Rights and Responsibilities

Clients’ Rights

·    The right to respect for your individual human worth and dignity and to have your cultural and religious beliefs considered.

·    The right to be free from abuse, neglect, violence, and preventable injury.

·    The right to be treated with courtesy.

·    The right to be assessed for access to services without discrimination.

·    The right to be informed and consulted about services on offer and about decisions and interventions that affect you or your family.

·    The right to choose from available alternatives and/or withdraw from services and to be made aware of any consequences of this.

·    The right to pursue a complaint about service provision without retribution.

·    The right to be assisted by an advocate of your choice.

·    The right to receive good quality, punctual and reliable service.

·    The right to privacy and confidentiality.

·    The right to access information held about you.

Client’s Responsibilities

·    To respect the human worth and dignity of East Burwood Care staff and other clients.

·    To treat East Burwood Care staff, volunteers and clients with courtesy.

·    To be responsible for the result of any decisions you make.

·    To play your part in helping East Burwood Care provide you with services.

·    To provide a safe work environment for staff and volunteers and help them to provide you with services safely.

Protecting Your Privacy

The services at East Burwood Care are bound by the legal requirements of the National Privacy Principles from the Privacy Amendment (Private Sector) Act 2000, the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014, Australian Aged Care Act 1997, and Victorian Health Records Act 2001.

These Acts, and the Privacy Principles, describe your rights and how your information should be handled. Copies are available upon request.

The Family Violence Information Sharing Scheme, the Child Information Sharing Scheme, and the Multi-Agency Risk Assessment and Management Framework (MARAM) allow East Burwood Care to request and share information with other prescribed information-sharing entities without consent in certain circumstances. These schemes are set up under the Family Violence Protection Act 2008 and the Child Wellbeing and Safety Act 2005 respectively.

For more information on the schemes visit About the information sharing and MARAM reforms.

Complaints should be directed to the relevant East Burwood Care program manager via the Contact Us form on the home page. If no satisfactory outcome is achieved, see the complaints procedure at the Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner.

Why do we ask for personal information?

The information held about clients briefly documents what happens during your interview or counselling session and enables us to provide you with a relevant and informed service.

What information is kept?

Personal information includes your name, date of birth, address, contact telephone number, and correspondence, or any other information that is relevant to the service being offered.

Where is this information kept?

East Burwood Care takes all reasonable steps to protect information that we hold (including your personal information) from misuse, loss, unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. East Burwood Care takes all reasonable steps to hold your information secure in both an electronic and physical form. Our information is stored in access-controlled premises or in electronic databases requiring logins and passwords.

Within East Burwood Care, all staff (including volunteers) access to confidential information is subject to confidentiality obligations.

Is everything on my file confidential?

All personal information gathered by East Burwood Care remains confidential and secure except when:

·    It is subpoenaed by a court of law.

·    Failure to disclose the information to an appropriate person would place you or another person at risk.

·    Your prior approval has been obtained to discuss the material with another person.

·    Your prior approval has been obtained to provide a written report, such as to a doctor or lawyer.

Access to Records

You can request at any time personal information we may hold about you. We may charge a fee where access is provided. Requests by clients for the information contained in their files should be lodged in writing with the Chief Executive Officer at East Burwood Care. These requests will be responded to within seven working days and an appointment made, if necessary, for discussion.

We may refuse to provide access to information held about you in situations where the National Privacy Principles allow us to do so. If we refuse access we will give you a reason for doing so.

East Burwood Care may be obliged to submit statistical data to our funding bodies including the Victorian Department of Health & Human Services and Australian Departments of Social Services and Health. No names are attached to this data, so your confidentiality is not at risk. Details collected relate to demographics and to how our time is allocated.

Compliments and Complaints

East Burwood Care aims to provide the highest quality service possible. You can help us do this by telling us what you think. You can make a suggestion, complaint, or provide positive feedback.

Have Your Say

When you tell us your views, we will listen to your feedback and, where appropriate and possible, make changes to improve our service. You should feel free to express your views openly and be assured that you will not be treated adversely as a result.  

What you can expect from us:

·    A timely response

·    No negative consequences for providing feedback

·    To be treated with fairness and respect

Confidentiality

Any feedback received is treated confidentially and only discussed with the people directly involved. East Burwood Care staff, volunteers, and students on placement comply with and sign a Declaration of Confidentiality. We respect the confidentiality of all information acquired in the course of our duties.

Compliments and Complaints Procedure

If you have a concern about any aspect of your contact with East Burwood Care you are invited to raise your concern with the relevant program manager. If this does not adequately satisfy your concerns, you may refer your feedback or complaint to the Chairperson of the Burwood Heights Congregation at 347 Blackburn Road, Burwood East 3151.

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from East Burwood Care, you can also make a complaint at any time to the following external complaints officers:

Department of Families, Fairness and Housing PHONE: 1300 475 170 WEBSITE: dffh.vic.gov.au/making-complaint

Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission PHONE: 1800 951 822 WEBSITE: agedcarequality.gov.au/making-complaint

Advocacy

An advocate is someone who will stand alongside you and speak out on your behalf in a way that represents your best interests. If you feel you have tried all avenues available to make your issues heard at East Burwood Care, or need some assistance to state your situation, then you would be wise to discuss your case with an advocate.

·    East Burwood Care supports the use of an advocate if there is one needed or if a client requests to have an advocate present.

·    East Burwood Care accepts the involvement of an advocate of the client’s choice.

·    East Burwood Care is able to link you with other services that can provide you with an appropriate advocate.