AMIDA
Action for More
Dignity in Accommodation
Who can use
AMIDA?
What do we offer?
Ross House,
1st Floor,
Telephone: 9650 2722 Fax: 9654 8575
Email amida@infoXchange.net.au
Reviewed
2-10-07………………..
Amended
5-2-08………………..
Approved
5-2-08………………..
This policy is regularly reviewed and
people using the service can have a say in
improving the policy.
WHAT DOES AMIDA DO?
AMIDA works to get improved housing conditions and more housing choices
for people with disabilities. We believe people with disabilities have a right
to a choice of good housing which is non-institutional. People with a
disability have a right to live in the community and to have support so they
can participate in the community as they want and have a good quality of life.
AMIDA works on a systemic level to achieve these aims. This means we
don’t just work with one person at a time, we work with groups of people or on
problems that affect groups of people.
We also work with individual people to help them with a problem. Often
this is a problem other people face too and can lead to us working on the cause
of the problem to stop it affecting other people.
WHO CAN USE AMIDA?
Any person who has a disability can use AMIDA.
Our major area of experience is with people with an intellectual
disability and if we believe another advocacy group has more experience than
AMIDA we may refer you to them.
INTAKE/REFERRAL PROCESS
People with a disability or anyone concerned about the interests of a
person with a disability can contact us via phone, email or by dropping into
the office. Appointments are preferred.
HOW DOES AMIDA CHOOSE WHAT
TO WORK ON?
Before we decide to work on an issue, we ask ourselves the following 10
questions:
1. Is the issue to do with
housing or tenants rights?
2. How urgent is the problem?
3. Is this an advocacy issue or can another
community service meet the persons need?
4. Does the issue fit in with our current
priorities and performance plan?
5. Is the issue important to
people with disabilities as a group?
6. Who else might have an interest in the
issue? Should AMIDA join them, refer to
them, or work alone on the issue?
7. How much time and effort will the work
take and do we have the time and resources to do the work or can we get these
resources?
8. Do we have the knowledge
and ability needed and if we don’t can
we get it?
9. What opportunities are there for people
with disabilities to get involved?
10. Is the person seeking individual advocacy
assistance an employee or a committee member of AMIDA? Due to potential conflict of interest we
cannot provide individual advocacy to anyone with these positions but will
refer them to another advocacy service.
HOW DOES AMIDA WORK?
1. When a person or group first speaks to
AMIDA we write this up on a ‘Client Contact Sheet’ including your name, contact
details and brief summary of the issue.
2. The AMIDA worker will then talk with the
person or group about their question or problem and take down the information
they will need to assess whether we can assist.
3. The AMIDA worker will tell
the person or group if they are able
to help them. If AMIDA cannot give any help we will try to find another organisation that can assist.
4. If AMIDA agrees to work with you we will
start a file which will have the Client Contact sheet in it: your consent form and
individual action plan which we will write together. This plan will include what your issue is,
the strategy we agree to, what action we both agree to take, when we will do it
by and follow up times. Any other documents or information we might need that
will help carry out the plan will be stored in this file.
5. AMIDA will only do work that you, or your
guardian, understand and agree that
we can do. You are very welcome to have
a support person with you when you meet
with AMIDA.
6. This file will be kept private and will be
kept in a locked filing cabinet that only AMIDA advocacy workers have access
to.
7. AMIDA must have your written consent to
give your information to anyone else. No-one
else can see this file unless you say they can. You can say No.
8. You can see or receive a copy of the
information in your file.
9. You can ask AMIDA to change what they are
doing for you at any time.
10. You can choose to stop
using AMIDA at any time or for any
reason.
11. Any information, advice or support that
AMIDA provides will be given to you in a way that you can understand. For
example, if you cannot speak or read we will use a communication board or pictures. If you have visual
impairment we will use big print or an audiotape.
WHEN THE WORK IS
FINISHED....
This section is about how AMIDA or a person using AMIDA decides to stop
working together and how to do this. This can happen in many different ways:
· You or AMIDA may
decide that AMIDA has done all they can
for you and there is nothing more that can be done. If we find a new way of
helping you in the future we may ask you if you would like to work with us
again.
· You may decide
that you have got what you wanted and that you don’t need us anymore.
· You are
encouraged to make a complaint if you are not happy with AMIDA. We will do our
best to fix this and improve things. If
you are still unhappy you can decide to go to another organisation for help.
· If you do decide
to stop using AMIDA, for any reason, you can talk to us about this and let us
know what you want to do. Whenever possible, both AMIDA and the person using
AMIDA will decide together how and when to end the service.
· If anyone
verbally or physically hurts any AMIDA workers, volunteers, members or visitors
we may decide to stop working with that person. If this happens we will use the
AMIDA Complaints Policy. Each situation will be treated individually and worked
out with the Committee and treated confidentially. The person may be told about
another service they can use.
CLOSING FILES
· We will set a
date for reviewing the Action Plan. At
this time we will discuss whether the advocacy will continue or finish. If
either you or AMIDA or both of us decide it should finish we will write this in
the file and close the file. If at any
time in the future you think you may need our advocacy assistance again you can
contact us.
· We will give you
the opportunity to tell us what you liked about our service and how we could
improve. Your feedback is welcome as it helps us improve our service.
· AMIDA will keep
copies of files for at least 7 years from the date on which the file is closed.
After this time and if the file is no longer needed for the advocacy purposes
for which it was created, we will take reasonable steps to destroy or
permanently de-identify personal information.