Blue Knot is here to listen, support and respect you. We are committed to upholding your rights and have adapted the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights and its seven values into a Charter of Service users’ rights for people accessing its Telehealth services to guide us. Services include phone, online, email or video call counselling, information or referral delivered through the Blue Knot Helpline and Redress Support Service.
When I access support from Blue Knot, I have a right to:
ACCESS
• Trauma-informed culturally sensitive services that meet my needs
• Access experienced trauma counsellors
• An accessible service
• Use the National Relay Service and the Translating and Interpreting Service
SAFETY
• Receive safe high-quality care that meets national standards
• Be supported in a safe environment
• Be listened to with compassion
• Not have my call recorded if I don’t want it to be recorded
RESPECT
• Be treated as an individual, with dignity and respect
• Have my culture, identity, beliefs and choices recognised and respected
• Receive a professional and ethical service
• Have my rights respected inclusive of my abilities including my right to self-determination
PARTNERSHIP
• Ask questions and engage in open honest communication each time I contact the service
• Make decisions about how I use the service within the scope of what it can provide
PRIVACY
• Have my privacy respected whoever I am and wherever I come from
• Have information about me and what I share kept secure and confidential within the service
• Receive clear information about any limits to confidentiality related to my own safety or the safety of someone else
INFORMATION
• Receive information about the scope of the service, including about consent in a way I understand so I can make decisions about how I use it
• Access information that is stored about me
• Be supported to understand issues related to my care, safety, engagement with the service, and any potential changes to this
GIVE FEEDBACK
• Make a complaint and have my concerns addressed in a transparent way without it affecting the service I receive
• Share my experiences to help improve the quality of the service
Service users’ responsibilities
Clients have the responsibility (as much as possible) to:
• Be respectful to counsellors and members of the Blue Knot team
• Respect the privacy of the service and of counsellors by not recording or disseminating material obtained during contact with a counsellor
• Use the service for the purpose for which it is intended
• Engage with services when I am able to do so ; e.g. not when driving or when under the influence of drugs or alcohol. If I am not able to engage when I make contact, I will be welcome to contact the service again, when I can engage.
• Follow the reasonable instructions of a counsellor to support their safety or the safety of others.
