Provision of supports

Access to supports

Participants must have access to supports that meet their needs, goals and preferences.

• Supports that are available and any access criteria and associated costs are clearly defined. The information should be communicated to the participant in a language the participant is most likely to understand.
• Reasonable adjustments are made to the provision of supports to ensure it is fit for purpose to each participant's health, privacy, dignity and quality of life.
• Participants are supported to understand when supports are withdrawn. Access to supports will not be withdrawn or denied on the basis of choice by the partiicpant. All participants have the right to dignity of risk.

Support Planning

Participants must be involved in the development of their support plans. These support plans should reflect participant needs, requirements, preferences, strengths and goals and they should regularly reviewed.

• Work should be undertaken with the participant and their support team to assess and develop a support plan. Appropriate information and access should be sought from a range of resources to meet the participant's needs, requirements, preferences, strengths and goals.
• Risk assessments should be undertaken regularly and documented in the participant's support plan. Appropriate strategies should be planned and implemented to treat known risks.
• Risk Assessments should include how much participants' rely on the provider's services to meet daily living needs.
• Risk Assessments should also include the extent to which participants' health and safety would be impacted if those services were disrupted.
• Periodic reviews of risk management strategies should be undertaken with each participant to ensure risks are being adequately mitigated and changes made are required.
• Support Plans should be reviewed annually or earlier in collaboration with each participant according to their changing needs and circumstances.
• Where progress differs from expected outcomes, work is done with the participant to change and update the support plan.
• Support plans should be written in a language and mode of communication that the participant is most likely to understand.
• Support Plans should be readily accessible to participants and to the support workers who are working with the participant.
• Each participant's support plan is communicated where appropriate and with their consent to their support network, other providers and relevant government agencies.
• Support Plans should include pro-active support for preventative health measures including support to access vaccinations, dental check-ups, comprehensive health assessments and allied health services.
• Must be easily understood by the staff who are currently working with the participant.

Service agreements with Participants

Participants should have a clear understanding of the supports they have chosen and how they will be provided.

• Providers should collaborate directly with each participant to develop a service agreement which establishes expectations and explains how the supports will be delivered and specifies any conditions attached to the delivery of the supports including why these conditions are attached.
• Each participant is supported to best understand their service agreement and conditions in a language that the participant is most likely to understand.
• Participants should receive a copy of the service agreement signed by the participant and by the provider. Where this is not practicable a written record should exist outlining why this was the case.

Responsive support provision

Each participant accesses responsive, timely, competent and appropriate supports to meet their needs, desired outcomes and goals.

• Supports should be provided in the least intrusive manner in accordance with contemporary evidence-informed practices that meet the participant's needs and desired outcomes.
• For each participant and with their consent links are developed and maintained by the provider through collaboration with other providers including health care and allied health providers to share information, manage participant risks and meet participant needs.
• Reasonable efforts are made to involve the participant in selecting their preferred workers including gender when it relates to providing personal care supports.
• Where a participant has specific needs which require monitoring or daily support, staff should be appropriately trained to understand the partiicpant's needs and preferences.

Transitions to or from a provider

Participants should experience a planned and coordinated trainsition to and from the provider.

• A planned transition to and from the provider is facilitated with the participant where possible and this transition is documented, communicated and effectively managed.
• Risks associated with the transition to or from the provider are identified, documented and responded to.
• Processes for transitioning to and from the provider are developed, applied, reviewed and communicated.