Advocacy support
Most of us at some time or other may have reason to be unhappy about the service we have received from an organisation. Novita believes strongly that people who receive services have the right to raise such concerns.
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What are your rights?
If you use Novita services, you have the right to:
- respect – you can expect to be listened to, taken seriously and treated politely
- information – you can expect to obtain information about the service being provided to you or your child and to have access to what is written about you or your child
- participate in decisions – you can expect to be invited to take part in important decisions about services for you or your child
- withdraw – you may choose at any time to ask that services from Novita to you or your child cease
- appeal – if you are unhappy with any decision made by Novita staff you have the right to discuss this with your therapist or service manager. If you are still unhappy about the outcome you may ask your manager to have the matter treated as a formal complaint which will be dealt with as speedily as possible and with respect for you and your child's needs.
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What are your responsibilities?
As a user of Novita services you have the responsibility to:
- provide Novita with enough information to make it possible for a safe, quality service to be provided to you or your child
- accept responsibility for the choices you make about services
- respect the rights and needs of other service users and their families
- respect the rights of staff to work without being harassed.
What is a disability advocacy agency?
Disability advocacy agencies have staffwho help people with complaints or concerns about services to reach agreement with the service provider over any matter to do with their disability. The advocacy agency usually provides this help in a variety of ways, including:
- providing advice and information
- going with the person to meetings where the service is to be discussed to provide support
- writing letters of support.
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How does Novita view advocacy agencies?
Novita believes that:
- any user of its services has a right to seek the support of an advocacy agency to help deal with a disagreement with the organisation
- it has a responsibility to work together in a co-operative manner with staff from advocacy agencies
- it has the responsibility of making sure that users of its services are aware of advocacy agencies and how to contact them.
Advocacy agencies and how to contact them
Advocacy agencies specialise in different models of advocacy which are often described as citizen advocacy, individual advocacy, family advocacy, self-advocacy, systemic advocacy and legal advocacy.
Brian Injury Network SA Inc.
Address: 220 Victoria Square, Adelaide SA 5000
Telephone: (08) 8277 7600
Fax: (08) 8211 8164
Email
Citizens Advocacy
Address: Unit 1, 76 Sturt Street, Adelaide, SA 5000
Telephone: (08) 8410 6644
Fax: (08) 8410 0388
Email
Disability Advocacy and Complaints Service of SA
Address: 3/178 Henley Beach Road, Torrensville SA 5031
Telephone: (08) 8234 5699
Telephone (TTY): (08) 8234 2229
Telephone (Free call): 1800 088 325 (country callers)
Fax: (08) 8234 6044
Email
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Family Advocacy Incorporated
Address: 5 Ninth Street, Bowden, SA 5007
Telephone: (08) 8340 4450
Fax: (08) 8340 4452
Email
Website
Independent Advocacy SA INC.
Address: Ground Floor, 99 Frome Street, Adelaide SA 5000
Telephone: (08) 8232 6200
Fax: (08) 8232 6255
Email
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MALSSA
(For people from non-English speaking backgrounds)
Address: 4/80 Henley Beach Road, Mile End SA 5031
Postal Address: 742, Torrensville SA 5031
Telephone: (08) 8351 9500
Fax: (08) 8152 0396
Telephone (Toll Free): 1800 816 720
Email
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Disclaimer: The above information on is of a general nature only and does not constitute advice. Novita Children's Services makes no representations, express or implied, as to the accuracy, usefulness, suitability or application of the information to a child's particular circumstances. Use of the information above is at your sole risk, and you should seek professional advice before acting or relying on the information. Novita Children's Services accepts no liability for any damages or loss that may arise from the use of, or any omission from, the information provided. In using this site, you are agreeing to the Terms and Conditions of Use for the site.