Our Values

• Respect

• Inclusion

• Community

• Empowerment

 

Our Vision

Capable communities, strong families, thriving children.

 

Children and Young People

Family Life is a youth and child safe organisation. We value, respect, and listen to children and young people. We are committed to the safety of all children and young people including the cultural safety of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people, culturally and/or linguistically diverse children and young people, gender and sexually diverse children and young people and children and young people with a disability.

Family Life supports children to meet their potential and thrive. We do not tolerate neglect, mistreatment or abuse of any kind.

If you believe a child is at immediate risk of abuse, phone 000.

 

Equity

Family Life works with sensitivity to promote accessibility of service to people who face a real or perceived barrier to receiving assistance on the basis of ethnicity, language, religion, culture, gender, disability, age, socio economic status, sexual orientation, or any other basis.

We respect the cultural and spiritual identity of, and endeavour to promote the cultural safety and connectedness of, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Our Staff

Our staff are trained professionals in the areas of Community and Health Services, Social Work, Psychology, Counselling, Men’s Behavioural Change, Family Therapy, Youth Work, Welfare and Mediation. We have a specially trained trauma informed team. To ensure that you receive a high quality service, all staff regularly receive professional supervision.

 

Client Rights and Responsibilities

You have the right to:

• Be treated with dignity, respect and fairness
• Receive competent and professional service
• Receive information regarding appropriate alternative services to this Agency
• Expect that you and your Practitioner will discuss the goals you wish to achieve and an estimate of the number of sessions/contacts required to achieve the outcomes
• Be shown respect for your cultural and religious background Be shown respect for your language preference. Interpreter services will be made available when necessary or requested
• Generally decide who will be present at a consultation, including an advocate or an interpreter. Where a service has particular procedural requirements impacting who may be present, this will be discussed with you
• Provide feedback or make a complaint

You have the responsibility to:

• Ensure that your Practitioner has all relevant information so that the most appropriate service can be provided
• Look after your own health and wellbeing as far as this is possible
• Show consideration and respect and behave in a manner which does not cause undue disruption to staff and other service users
• Maintain confidentiality regarding information about other clients or participants in groups or programs conducted by Family Life
• Make every effort to keep appointments
• Follow action plans or therapeutic programs which have been agreed upon in consultation with the service provider
• Treat your Practitioner with respect and courtesy, and engage positively with the processes necessary for the delivery of the service.

Confidentiality and Duty of Care

You have the right to make an informed decision about the disclosure of your information. This will be discussed with you before starting your service, and you will be given the opportunity to indicate your consent then.

With your consent, your information will be accessible by Family Life staff relevant to your service. Where practitioners at Family Life are supporting different members of the same family, it may also be beneficial for your practitioner to speak with the other professional staff involved, with your consent. Additionally, in providing you with the best possible service, it may be beneficial for your information to be shared with other services. Your consent would be sought for this disclosure.

Your right to confidentiality will be protected, except for the following situations:

• Legislation requires us to report to the Department of Human Services Child Protection or other statutory body when we believe a child is at significant risk of neglect, or emotional, physical or sexual abuse. Our policy is to discuss any such concerns with the family first, wherever possible, except when the safety of children, you, or others may be compromised.
• Additional exceptions exist under the Victorian Family Violence and Child Information Sharing Schemes. Where risk to safety or wellbeing is identified, relevant information may be shared with specific professionals to support safety planning and risk assessment.
• Professional ethics requires Family Life to conduct safety planning where you are considered at risk of harming yourself or others or you disclose information that indicates you are at risk of harm by another person. This could include informing the relevant statutory body and/or someone nominated by you so that support may be provided.
• We are obliged to follow professional and legal requirements where your file is subpoenaed by the Courts.

Client Records

Records of your contact will be recorded in an electronic file and kept for a minimum of seven years.

Appointments

Appointments times are tailored to the needs of the client.. Arrangements are flexible and can be varied by you and your Practitioner. If you need to cancel or postpone your appointment, please give as much notice as possible to the Practitioner or to Reception at Family Life. This allows us to use the time to see another family.

Client Feedback

• You have the right to provide feedback on your service at any time, with anonymity where desired. You are also offered the opportunity to provide feedback on your experience as a client, via a confidential questionnaire, which will be given to you toward the end of the service.
• Family Life values complaints as a way of improving service delivery, and our complaints handling process fosters transparency and best practice standards. You have the right to make a complaint about the service provided or refused by us. All complaints will be treated with respect and dealt with in a timely and courteous manner.
• If you are not satisfied with the service, you are encouraged to discuss your grievances with your Practitioner. If you are still not satisfied, you may speak with the Team Leader, Program Manager or Director, Services. If necessary, assistance can be provided by Family Life to contact the Health Complaints Commissioner or relevant regulatory authority for the service received.

 

Privacy Statement

Family Life is committed to protecting your privacy through responsible handling of personal information. We will only use or disclose personal information about an individual for purposes necessary to Family Life’s work, unless otherwise consented to by the individual or required by law.

We will take reasonable steps to ensure that the personal information we collect and hold in respect to individuals is accurate, up to date and complete.

We have secure office premises, document storage and information technology arrangements to protect the personal information we hold from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.

The comprehensive Family Life Privacy Policy may be accessed on our website, or a copy can be provided upon request.

Access to Your Information

You have the right to request access to your records. A request for access should be made in writing to the Privacy Officer.

Family Life must comply with Privacy legislation in meeting your request. There may be instances, in accordance with privacy legislation, where we can not grant you access to the personal information we hold. For example, we may need to refuse access if granting access would interfere with the privacy of others or if it would result in a breach of confidentiality. If that happens, we will give you a written reason for any refusal.

You can discuss access to your personal information and/or the Family Life Privacy Policy, by contacting the Privacy Officer.

Contact Us

Please contact us today for more information.

Sandringham
(03) 8599 5433

Frankston
(03) 9770 0341

info@familylife.com.au

9:00am – 5:00pm, Monday to Friday
After hours by arrangement

Sandringham
197 Bluff Road
Sandringham VIC 3191

Frankston
Level 1, 60-64 Wells Street
Frankston VIC 3199

Download and view a PDF brochure version of this Client Information.