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St. Ives | Bondi Junction | Leichhardt | Telehealth
Find further information on Speak & Write's policies and statements
Find further information on Speak & Write's policies and statements
Speak & Write promotes the rights of people (including children, young people and adults) with a disability, as stated under the Disability Services Act 1993. All people with a disability have the same human and legal rights as others and these should be respected at all times.
At S&W, we believe that each person has the right to receive services which respect and promote their legal and human rights and place them at the centre of decision-making across all aspects of their life.
All people have the right to participate in decisions that affect their lives in ways that are appropriate to their age and stage of development. In the case of young children, that right is vested in their parent or carer.
S&W is committed to pursuing these rights and adopting the principles of a person-centred philosophy in all practices, programs and service delivery models. These include the principles of equality, independence, participation, choice and inclusion.
S&W supports and strives to maximise opportunities to assist people with a disability and their families to participate inclusively in, and contribute to, their community according to their individual and cultural needs.
S&W will act in accordance with:
- The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which recognises that people with disabilities have the right to access the same opportunities as all citizens with full and effective inclusion in society.
- UN Convention on the Rights of the Child 2006 which recognises that all children have the same rights and freedoms regardless of race, background, faith or disability.
- Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) which makes disability discrimination unlawful and aims to promote equal rights, opportunity and access for people with disabilities.
Advocacy is the process of standing alongside an individual who is disadvantaged, and speaking out on their behalf in a way that represents their best interests. The aim of advocacy is to achieve beneficial outcomes for the client while ensuring they retain as much control as possible over how it is carried out. An advocate may provide information and advice in order to assist a person to take action and resolve their own concerns, or they may take a more active role in representing the person’s rights to another individual or organisation.
People need advocates for many reasons. Some clients can successfully advocate on their own behalf. Other clients may experience difficulty speaking up for themselves.
In these instances, an advocate may:
- Assist the client to access services
- Assist the client to change services
- Ensure that the service chosen is appropriate
- Communicate with the service provider
- Negotiate suitable resolutions when a complaint or dispute has arisen
If a client, family member or carer of our organisation has asked you to be their advocate, this means that they would like you to act on their behalf. You may be a family member or a friend of the person, or a member of an advocacy service.
Clients and prospective advocates should be aware that interpreters cannot be used as advocates, as they have a distinct role in interpreting communication between two or more parties.
Advocacy may involve speaking, taking action or writing on behalf of an individual (or group) who has a limited ability to exercise their rights. Advocacy is a mechanism to facilitate client rights, and you may be requested to support the client in exercising those rights. Examples of rights you could be asked to support include:
- The right to privacy and confidentiality
- The right to respect and dignity
- The right to quality services
- The right to information to inform decision-making
- The right to choice and control
- The right to make and resolve complaints
- The right to non-discriminatory services; and
- The right to protection of legal and human rights, and freedom from abuse and neglect
A support person may assist the nominee in their contact with the organisation in the following ways:
- Providing assistance with communication
- Ensuring information is understood
- Attending to the personal support needs
- Being a point of contactEnsuring their best interests are represented
Individuals accessing our services may nominate a support person or advocate of their choice to provide support. Parents, elders, relatives or legal representatives are accepted as support persons for individuals accessing our services and are required to complete our Client Advocate/Support Person Nomination Form to confirm the nomination. If you require assistance with completing this form, we can assist you.
If you are looking for an advocate or some support to advocate more effectively on your behalf, you can contact one of the following organisations:
For more information about Advocacy services available in your area you can visit Disability Advocacy Network Australia at www.dana.org.au
Indigenous Disability Advocacy Service (IDAS)
P : 02 4722 3524
W : idas@idas.org.au
Multicultural Disability Advocacy Association (MDAA)
P : 1800 629 072
W : www.mdaa.org.au
People with Disability Australia (PWDA)
P : 1800 422 015
W : www.pwd.org.au
Speak & Write Speech Pathology is committed to delivering safe, high-quality, person-centred services in accordance with the NDIS Practice Standards and the NDIS Code of Conduct.
Our client service charter provides an overview of the standard of service you can expect from us and how those standards are monitored, how you can help us deliver the best services and supports to you and what you can do if our services do not meet your expectations.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM OUR SERVICES:
We strive to provide high quality and outcomes focussed services that reflect your choices and feedback, meets your needs and promotes the rights, wellbeing, independence and inclusion in the community. At S&W we will:
- Treat you with dignity, respect, honesty and fairness
- Assist you to make informed choices
- Support your right to make your own decisions
- Collaborate with your family and carers to better meet your needs
- Respect your privacy and comply with privacy laws when collecting, using and managing your personal information
- Provide advice to you about other supports that may be available if we are unable to assist you with a service that you have requested
- Deliver safe, high-quality supports that are provided by qualified and experienced staff
- Respect and value your culture, identity, beliefs, language and individual preferences
- Provide information in a way that is accessible and easy to understand
- Welcome feedback and complaints, and respond to them fairly, promptly and confidentially.
- Use your feedback to continually improve our services
- Deliver supports in accordance with the NDIS Code of Conduct.
HELP US, HELP YOU. LET’S WORK TOGETHER:
We want to make sure you receive the best service. To help us do this, please:
- Treat our staff and other service users with dignity and respect
- Provide accurate and up to date information to help us deliver the right services to your family
- Tell us about any changes to your needs or circumstances
- Give us honest feedback about our services
- Tell us if you have any concerns or would like to make a complaint so we can work with you to resolve it
- Let us know if you require information or communication in a different format or language
