Zero Tolerance Commitment

It’s vitally important that our clients feel safe and supported while they use Montrose services.

To ensure this, we have a number of initiatives, policies and procedures in place. We follow the Zero Tolerance framework which helps organisations like Montrose understand actions they can take to prevent and respond to abuse, neglect and violence of people with a disability.

Zero Tolerance is a commitment to recognise, raise and respond to any deviation from the human rights of people using disability services. It is an organisational commitment to always have our eyes open and always strive to support client rights.

Montrose also works within the framework of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.

Collectively, these frameworks help to ensure your dignity and safety when accessing our services.

How we ensure our clients’ safety

Strong governance and leadership

We believe good leadership and management is central to creating safe, quality environments for service delivery. Our Executive Management Team are governed by an independent voluntary board.

We are a not-for-profit organisation with a clear mission to re-invest surpluses back into providing services for people with a disability and their  families. This means we can be totally focused on the services we provide and the needs of our clients.

Embedding client-centred values

At Montrose we are guided by our values, which define the type of organisation we want to be and how you can expect we will work with you. The four values combine to ensure we are focused on our clients and their families.

Trained and carefully selected staff

Montrose takes the safety of our clients very seriously. Our therapists and support staff are chosen to have the attitude and skills to make a difference in our clients’ lives.

As well as blue and yellow cards, team members have relevant university and postgraduate qualifications, hold memberships of professional bodies and are supported to access relevant ongoing training.

Supervision program

We have made ongoing investments in our staff professional supervision program to ensure it meets the needs of staff and keeps us focused on providing the best possible services.

We recognise that our teams need support to be able to work to the best of their abilities.  This can include advice from senior therapists, formal supervision process, informal discussions and more.

Client-centred goals

Montrose has a long history of supporting people with a disability. We were established in 1933 to help children with polio and have continually focused on providing services needed by children and their families. Fast forward to the present day and the NDIS means we can provide vital services that are tailored to the individual.

We seek regular feedback e.g. by text message, to ensure the services we deliver are meeting our clients’ needs. Our programs and therapies are designed and improved based on client demand and feedback. Our team key performance indicators are also focused on client-centred goals.

Montrose Advisory Committee

This committee of client and parent participants provides input into Montrose policies and procedures. It is important to Montrose staff and Board members that our policies and procedures respond to the needs and expectations of people with a disability, their families and carers.

To help us develop and improve our policies and procedures, we hold regular meetings with people with lived experience of a disability, including parents. Members of the group review and make suggestions to improve the policies and procedures in order to have a positive impact on our clients.

Policies and safeguards

We have policies and procedures that provide guidance to our staff and set out clear standards of behaviour. These safeguard individuals’ rights and freedom from harm, neglect, abuse and violence. Policies are, at a minimum, consistent with relevant legislative and regulatory frameworks.

Policies cover all areas of our work and include child protection, incident reporting, confidentiality and many more.

Creating a positive feedback and complaints culture

Clients may want to provide feedback or make a complaint about the services provided by Montrose. It is important to us that our clients feel supported to be able to provide this feedback. Montrose is committed to a positive complaints culture and making things better for our clients.

We review all feedback and respond directly to the person making a complaint. Senior managers review feedback to learn how we can improve or put things right if we have got something wrong.

Montrose is also supportive of our clients being able to make an independent complaint and ensure that all our clients understand how to make a complaint directly to the NDIS Commissioner if they are not comfortable raising the complaint with Montrose. Learn more about how to make a complaint here.