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INTERESTED IN MEMBERSHIP?

I would like to become a member of Advocacy South West.

Return to: Advocacy South West,

PO Box 295,

Bunbury WA 6230

Full Name: __________________________________________

Address: ___________________________________________

Telephone:_____________________

Email: _______________________________________

Signature: ___________________________________________

Date___________________

Individual Advocacy

Client Handbook

To advocate for justice and human rights for

people with disabilities in Western Australia

Revised September 2017

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CONTACT DETAILS

Telephone: 9721 6444

Email: admin@asw.org.au

Website: www.asw.org.au

Location: 99 Victoria St, Bunbury, WA 6230

Address: PO Box 295 Bunbury, WA 6231

ASW is funded by the Western Australian Disability Services Commission and the

Australian Department of Social Services.

Advocacy South West, People With Disabilities WA and Sussex Street Community

Law are members of a Consortium providing disability advocacy throughout Western

Australia.

Many thanks to PWDWA and Advocacy Law Alliance Inc. Disability Advocacy NSW

who have given us permission to “plagiarise with pride”.

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NATIONAL STANDARDS

ASW delivers our services and runs its operations in accordance with the (six) National Disability Standards: Standard 1. Rights

The service promotes individual rights to freedom of expression, self- determination and decision-making and actively prevents abuse, harm, neglect and violence.

Standard 2. Participation and Inclusion

The service works with individuals and families, friends and carers to promote opportunities for meaningful participation and active inclusion in society.

Standard 3. Individual Outcomes

Services and supports are assessed, planned, delivered and reviewed to build on individual strengths and enable individuals to reach their goals.

Standard 4. Feedback and Complaints

Regular feedback is sought and used to inform individual and organisation-wide service reviews and improvement.

Standard 5. Service Access

The service manages access, commencement and leaving a service in a transparent, fair, equal and responsive way.

Standard 6. Service Management

The service has effective and accountable service management and leadership to maximise outcomes for individuals.

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QUALITY ASSURANCE

ASW must comply with the National Standards for

Disability Services and the WA Disability Service

Standards .

On a regular basis, independent auditors and peer

assessors will check our compliance with these

standards.

They talk to both the staff and clients;

They also check the client information to make

sure the advocates are doing a good job.

If you do not want your information file checked in this

way please ask your advocate to note on your file you

do not wish this to happen.

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WHAT DOES THIS HANDBOOK DO?

It gives people with disabilities information about

Advocacy South West (ASW) and how we operate.

If you would like to have a copy of our policies we

can send them to you or you can find them on our

webpage at www.asw.org.au.

WHO CAN GET HELP?

Anyone with a disability can access this independent

service.

WHAT GEOGRAPHIC AREA DOES ASW COVER?

If you live in the South West we can help. Our main

office is in Bunbury, there is an outreach office in

Busselton, or we can make arrangements to visit

you in your town.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

It is a FREE service.

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WHAT DOES ADVOCACY MEAN?

Advocacy means ‘standing by’ someone, or

‘speaking out’ for someone’s rights, when they are

treated unfairly.

We believe that people with disability have the same

legal and civil rights as other people in the

community and advocacy has a role in safeguarding

or protecting people with disability against abuse.

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People such as NDS Standards Auditors who have

signed an Agreement not to tell anyone about

information in the files may look at some of them to

make sure we are providing good quality advocacy

(you can sign a note to say you do not want your file to

be included in the audit if you wish).

Can I See My Own File? Yes. If you want to see your

file, all you have to do is ask. You can take a copy, but

the file belongs to the Service.

How Secure is My File? When not in use, your file is

kept in a secure cabinet and computer system. Our

computers have strong security passwords.

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WHO CAN SEE THIS INFORMATION?

The only people who can look at your information are

the advocates who work for ASW and are assisting

you. We will always ask your permission before talking

to other people about your issue unless:

A law court orders us to provide information in a

client’s file;

A law says we must report any information we

know about a child whose safety is at risk;

We may have to release information in an emer-

gency situation where there is a serious risk to

a person’s life, health or safety or threat to public

health or safety;

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HOW CAN WE HELP?

We work with you when you think you have been

unfairly treated or are seeking a solution to a

specific issue or problem.

We do this by:

Listening and consulting;

Providing information about services and

resources;

Assisting you to access agencies and ser-

vices;

Encouraging and supporting your right to self

advocacy;

Maintaining confidentiality.

Working for you

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ASW CANNOT PROVIDE

Legal advice (but where appropriate Advocates

may help you get legal advice from a lawyer);

Casework services (e.g. finding housing or jobs,

applying for services, managing services, etc);

Advocacy services when a disability support

worker / caseworker can reasonably provide

advocacy support (without a conflict of interest);

Advocacy for a person when a more

appropriate service is available to assist.

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KEEPING INFORMATION

ASW collects information about the people who use

our service. We do this to make sure that we record

the work we do for you and to keep track of all the

activities undertaken.

We keep basic personal information, along with other

information about your problem. We record the results

you are hoping for and take notes on what we have

been doing. We also put reports together from this

information to show that we are doing our job. These

reports do not indentify anybody.

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IF YOU WANT TO MAKE A COMPLAINT

Talk to the Advocate or person you have the

problem with. When you do this, you can bring a

friend, family member, carer, or someone you

trust;

If things don’t work out, you can talk to the ASW

Executive Manager;

If your want to take your issue further you can

ask for the contact details of ASW’s Board of

Directors;

If you are not happy with the decision made by

ASW, you can contact the Complaints

Resolution & Referral Service

1800 880 052.

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HOW ASW WORKS

You can either refer yourself by getting in touch

with our friendly staff OR someone can contact

us on your behalf if you wish.

You need to sign a “Consent” form so that we

know it is okay to help you.

We complete an assessment to work out how

we can best help

An advocate will contact you to find out more

information and who else might need to be

involved.

You will decide on a plan of action and what

everyone is doing to help solve your problem.

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YOUR RIGHTS To be treated with fairness and respect (freedom

from abuse); To make your own decisions about your advocacy

support; To be fully informed in a way that you can

understand; To have your information treated privately and not

shared without your permission; To feel safe about complaining if you are not

satisfied with your advocate; To have an advocate who is independent from

disability service providers.

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FEEDBACK & COMPLAINTS?

If you are not happy with any part of our service you

have the right to tell us. We welcome any complaints

or suggestions, because it helps us provide a better

service.

Remember you can complain or give feedback at

anytime via our website www.asw.org.au or by coming

to the office or calling (08) 97216444 .

Everything you say will be private and will only be

discussed by the people who are involved. If you

would like someone to be with you or speak for you,

you may ask someone you trust to help you.

Whether you have a big or small problem you have

the right to talk to someone and have it addressed.

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WHAT IF ASW CANT HELP?

We will tell you why, and we will recommend other

services wherever possible.

WHAT IF ASW TRIES TO HELP BUT HAS TO STOP?

ASW could discontinue advocacy if any action or

request may cause harm to you or us; or if there is an

alternative service that will better meet your needs.

Also, if a client threatens or scares staff we can no

longer advocate for that client.

ASW has limited resources and we must ensure the

safety of staff while providing the best service for

clients.

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YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES To treat your advocate with respect; To understand that advocates try to do what you

ask for but cannot do things that are illegal or may cause harm to you or others;

To let your advocate know everything you know

about your issue; To give at least 24 hours notice if you need to

change an appointment; To make sure your home is safe if your advocate

is visiting; To understand that due to limited resources that

advocates must help clients who have the great-est need first.

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WHO WORKS FOR ASW?

ASW employs experienced and qualified Advocates.

HOW CAN I HELP?

The first two things that an Advocate will ask you is

‘What result do you want?’

and

‘What do you want to see changed?’

It is very important that you tell us what you want to

happen, as we are guided by your wishes.

It is also important that you contribute towards getting

the result you want if you can so the Advocate will

also ask you what you can do.

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HOW INDEPENDENT IS ASW?

ASW endeavours to be as independent from service

providers and government agencies as possible.

If there are any possible conflicts of interest between

advocates, other clients or management, ASW has

policies to address this in an open and transparent

way.

For example we cannot advocate for two clients in the

same matter if they have different points of view about

the best outcome.

ASW does not accept gifts or favours from services

providers or clients.

ASW WAITING LIST

ASW tries to help the people who need it on a first

come first served basis. Sometimes that cannot

happen and we need to help the person with the most

serious or urgent issue.

If you are placed on a waitlist we will ensure that you

are kept informed and endeavour to attend to your

issue in a timely manner.