determine the State Trustees ensures all staff have the appropriate represented understanding and skills to advocate for the represented person’s legal rights through an application on the basis of person’s rights ‘special and or other available mechanisms to resolve circumstances’ responsibilities infringements (including newly introduced Work and Development Permits and options for victims of family violence). State Trustees establishes internal policies to ensure a waiver or reduction of any outstanding debts is requested as a matter of course for all eligible represented persons and this is applied consistently regardless of the debt, where they are ‘judgment proof’. State Trustees develops and implements policies and processes that ensure compliance with Centrelink notification obligations. This includes notifying Centrelink without delay of any change in a represented income (whether employment income, person’s income protection payments or otherwise). State Trustees communicates without delay to the represented person: Any change to their income and what action State Trustees is taking to minimise any adverse impacts on the person; and Any action they propose to take to resolve outstanding debts or infringements and clearly explain the process and likely outcome. Improving the To ensure that State Trustees improves the responsiveness, responsiveness, appropriateness and accessibility of services to represented persons, we appropriateness recommend: and State Trustees develops robust guidelines for communicating with accessibility of and consulting the represented person in a timely way on all services decisions. State Trustees removes the of administrators and ‘pooled’ system reverts to a system where individual administrators are allocated to a represented person. State Trustees ensures that phone calls and written communication and correspondence by or on behalf of the represented person are responded to in a timely way. This can be achieved by development and strict implementation of policies and prescribed timeframes. State Trustees employs adequate numbers of skilled staff to respond in a timely manner to calls by the represented person. State Trustees monitors staff caseload to ensure the administrator responsible knows the represented circumstances and person’s can offer meaningful opportunities to consult and participate in decisions.
determine the represented person’s rights and responsibilities State Trustees ensures all staff have the appropriate understanding and skills to advocate for the represented person’s legal rights through an application on the basis of ‘special circumstances’ or other available mechanisms to resolve infringements (including newly introduced Work and Development Permits and options for victims of family violence). State Trustees establishes internal policies to ensure a waiver or reduction of any outstanding debts is requested as a matter of course for all eligible represented persons and this is applied consistently regardless of the debt, where they are ‘judgment proof’. State Trustees develops and implements policies and processes that ensure compliance with Centrelink notification obligations. This includes notifying Centrelink without delay of any change in a represented person’s income (whether employment income, income protection payments or otherwise). State Trustees communicates without delay to the represented person: Any change to their income and what action State Trustees is taking to minimise any adverse impacts on the person; and Any action they propose to take to resolve outstanding debts or infringements and clearly explain the process and likely outcome. Improving the responsiveness, appropriateness and accessibility of services To ensure that State Trustees improves the responsiveness, appropriateness and accessibility of services to represented persons, we recommend: State Trustees develops robust guidelines for communicating with and consulting the represented person in a timely way on all decisions. State Trustees removes the ‘pooled’ system of administrators and reverts to a system where individual administrators are allocated to a represented person. State Trustees ensures that phone calls and written communication and correspondence by or on behalf of the represented person are responded to in a timely way. This can be achieved by development and strict implementation of policies and prescribed timeframes. State Trustees employs adequate numbers of skilled staff to respond in a timely manner to calls by the represented person. State Trustees monitors staff caseload to ensure the administrator responsible knows the represented person’s circumstances and can offer meaningful opportunities to consult and participate in decisions.