Community Visitors

The responsibilities of Community Visitor volunteers include:

• spending 8-10 hours per month visiting facilities
• enquiring into the quality of services and care provided to residents or patients
• observing and, where possible communicating with residents or patients and staff, to identify problems
• ensuring that the treatment and service given to residents or patients maintains their dignity and respect
• assessing the opportunities available to residents or patients to participate in recreational and educational activities
• assessing whether living environments put patients or residents at risk
• following up on complaints and concerns raised by residents or patients
• liaising with staff and management to resolve identified issues
• referring broader or more serious issues to OPA.

Disability Services

Disability Services Community Visitors visit group homes in the general community that house four to six residents who usually have some form of cognitive impairment such as an intellectual disability.

Mental Health

Mental Health Community Visitors visit inpatient facilities such as psychiatric units in public hospitals.

These may include: adult mental health units, child and adolescent mental health units, mother and baby units, eating disorder units, aged mental health units, community care units, and prevention and recovery centres.

Supported Residential Services

Supported Residential Services (SRS) Community Visitors visit premises where accommodation and personal support are privately provided or offered to residents for a fee.

This does not include aged care facilities, retirement villages, or disability accommodation services that are funded by the Commonwealth government.

The number of people in SRS can range from five to 80.

The people living in an SRS may include people with a mental illness, intellectual disability, acquired brain injury or drug and alcohol problems.

Community Visitors have a unique role in monitoring the quality of services for people in vulnerable situations living in eligible services as determined by the respective legislation, the Disability Act 2006, the Social Services Regulation Act 2021,and the Mental Health and Wellbeing Act 2022.

Although there are other standards and monitoring processes that address service quality, the Community Visitors Program is unique in its focus on the welfare and rights of the individual resident and the role of volunteers.

The core role of the Community Visitor is to safeguard the interests and rights of vulnerable people who have a disability and are living in eligible services.

Community Visitors do this by identifying and reporting issues and problems from the perspective of the individual resident and by referring these for resolution within the service system.

Key criteria for becoming a Community Visitor

A prospective Community Visitor will have:

• An interest in and commitment to the rights of people with disability in eligible services.
• The ability to promote the dignity of residents of eligible services.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• The ability to develop an understanding of relevant legislation and other key information relating to the CVP.
• The skills necessary to objectively assess the standard of services, the adequacy of services and the care and treatment being provided to residents of eligible services.
• The skills and knowledge to identify issues and be able to work towards resolutions in the best interests of the residents.
• The ability to contribute to and prepare reports of visits.
• The ability to work collaboratively as part of a panel of Community Visitors and to contribute to the work of the Community Visitor Program.

Key accountabilities

• Operating in accordance with the Community Visitors Program Handbook, which outlines the policies and procedures of the Community Visitors Program and is based on the legislative requirements of the Disability Act 2006, the Mental Health Act 2014 and the Supported Residential Services (Private Proprietors) Act 2010.
• Visiting eligible services regularly in panels, announced or unannounced and as required in order to identify and monitor issues and problems from the perspective of the individual resident, legislative principles and expected community standards.
• Resolving issues locally or referring serious and persistent issues to the Regional Convenor for resolution.
• Providing written reports on visits on issues and problems identified and action towards resolution and outcomes. These reports may include examples of good practice.
• Attending mandatory training which includes:
  • induction training
  • 10 hours probationary in-the-field visits
  • stream-specific training (Disability, or Mental Health or Supported Residential Services).
• Attending quarterly Regional Meetings

Please note:

Volunteers cannot be a current employee of the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services. This role is ideally suited to individuals who are able to visit Monday-Friday.

Please note:

Prospective candidates cannot volunteer in the Disability or Residential Services stream if they are employees of the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing. Prospective candidates cannot volunteer in the Mental Health stream if they are employees of the Department of Health. Community Visitor roles are ideally suited to individuals who are able to visit during Monday-Friday.

Mental Health Community Visitors

Metropolitan areas: North Metro, West Metro, Southern Metro (Peninsula)
Regional areas: Bendigo, Shepparton and Wangaratta

Disability Services Community Visitors

Metropolitan areas: North Metro, East Metro, South Metro and West Metro

Regional areas: Bendigo, Cobram, Colac, Benalla, Echuca, Horsham, Kialla, Nathalia, Numurkah, Mildura, Shepparton, Stawell, Swan Hill, Wangaratta

Residential Services Community Visitors

Metropolitan areas: Inner Eastern Metro, Inner Southern Metro, Western Metro
Regional areas: Bright, Cobram