Support For Vulnerable Clients

A person’s vulnerability may be due to a range of factors including:

• age;
• disability;
• mental health conditions;
• physical health conditions;
• family and domestic violence;
• language and/or literacy barriers;
• cultural background;
• Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander status;
• remote location;
• financial distress; or
• other personal or financial circumstances causing significant detriment.

We will do our best to identify any vulnerability. We encourage clients and potential clients to communicate with us and advise if they are experiencing vulnerability as we may not otherwise become aware of these circumstances if they are not disclosed to us.

Supporting vulnerable clients

If a client or potential client tells us or we identify that due to a vulnerability, additional support or assistance is needed, we will work with them to try to find a suitable way to proceed. We will do this as early as practicable, whilst at all times respecting a person’s right to privacy and self-advocacy.

If we are advised or we identify that a client or potential client requires support from a third-party (eg. a lawyer, interpreter, or friend) we will make reasonable accommodations to allow for this.

We will endeavour to make sure our processes are flexible enough to recognise the authority of a support person.

We will have internal policies and training appropriate to our employees’ roles to help them:

• understand and recognise vulnerabilities;
• understand support options available to vulnerable persons and to what extent we can provide support;
• take account of a client’s or potential client’s particular needs or vulnerability; and
• engage a client or potential client with sensitivity, dignity, respect and compassion – this may include arranging additional support, for example by referring a client or potential client to people, or services, with specialist training and experience.