Provide resources for, advise, participate in and assist self-help consumer organisations whose purpose include the advancement of persons with disabilities.
Communicate and liaise with other organisations in Australia and overseas whose functions include the advancement of persons with disabilities.
Educate and raise the consciousness of persons with disabilities of their rights as individuals in society and in particular to make them and the community aware of their oppression when classified as "disabled".
Educate the community about the rights and needs of persons with disabilities.
Develop a library and an information exchange centre in particular relating to persons with disabilities for use by all members of the community.
Encourage the development of innovative projects related to persons with disabilities and develop and research policies affecting persons with disabilities.
Examine, monitor and evaluate existing services and facilities of whatever nature for persons with disabilities.
Foster the development of persons' with disabilities independence, integration and participation within the community, and in particular their participation in relation to information exchange. community education and advocacy.
Foster the development of persons' with disabilities rights to develop to their full potential, free from all forms of discrimination and right to contribute to the community to the full extent of their capacity and satisfaction.
Increase the awareness and understanding by Government of the economic, social and educational needs of persons with disabilities and for such purpose to prepare or join in submissions to governments or instrumentalities of governments.

DRC will rigorously avoid utilising, giving rise to, or reinforcing, any image or belief that is degrading to people with disability. In particular, DRC will resist images and beliefs that:

Exaggerate, give precedence to, or unnecessarily emphasise impairment, handicap or disability over personhood
Elicit pity of people with disability from other persons as a basis for providing social support and assistance
Suggest that people with disability are passive, dependent, and incapable
Suggest that people with disability are not human, lack personhood, or are biologically, genetically or socially inferior to other human beings
Demonise, or otherwise create fear and hatred of, people with disability
Inaccurately or unnecessarily medicalise impairment, handicap and disability
Suggest that people with disability are worthless or unimportant
Suggest that adults with disability are childlike

3DRC will also vigorously promote the avoidance of such images in the community generally.

4All DRC stationery, publications, publicity and promotional material, office design and upkeep will project a positive image of people with disability.

5All DRC programs will be provided within a customer-focused professional service model.

6All DRC personnel will interact with people with disability with courtesy and respect.

Standard 7Complaints and Disputes

In brief…

DRC will ensure that each consumer is free to raise and have resolved, any complaints or disputes he or she may have regarding the agency or the service.

1DRC views complaints as a positive opportunity to improve the quality of the services it provides and the relationship it has with its clients. For this reason, DRC will encourage people with disability and their associates to raise complaints, and will work constructively and openly to resolve them.

2DRC will ensure that any person who makes a complaint is protected from detrimental action. Any detrimental action taken against a person who has made a complaint constitutes a serious disciplinary offence, which will result in immediate disciplinary action.

3DRC has established a Client Grievance Policy and Procedure that will be made available to all clients in appropriate formats.

Standard 8Service Management

In brief…

DRC will ensure that it adopts sound management practices which maximise outcomes for consumers.

1The DRC monitors its activities through monthly Committee of Management meetings and regularly evaluates whether it is meeting its objectives and the Victorian Standards for Disability Services.

2The roles and responsibilities of the Committee of Management and staff are clearly defined and documented in the DRCs constitution and position descriptions.

3The DRC Committee of Management has a process to record and act on issues arising from feedback from clients, staff, funding bodies and the community. These include a Client Grievance Policy and meetings where feedback is responded to. To initiate feedback from clients, a questionnaire is issued to all clients upon completion of the advocacy work on their behalf, asking about the adequacy of the work undertaken for them, along with an invitation to become a member.

4DRC clients receive services from appropriately skilled and competent staff. Key selection criteria for new advocacy staff include a proven ability to advocate on behalf of people with a disability and relevant qualifications, or experience.