Privacy and Standards

Inclusion in QC

QC does not have any place for homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, racism, misogyny or anything that contributes towards the erasure of identities in our QC spaces.

Feedback and Complaints

QC is committed to listening to people using our services as we recognise that feedback and complaints assists us to deliver better services, continue to improve our work, and can help prevent further harms and help to ensure safe environments for adults and young people.

We are committed to your right to give feedback and make a complaint, to appeal a decision we have made that directly concerns you, and ensure your complaint or feedback is fairly assessed and responded to promptly.

We particularly want to hear about how we did making you feel included and respecting your gender identity, sexuality, and/or innate variations of sex characteristics.

We recognise that sometimes people choose to provide anonymous feedback. While anonymous feedback and complaints will be accepted and reviewed, it should be recognised that anonymous feedback by its nature will limit our ability to respond as fully as we otherwise might. We also encourage community members to provide feedback with the assistance of an advocate. Visit our Contact Us and Feedback page for more information.

Please contact us on (07) 3017 1777 or by emailing Info@qc.org.au for assistance or for information on how to give a complaint to our funding bodies or other external agencies.

Privacy and Data Collection

It is important to QC that our service users are aware of our Privacy, Confidentiality and Data Management Policy and processes and you can access this policy here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cLjNycnurZUmV_dWNGXJB3nY0wClB49K/view?usp=sharing

Through our work, QC may collect your information through different channels, including events, volunteer and member registrations, consultations, and other service channels. Your information will not be sold to third parties, and you can request that your contact information be amended or removed from where QC stores this information.

Where we collect your information, our Privacy Statement sets out the way we collect, hold, use and disclose your personal information, and QC may contact you periodically about upcoming events, consultations, services, and/or other important news.

Accessibility

QC is committed to being an accessible service and provides access to the Translating and Interpreting Service - TIS National, and the National Relay Service. You can visit this site for more information on accessing these services: https://www.statedevelopment.qld.gov.au/about-us/contact-us/translating-and-interpreting-service

Please also contact QC at info@qc.org.au for further translation and interpreting information and support to learn about and access our services.

Charter of Service User Rights and Responsibilities

QC is committed to supporting the communities we work with to know, understand and be able to act upon their rights and responsibilities in relation to receiving services from QC, as well as supporting them to understand their rights and responsibilities in all services they access, where this is appropriate. We believe in the inherent human rights of all of our clients, and in the human rights in law protected by Queensland’s Human Rights Act 2019. We are committed to upholding these rights, ensuring that our clients are made aware of them, and know how to exercise their rights.

Our Service User Rights and Responsibilities Charter sets out our commitment to you to provide quality services which aim to meet your needs and allow you to be your authentic self while you use our services, and your rights and responsibilities. You can access the Charter here: bit.ly/3iHAsd4

In rare cases, QC may refuse services to someone when the therapeutic or working relationship breaks down, as that person may behave in a threatening or violent manner, leaving staff and volunteers unable to provide effective services. When this occurs, we may cease the relationship and refer you to another service better suited to your needs, as it is important to us that you continue to receive appropriate support. To ensure the inherent human rights of all of our clients, we undertake specific steps when services are limited or refused, which we will discuss with you.

QC has prepared a list of Advocacy and Support organisations you may find useful, including avenues by which you can lodge a complaint concerning QC, which you can find on the Contact Us and Feedback page.

Getting involved in our Services

When developing programs and projects we will consult and collaborate widely to ensure:

We understand local needs and design and implement services that improve local health and wellbeing.
We are supporting and empowering shared community leadership and accountability.
We are embedding individuals and informed decision making at the centre of our work.

In our planning, we consider barriers to service users, risks to safety, and ethical dilemmas that may come from our work, including risks associated with the way different forms of discrimination and disadvantage combine or overlap to create harm (intersectionality). We actively implement strategies to manage these risks, breaches and avoid these dilemmas.

Please monitor our social media or join our newsletter list to be kept up to date on opportunities to be involved in the design of our services.

QC is also committed to involving our clients in the assessment, planning and review processes associated with receiving our services, and we work hard to ensure our services are responsive to each individual's needs, goals, and the life they envision for themselves.

Our Recovery Orientated approach

QC also recognises that recovery is a profoundly personal and unique process for each and every community member. In addition to health goals, diagnosis and challenges, QC recognises that recovery is viewed as a deeply unique process of changing one’s attitudes, values, feelings, goals, skills and/or roles. It is a way of living a purposeful, satisfying, hopeful, and contributing life even within the context of the limitations and barriers caused by mental health and illness.

Viewing recovery as a normal human process allows both worker and participant the ability to demystify the process of recovery from mental health problems and places workers in a better space to promote and support someone in their recovery process and journey.

Like many organisations QC prides itself on operating from a recovery orientated approach and encourages community members to take an active role in their recovery and reclaim agency for the direction of their life. Recovery is a concept everyone can relate to because we all experience growth, happiness, change, uncertainty, grief, and loss.

As recovery-oriented organisation, QC recognises the person as the expert on their life and will always resist inhibiting this by making decisions for people, while upholding the principle ‘nothing about me, without me’ and valuing the importance of forming relationships that see a person beyond the experience of mental health and illness.