Participant Charter

Participant Charter

Australian Carers respects and fully commits to upholding the rights of all people, including those with disabilities. We are also committed to ensuring you are aware of your rights and responsibilities and are supported to exercise them.

In supporting you to exercise your rights, we must comply with the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of the Child,] National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 and NDIS Practice Standards (2018) – Rights and Responsibilities.

You have the Right to access supports that:

• promote, uphold and respect your legal and human rights;
• respect your culture, diversity, values and beliefs;
• respect and protect your dignity and right to privacy;
• are free from violence, abuse, neglect, exploitation or discrimination; and
• allow you to exercise informed choice and control.

It is our responsibility to:

• tell you about and uphold your rights;
• provide supports in a way that promotes, upholds and respects your rights to freedom of expression, self-determination and decision-making;
• support you to make informed choices, exercise control and maximise your independence in relation to the supports we provide;
• respect your autonomy, including your right to intimacy and sexual expression;
• provide you sufficient time to consider and review your support options and seek advice if required, at any stage of our service delivery;
• support you to access an advocate (including an independent advocate) of your choosing;
• support you to engage with your family, friends and chosen community in the ways you want to;
• treat you with fairly, with courtesy, dignity and respect and without discrimination;
• give you information about our services and associated costs, as well as other support options, within and outside Australian Carers;
• involve you in decisions about your supports, as well as our programs and policies;
• provide services that consider and respect your lifestyle, cultural, linguistic and religious background and preferences;
• protect your personal information and only use it for the right reasons;
• support you to provide us with feedback on our service, including complaints;
• promptly address enquiries and complaints about the supports you are receiving;
• support you to connect with other services, including advocates, interpreters and translators, if needed;
• support you to have a person to speak on your behalf for any purpose; and
• provide safe and appropriate services that are culturally relevant and support your needs and goals.

As our participant we ask that you:

• provide us with information that will help us to best support you;
• tell us if things change or you cannot keep an appointment or commitment;
• act respectfully and safely towards other people using the service, and towards our staff;
• provide us with feedback about our service and how we can improve;
• promptly pay the agreed fees associated with your services; and
• tell us as early as possible if our services are not required.

Supporting Documents

Documents relevant to this policy:

• Participant Rights and Responsibilities Policy and Procedure [or equivalent]
• Privacy and Confidentiality Policy and Procedure [or equivalent]
• Feedback and Complaints Policy and Procedure [or equivalent]
• Participant Incident Management Policy and Procedure [or equivalent]
• Decision Making and Choice Policy and Procedure [or equivalent]
• Service Access Policy and Procedure [or equivalent]
• Assessment, Planning and Review Policy and Procedure [or equivalent]
• Providing Information, Advice and Referrals Policy and Procedure [or equivalent]
• Service Delivery and Participation Policy and Procedure [or equivalent]
• Participant Money and Property Policy and Procedure [or equivalent]
• Service Exit Policy and Procedure [or equivalent]
• Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy and Procedure [or equivalent]

Monitoring and Review

This Participant Charter, along with Australian Carers Participant Rights and Responsibilities Policy and Procedure will be reviewed at least annually by the Directors Reviews will incorporate staff, participant and other stakeholder feedback