To the Moon & Back promotes the rights of people (including children, young people and adults) with a disability, as stated under the Disability Services Act 1993. All people with a disability have the same human and legal rights as all persons and these should be respected at all times.
At TMB we believe that each person has the right to receive services which respect and promote their legal and human rights and places them at the centre of decision making on all aspects of the way they live their life. Each person has the right to participate in decisions which affect their lives in ways that are appropriate to their age and stage of development. In the case of young children that right is vested in their parent or carer.
To the Moon & Back is committed to pursuing the rights and adopting the principles of a person centred philosophy in all practices, programs and service delivery models. These include the principles of equality, independence, participation, choice and inclusion.
To the Moon & Back supports and strives to maximise opportunities to assist people with a disability and their families to participate inclusively and contribute in their community according to their individual and cultural needs.
To the Moon & Back will act in accordance with:
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which recognises that people with disabilities have the right to access the same opportunities as all citizens with full and effective inclusion in society.
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child 2006 which recognises that all children have the same rights and freedoms regardless of race, background, faith or disability.
Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) which makes disability discrimination unlawful and aims to promote equal rights, opportunity and access for people with disabilities.
At To the Moon & Back, we take your privacy — and the privacy of the people we support — very seriously. Our Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect personal information in line with the NDIS Code of Conduct, NDIS Practice Standards, and the professional codes of conduct that guide our practice. You can view or download our full Privacy Policy below.
View/Download Privacy Policy
What is Advocacy?
Advocacy is the process of standing alongside an individual who is disadvantaged, and speaking out on their behalf in a way that represents the best interests of that person. The aim of advocacy is to bring about beneficial outcomes in a way that enables each client to retain as much control as possible over how it is carried out. An advocate may provide information and advice in order to assist a person to take action to resolve their own concerns, or may take a more active role in representing the persons’ rights to another person or organisation.
Why would I need an Advocate?
People need advocates for all sorts of reasons. Many clients can successfully advocate on their own behalf, however there are some people who may experience difficulty speaking up for themselves.
In these instances, an advocate may:
- Assist the client to access services
- Assist the client to change services
- Ensure that the service chosen is appropriate
- Communicate with the service provider
- Negotiate suitable resolutions where a complaint or dispute has arisen.
Who can be an advocate?
Advocacy is the process of standing alongside an individual who is disadvantaged, and speaking out on their behalf in a way that represents the best interests of that person. If a client, their family or carer of our organisation has asked you to be their advocate, this means they would like you to act on their behalf. You may be a family member or friend of the person, or a member of an advocacy service.
Clients and prospective advocates should be aware that interpreters cannot be used as advocates, as they have a distinct role to play in interpreting communication between two or more parties.
The role of an advocate explained:
Advocacy may involve speaking, acting or writing on behalf of an individual (or group) who has limited ability to exercise his/her rights. Advocacy is a mechanism to facilitate client rights, and you may be requested to support the client in exercising his/her rights. Examples of rights you could be asked to support include:
- The right to privacy and confidentiality;
- The right to respect and dignity;
- The right to quality services;
- The right to information to inform decision making;
- The right to choice and control;
- The right to make and resolve complaints;
- The right to non-discriminatory service; and
- The right to protection of legal and human rights, and freedom from abuse and neglect.
This support person may support the nominee in his or her contact with the organisation in the following ways.
- providing assistance with communication
- ensure information is understood
- attend to the personal support needs
- being a point of contact
- ensuring their best interests are represented
Individual rights
Individuals accessing our services may nominate a support person or advocate of their choice to provide support whilst accessing our organisation. Parents, elders, relatives or legal representatives are accepted as support persons for individuals accessing our services and need to complete our Client Advocate/Support Person Nomination Form to confirm nomination. If you require assistance with this form, we can assist you.
Who can I contact to be my advocate?
If you are looking for an advocate or some support to advocate more effectively on your own behalf, you could contact one of the following organisations:
- People with Disability Australia (PWDA)
P: 1800 422 015
W: www.pwd.org.au - Multicultural Disability Advocacy Association (MDAA)
P: 1800 629 072
W: www.mdaa.org.au - Indigenous Disability Advocacy Service (IDAS)
P: 02 4722 3524
E: idas@idas.org.au
For more information about advocacy services available in your area you can visit Disability Advocacy Network Australia at www.dana.org.au.
To the Moon & Back (TMB) is committed to providing clients and their families a high standard of service and ensuring high levels of customer satisfaction. To achieve this goals TMB welcomes feedback and uses complaints and suggestions as a method of continually improving our services, systems and processes.
TMB recognises that complaints, feedback and suggestions play an essential role in identifying areas for improvement at both individual and organisational levels.
TMB recognises that families/carers, children and young people and other stakeholders have the right to make complaints, give feedback, compliments and suggestions to assist To the Moon & Back in the seamless delivery of quality and evidence based programs for children with autism spectrum disorders and their families.
To the Moon & Back is committed to respecting the rights of individuals to raise complaints and provide feedback without fear and with the knowledge that the complaint will be managed in a manner which:
- Is timely and confidential
- Uses a person/family centred approach
- Reflects the best interest of the individual
- Promotes an outcome which is positive and to the satisfaction of all parties involved
Feedback and complaints as well as compliments are accepted in writing, verbally, by email (info@tothemoonandback.net.au) or any other communication method suitable to the individual.
