At Enliven Community, we believe that every person has the right to live the life they choose, even if those choices may involve some risk. Through our knowledge in the sector and being on the front foot of change and innovation, we identified a gap in information available on rights and responsibilities for both a Community Cooperative and their service provider when it came to ‘duty of care’, and ‘dignity of risk’.
NDIS Participants are frequently reporting that there is not enough choice in their homes, including what culture they want and how they want their services delivered. On the other hand, NDIS service providers are reporting that their customers may not understand or have the information available as to why there are limitations in place such as regulations set to safeguard participants against harm.
In the sector, we have seen that there is not usually the next step being taken when this happens, which is to explore alternative options or explain to the Cooperatives exactly what the limitations are and why they are present. Whilst there is usually individual risk assessments completed, to help keep individuals safe in their homes, we identified a need to promote and document these types of conversations with Cooperative’s.
To help bridge the gap, we have created a Collective Dignity Guidebook. It offers guidance and tools and specifically aims to promote conversations that address decisions where potential risks are involved.
By coming together in a collaborative and informative way Cooperatives can develop what is called a Collective Dignity Charter.
What is a Collective Dignity Charter?
A Collective Dignity Charter aims to provide a common understanding of what is important to a Community Cooperative, what their key principles and values are, and how they want to maintain a healthy culture within their home.
The Charter is an agreement of what the Cooperative wants the culture of the home to look like. It outlines what is important to the Cooperative as a group and how the service provider will support them. This is led by the Community Cooperative and addresses the parameters of organisational policies and procedures. The Charter documents how the service provider can uphold their ‘duty of care’ whilst maintaining the group’s rights and dignity.
Why is it important?
Sometimes there is a conflict between what a Community Cooperative wants to happen, and what a provider needs to do as a ‘duty of care’, or thinks is best for Cooperative members. This may include how services are delivered, or what members are and are not allowed to do.
This tool reframes this “conflict” into something the Cooperative and Service Provider can collaborate on to find solutions.
The Cooperative and their shared support provider can discuss and agree on how they will work together to uphold the safety of everyone whilst maintaining the rights and dignity of the Cooperative within their homes.
The Charter can be helpful in the following ways:
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- Having a common understanding of the house culture for both the Shared Support Provider and the Community Cooperative.
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- Help set the tone of how the Cooperative wants to be supported in the home.
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- The Cooperative may like to create a set of values.
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- The Charter could be displayed in the home as a reminder to the Cooperative and the support staff.
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- An annual meeting could be held to review and refresh the Charter.
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- The Charter could be used as a guide when talking to potential new housemates.
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- The Charter could be used as a guide when training new staff.
We hope you enjoy using this resource as much as we have enjoyed creating it.
For more insights on the Collective Dignity Charter and our evolving practices, check out the Collective Dignity Guide we developed from the learnings of this pilot project.
