Policy 2 : Individual Needs

Community Enterprise Inc. is a non-profit organisation established for the purpose of supporting people with disabilities and their families living in the Shire of Hidden Valley.

The services offered by Community Enterprise include group home accommodation, in-home respite, out-of-home respite, home help and community access. 

Community Enterprise is a non-profit, community organisation which is governed by a management committee elected annually by the members. Community Enterprise receives all of its operating funds from the Western Australian Government in the form of an annual grant.

The purpose of this policy is to establish standards of practice that recognise each client of the agency as having unique skills, lifestyle preferences, personal aspirations and support needs. The policy has been framed around meeting individuals needs as they are specified in the Disability Services Act (1993) and Standard 2 of the Disability Services Standards (1993).

This policy applies to all of the agency's programs and activities.

The following procedures are to be implemented to ensure that the agency meets its policy objective of designing and delivering services around clients' individual circumstances, needs and preferences.

The agency will:

1. Involve the client and key family members, where appropriate, in the development of an individual service plan for the client.
2. Collect necessary information on the client to properly inform the individual service planning process.
3. Seek the client's and family's input in the determination of their specific support needs.
4. Seek the client's and family's input in constructing an individual service plan that meets the agreed support needs.
5. As far as practicable, given the availability and flexibility of agency resources, construct an individual service plan that reflects the preferences of the client and family.
6. Fully document the individual service plan and provide a copy to the client and family.
7. Commit the agency to delivering services in accordance with the agreed individual service plan.
8. Review the individual service plan at least annually, or sooner if the client's or family's circumstances, needs or preferences change significantly or a request is made to undertake a review.

The following procedures are to be implemented to ensure that the agency meets its policy objective of designing and delivering services around clients' individual circumstances, needs and preferences.

The agency will:

1. Involve the client and key family members, where appropriate, in the development of an individual service plan for the client.
2. Collect necessary information on the client to properly inform the individual service planning process.
3. Seek the client's and family's input in the determination of their specific support needs.
4. Seek the client's and family's input in constructing an individual service plan that meets the agreed support needs.
5. As far as practicable, given the availability and flexibility of agency resources, construct an individual service plan that reflects the preferences of the client and family.
6. Fully document the individual service plan and provide a copy to the client and family.
7. Commit the agency to delivering services in accordance with the agreed individual service plan.
8. Review the individual service plan at least annually, or sooner if the client's or family's circumstances, needs or preferences change significantly or a request is made to undertake a review.

The following performance standards must be met to ensure that the procedures specified in Section 4 are implemented effectively:

1. All clients and their families have been provided with a copy of the agency's Policy on Individual Needs.
2. All employees have been provided with a copy of the agency's Policy on Individual Needs and a staff copy of the policy is kept in the staff area of each service outlet.
3. Clients and families have been involved from the outset in designing the individual service plan.
4. Necessary information is held by the agency and treated in accordance with the Policy on Privacy, Dignity and Confidentiality.
5. Clients and families have contributed in a meaningful way to the determination of their support needs.
6. Clients and families have had a primary decision making role about how agreed services are delivered.
7. Clients and families, as well as involved employees, have a current written copy of the individual service plan.
8. Individual service plans have been reviewed annually, or sooner if:
   • the client's or family's circumstances, needs or preferences have changed significantly, or
   • a request has been made to undertake a review by the client or family.
9. Any grievances have been addressed in accordance with the individual needs principles outlined in this policy and the Policy on Consumer Grievances.