Blue Knot is here to listen, support and respect you.
We are committed to providing safe, respectful and trauma-informed services for everyone who uses our Telehealth Services. These Terms of Use outline what you can expect from us and the responsibilities we ask all service users to follow to help maintain a safe, respectful and supportive environment for everyone.
Maintaining a Safe Service
Blue Knot is committed to providing a safe, respectful and trauma-informed environment for everyone who uses and delivers our Telehealth Services. We recognise that people may contact us during times of significant distress and we will always seek to respond with compassion, respect and professionalism.
To help us maintain a safe service for everyone, we ask all service users to interact respectfully with our counsellors and other members of the Blue Knot team. Where appropriate, we will work with service users to support safe and effective engagement.
If a service user is unable to engage safely or respectfully, or if their behaviour is abusive, threatening, harassing, sexualised, discriminatory or otherwise inappropriate, we may take reasonable steps to protect the safety and wellbeing of our workforce and other service users. Depending on the circumstances, this may include:
- asking the service user to stop the behaviour;
- pausing or ending the interaction;
- asking the service user to reconnect when they are able to engage safely and respectfully;
- applying temporary or permanent service access restrictions in accordance with our policies; or
- reporting serious incidents to police or other relevant authorities where appropriate or required by law.
Where a service user is significantly affected by alcohol, drugs or other substances and is unable to engage safely or meaningfully with the service, we may end the interaction and invite them to contact us again when they are able to participate safely.
Blue Knot’s Telehealth Services are not emergency services. If there is an immediate risk to your safety or the safety of another person, we may encourage you to contact emergency services or other appropriate crisis supports. Where authorised or required by law, we may also take reasonable steps to protect the safety of individuals.
Any decision to apply service access restrictions will be made in accordance with Blue Knot’s policies and procedures, taking into account the circumstances of the interaction, the safety and wellbeing of our workforce and other service users, and our commitment to providing fair, consistent and trauma-informed services.
Service users’ responsibilities
Service users have the responsibility to:
- Treat counsellors and other members of the Blue Knot team with respect
- Respect the privacy of the service and of counsellors including by not recording, photographing or distributing any part of an interaction with a counsellor without permission
- Use the service for the purpose for which it is intended
- Contact the service only when able to engage safely and meaningfully (for example, not while driving or when significantly impaired by alcohol, drugs or other substances).
- Follow the reasonable directions of a counsellor to support their safety or the safety of others.
- Follow the policies and charters of Blue Knot to support their own safety, the safety of others or the effectiveness of the service.
- Comply with applicable Blue Knot service requirements and service access conditions as outlined on www.blueknot.org.au
- Comply with any service access restrictions that apply as a result of behaviour that is abusive, threatening, unsafe or otherwise inconsistent with this Charter or other Blue Knot policies.
Feedback, Complaints and Further Information
We welcome your feedback about our services. If you have a compliment, concern or complaint, or would like further information about this Charter, please contact us or refer to our Complaints Policy.
