Rights
The service promotes individual rights to freedom of expression, self-determination and decision-making, and actively prevents abuse, harm, neglect, and violence.
Southwest Advocacy Association (SWAA) is an independent, not-for-profit, community organisation that has provided individual and systemic advocacy for people with all types of disabilities throughout Southwest Victoria since 1992. SWAA’s advocates travel anywhere in the City of Warrnambool and Shires of Moyne, Glenelg, Southern Grampians and Corangamite to provide advocacy assistance to individuals with disabilities and their families.
SWAA is committed to the defence and promotion of the rights and interests of people with all types of disabilities & of all ages, including people with physical disabilities, intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities, psychiatric disabilities, acquired brain injuries, and neurological disorders.
The service promotes individual rights to freedom of expression, self-determination and decision-making, and actively prevents abuse, harm, neglect, and violence.
The service works with individuals and families, friends, carers, and advocates to promote opportunities for meaningful participation and active inclusion in society.
The service supports individuals to achieve their personal goals and aspirations.
The service has effective mechanisms in place to receive and respond to feedback and complaints.
The service supports individuals to achieve their personal goals and aspirations.
The service has effective management systems and practices in place to ensure quality service provision, financial and operational management, continuous improvement, and stakeholder engagement.
SWAA assists people with disabilities to speak up for their wants and needs and to obtain fair outcomes.
Sometimes people just need information, sometimes people need help to navigate other services and sometimes people need help to exercise their rights. SWAA advocates, provide people with information across a broad range of areas. Advocates assist people with disabilities & their families, to find their voice, enabling them to potentially advocate for themselves. SWAA provides information and advocacy assistance in relation to most issues.
SWAA can provide information and advocacy assistance in relation to any issue. Some of the most common issues that we assist with include -
● Assistance with NDIS access, reviews/appeals
● Centrelink – Disability Support Pension applications, Carer's Payment, Aged Pension, reviews/appeals
● Employment issues
● Financial issues
● VCAT Applications - Guardianship & Administration applications
● Mental Health Review Board Hearings
● Legal problems – referrals
● Problems with health, welfare & disability service providers (Government & non-Government)
● Barriers to disability access
● All aspects of disability rights
● Disability service and Health Commission complaints
● Accommodation complaints
● Mediation
● Elder Rights
● In addition to providing information, referral and advocacy casework for individuals and families, SWAA also engages in systemic advocacy and community education and supports disability self-help groups.
Systemic advocacy is action taken to influence or produce changes to systems or communities in an effort to ensure fair treatment, social justice and enhanced opportunities for people with disabilities. Changes are commonly sought in regard to such things as legislation; the policies and practices of Government or non-Government agencies; community attitudes; and access to premises, facilities and services. Systemic advocacy is a very important part of SWAA’s work, as systemic action has the potential to benefit large numbers of people with disabilities and lead to long-term change and community development. SWAA's community education work is designed to raise awareness of the rights and needs of people with disabilities. Activities include information dissemination, media work, speaking to school groups, support groups and interested community groups; and participating in and delivering workshops and forums.
SWAA can also provide support to disability self-help groups and can assist in the establishment of new self-help and support groups.
The Victorian Rural Advocacy Network (VicRAN) has been operating successfully for 20 years and is an incorporated network of six rural advocacy organisations in Victoria comprising:
Grampians DisAbility Advocacy Association, Ararat
Regional Disability Advocacy Service (RDAS), Wodonga
Gippsland Disability Advocacy Inc (GDAI), Traralgon
Colac Otway Regional Advocacy Service (CORAS), Colac
South West Advocacy Association, (SWAA) Warrnambool
Rights Information Advocacy Centre (RIAC), Shepparton
These services provide advocacy across most of rural Victoria. RDAS also works across the border in NSW. Each service receives a mixture of Federal and State funding for disability advocacy.
VicRAN meets for two days, three times per year. Day one follows a formal meeting agenda while day two is reserved for professional development training.
Key Contact.
President: Jennie Trigg and Roy Reekie
Jennie Trigg: Executive@swadvocacy.com.au
Roy Reekie: eo@grampiansadvocacy.org.au
SWAA Inc. Aims to give a strong voice to people with disability, we will advocate, encourage & empower them so that their rightful participation is ensured in this community.
HOW WE CAN HELP YOU
Our advocates support people with disability to solve problems, resolve issues and improve their quality of life. The support they provide can include going to meetings with or for the person, writing letters, making phone calls, assisting them to lodge complaints, and much more.
Our individual advocacy services are:
• Short to medium term
• Non-legal
• Issue-based
• For people with disability who have serious and urgent issues
At times SWAA may have a waiting list. You will be placed on this list until an advocate has capacity to see you. The waiting list is monitored weekly, and our intake officer will call you from time to time to discuss and verify any urgent changes to your situation/issue.
PRIORITY FOR INDIVIDUAL SERVICE
• While provision of service is generally non-discriminatory, where there are
competing claims for access to the service, priority of service will be determined by the following criteria.
• People whose problems are more urgent will receive priority of access.
• Examples of urgent problems include those regarding basic accommodation.
and essential care needs, severe financial hardship, and abuse of any kind.
• People who have heightened vulnerability because of the nature or extent of
their disability will also receive priority of access.
Additional Priority is given to people with disability experiencing abuse and neglect, discrimination, or those who lack appropriate services and supports. Additional consideration is given to groups of people experiencing increased disadvantage:
• Women with disability
• Children with disability
• People with multiple disabilities
• First Nations people with disability
• People with disability living in segregated settings (boarding houses, institutions, prisons and detention centres)
• People with disability living in regional or remote areas
RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Includes people with disability accessing the service, friends, family, and others raising a complaint
• You have the right to complain about a disability service provider
• You have the right to make an anonymous complaint
• You have the right to know how to make a complaint and to be provided with appropriate assistance to make a complaint.
To find out more about rights and responsibilities as a service user and a service provider, visit the Victorian Legislation and Parliamentary Documents website to read the Disability Act 2006 in full.
PRIVACY SAFEGUARDS & FREEDOM OF INFORMATION
SWAA recognises each service user’s right to privacy and confidentiality.
1. All information provided to the service will be strictly confidential and kept within the service.
2. Further information from other agencies regarding the service user is only to be obtained after the service user signs authorisation.
3. Information is to be used solely to obtain resolution of the service user’s problem.
4. Service user files will be kept locked within the service for a period of seven years. At the end of this time if there has been no further contact, we will contact the service user and offer them their file. If the service user does not want the file or cannot be located, it will be destroyed.
5. Only staff with the ‘need to know’ will have access to information held by the service about an individual.
6. Staff will be sensitive when discussing personal details regarding service users with other staff or other agencies and staff will be aware of the “Freedom of Information” provisions.
7. Service users will have access to their own file(s) by making an appointment with service staff. Service users’ files will be kept for a minimum of 7 years.
8. A copy of information in a service user’s file will be made available to the service user within seven days of receiving a written request.
9. With the service user’s permission only relevant information will be given to other agencies and only on a “need to know” basis.
HOW TO GET HELP
To understand how we can best help you, we need learn more about you, your situation as well as the issue you’re experiencing. Get in touch!
• Phone: 5561 4584 and speak to one of our intake officers
Once we have your information, we’ll then be able to provide the most appropriate assistance we can. One of our intake officers will be in contact with you via your preferred method of contact to provide you with information about progressing your case.
Southwest Advocacy is inclusive of all people with any type of disability regardless of religion, culture, age, sex, living arrangements and sexuality.
Service users are reminded that this information can be made available in large print on request.