The following information outlines our process for working with our service users, helping ensure transparency and understanding across any engagement you may have with EDV. 

At EDV, we work in collaboration with you to help you to meet your goals. We believe that while you are the lead of your journey, our work together is a mutual partnership with active participation from both sides. We also value collaboration within and across our services to enhance your support.  

Our teams may engage in supervision and multidisciplinary team meetings to discuss cases to enhance our services. If others are involved in your care outside of our organisation, we believe it is best practice that we engage with them where appropriate. This might be your support people or professional team such as a therapist, GP, dietitian etc. We will ask for your consent prior to any external collaboration and talk through what you’re comfortable to share prior to any communication with them. 

Reaching out to EDV, in any capacity, can involve you stepping out of your comfort zone and it can be challenging and/or confronting. We are here to support you, and we expect that you will respect us, just like we will respect you.

For your wellbeing and privacy, we request that you find a private and calm space. We understand that sometimes things come up and you are unable to make your appointment, we ask that you please give us 24 hours’ notice if you can’t attend a session. 

You may withdraw your participation at any time by emailing us or talking to an EDV staff member. We value transparency and trust, and we aim to be open in our engagement with you to enhance the support we give you. If, for whatever reason, we believe that our programs or services are not the most appropriate to meet your needs, we will discuss this with you and what might be a better fit. 

For those under the age of 16 years

EDV need to know that you have a trusted adult on your side, ideally a parent/guardian or a trusted adult like teacher or mental health worker.  We’ll ask them to sign this document to show their awareness and then work with you to work out the best way to involve them in helping to support you. 

We have a duty of care to ensure the (physical and psychological) safety of people who engage with our services and our staff. If there is a situation in which you, or someone else’s safety, is at risk, we are required to respond appropriately. We will aim to work with you to agree to next steps and only share information that is relevant to keep you safe.    

If there is a serious risk of harm to yourself/others (either in person or online), we may engage emergency or specialised services for support and intervention to ensure your safety. Again, where possible we will work with you during this time however will act to ensure that appropriate care is received in an appropriate timeframe.

We have a zero-tolerance policy towards violence, aggression and/or violent threats. We have an obligation to provide a safe and healthy workplace where people are not subjected to aggression and/or violence. This policy is in place for both our staff and people who use our services. Breaching this policy can lead to the termination of contact with EDV.  

We value your feedback and strive to continuously improve our services and programs. To gain feedback, we provide evaluation forms for you to complete following sessions or at the end of your engagement. If you would like to provide any feedback, please speak to an EDV staff member or email [email protected].

If you engage in our services via telehealth, please ensure you have a private and comfortable space to join from to protect your privacy and the privacy of others you might engage with (e.g., facilitator or other group members).

EDV is committed to managing and protecting the privacy of personal information we collect, hold and administer in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Health Privacy Act 2001, the Information Privacy Act 2014, and Victorian Privacy Laws as well as other laws and legislation, which impose specific obligations when it comes to handling information.  

We commit to the security, integrity and privacy of your personal information, and we seek to protect your personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorized access, modification or disclosure. We will only disclose your personal information to others with your consent, unless we are otherwise required or permitted to do so by law. How we use your personal information will depend on your reason for interacting with us, including whether you are seeking information, support or other services from EDV, are a health professional, or are looking to work with us. All data collected shapes EDV services and contributes to advocacy to improve the wider service sector.   

The following information outlines how personal information is collected, used and stored within EDV: