Our Commitment
• All Individuals are involved in making decisions and choices about all aspects of the support services they receive;
• Individual plans are in place that clearly document individual choices, needs and consent arrangements;
• Service delivery supports the client’s achievement of their goals;
• Services are delivered in an ethical, respectful and safe manner that focuses on human rights; and
• Services promote the wellbeing, inclusion, safety and quality of life of people with disability.
Privacy
Top End Support Coordination values the privacy of every person and is committed to protecting the privacy and dignity of all participants.
We have implemented safeguards to ensure the safety and security of participants’ personal information in line with the Australian Privacy Principles of the Privacy Act 1988 and the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013.
Top End Support Coordination will only collect information that is relevant to the needs of service delivery for the individual.
Personal information is not shared with anyone unless required by law.
In collecting personal information Top End Support Coordination will take all reasonable practical steps to ensure the participant knows:
• Why the information is being collected,
• What the information is being used for,
• How the information will be stored and where,
• Who has access to the information and why, and
• Raise questions or concerns about how Top End Support Coordination is dealing with personal information and how we handle privacy concerns or complaints.
Feedback & complaints
Top End Support Coordination is committed to doing our best to resolve any issues raised by participants or interested parties in a responsive, fair and consultative manner.
We encourage people to provide feedback, raise concerns or complaints about any aspect of our service. We investigate and evaluate feedback and complaints to ensure we are continuing to improve the quality of our service.
We will support people through the complaint handling process, linking to external agencies such as Advocacy services and the NDIS Quality & Safeguards Commission, if applicable.
Top End Support Coordination staff are trained on effective complaint handling processes and commit to abiding by the NDIS Code of Conduct and NDIS (Complaints Management and Resolution) Rules 2018.
Top End Support Coordination is committed to providing people with accessible mechanisms to provide feedback, compliments and complaints. However, if you feel uncomfortable using Top End Support Coordination internal complaints process, complaints can be lodged directly with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission via the dedicated complaints reporting line
Website: www.ndiscommission.gov.au
Email [email protected]
Phone: 1800 035 544 (free call from landlines) or TTY 133 677. Interpreters can be arranged.
Independence & Informed Choice
Top End Support Coordination is committed to providing best-practice Support Coordination services.
We have developed person-centred processes and take a rights-based approach to ensure people are directly involved in decision making and have choices about all aspects of the support coordination services they receive.
Top End Support Coordination is guided by the following principles:
• A person is presumed to have decision-making capacity unless proven otherwise.
• Individuals should have all decisions referred directly to them.
• Efforts must be made to facilitate supported decision-making.
• All clients have the right to maintain their personal, gender, sexual, cultural, religious and spiritual identities.
• People with disability are empowered to determine their own best interests, including the right to exercise informed choice, take calculated risks and make their own mistakes.
• People will be informed of their rights and will be supported to exercise these rights.
If there are doubts about a person’s ability to make a specific decision, and the person has been assessed as having impaired decision-making capacity, Top End Support Coordination will facilitate access to appropriate assistance and support.
Preventing & Responding to Abuse, Neglect & Exploitation
Top End Support Coordination is proactive in preventing the occurrence of abuse and neglect in its services and within our community.
We are aware that people living with a disability are at greater risk of physical and sexual assault than the general population.
Top End Support Coordination has a:
• Zero tolerance policy towards abuse, harm and neglect.
• Duty of care to ensure that people with a disability are not subject to any type of abuse, harm or neglect.
• Moral and legal obligation to take all reasonable care in providing services and to meet appropriate standards of care. The appropriate standard of care is assessed on the action a reasonable person would take in a particular situation.
Duty of care & dignity of risk
Top End Support Coordination ensures that our people understand and implement the principles of Duty of Care and Dignity of Risk, recognizing the rights of the people we support to make informed decisions and take calculated risks. When making decisions about service and supports, we assume a right approach in promoting the contribution to decision making by our participants and their Carers/Guardians.
This ensures that our participants have the opportunity to participate as fully as possible in the services they use as an expression of self-determination and acknowledges their inherent human rights and valued status within the community.
Definition of duty of care
A common law concept that refers to the responsibility to provide participants with an adequate level of care and protection against foreseeable harm and injury.
Definition of dignity of risk
Respecting each individual’s autonomy and self-determination to make informed choices and calculated risks for themselves.