Page 478 - Week 02 - Thursday, 11 February 2021
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The role has become embedded within the sector landscape, and the official visitor is a respected figure who residents can access and who oversees and observes the daily activities of the services they use. For Canberrans in “visitable places”, whether in a homelessness service facility or in another area of the sector, the official visitor bears witness to their experiences and validates the effects of systemic impacts on their lives, both positive and negative. Furthermore, the official visitor has the capacity to form an opinion independent of the service provider, the system, and the government of the day.
The Official Visitor Amendment Act 2019 altered “visitable places” to include “single occupancy independent accommodation” under the management of a specialist homelessness service. This welcome change means that all people who are residing in properties managed by a specialist homelessness service, and reliant on this service for their accommodation and other needs, can access the official visitor.
On 28 June 2019 the Official Visitor (Homelessness Services) Visit and Complaint Guidelines 2019 (No 1) also came into effect. These guidelines broadened the scope of the visitable places to include cluster housing and foyer models of service provision.
This change brings the total number of visitable places from 18 to 21, including for the first time the Our Place program, a youth accommodation service with Barnardos; Room4Change, a men’s behaviour change program with the Domestic Violence Crisis Service; and Doris Women’s Refuge, a supported crisis and transitional accommodation program for women and accompanying children.
Until the legislative changes in 2019, the Official Visitor Scheme also allowed for an official visitor with different jurisdictional responsibilities to cover for another in the event of absences such as for sickness or planned leave.
This was a welcome change for the Official Visitor (Homelessness Services), who operates solely within this space. Prior to the amendment, when the official visitor was absent, client inquiries were diverted to the Public Trustee and Guardian. This new change means that official visitors with a different jurisdictional responsibility such as disability or mental health may now assist each other to fulfil their duties.
As outlined in the Official Visitor (Homelessness Services) Visit and Complaint Guidelines 2019, the official visitor must make at least two scheduled visits to a visitable place each year. Ad hoc visits may also be undertaken following a complaint or if there are concerns. Records of visits to visitable places by the official visitor are provided to homelessness services, Housing ACT, detailing any complaints or comments received and actions taken. A quarterly report is prepared for the operational minister to advise of any complaints received and any systemic issues that have arisen.
In the 2019-20 report, Ms Dianne Lucas, Official Visitor for Homelessness Services, reports that, in general, the clients of the specialist homelessness services expressed satisfaction with and gratitude for the support and accommodation they received. Ms Lucas reports that the visits generally consisted of informal chats with clients
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