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Participant Rights and Responsibilities
Participant Rights and Responsibilities
At Next Step Life Care, we believe every participant has the right to receive support that is respectful, safe, person-centred, and aligned with their needs and goals.
This page explains the rights of participants who receive support from Next Step Life Care, as well as the responsibilities that help us deliver services safely, clearly, and effectively.
The NDIS Practice Standards set out participant rights and provider responsibilities, including supporting legal and human rights, informed choice and control, privacy, dignity, independence, and freedom from violence, abuse, neglect, exploitation, or discrimination. NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
- Our Commitment to Participants
We respect your rights, dignity, and choices.
Next Step Life Care is committed to providing support that promotes participant wellbeing, independence, and quality of life.
We aim to:
- Treat participants with dignity and respect
- Support participant choice and control
- Protect privacy and confidentiality
- Communicate clearly and respectfully
- Provide safe and reliable support
- Respect culture, identity, values, and preferences
- Support independence wherever possible
- Listen to feedback, concerns, and complaints
- Work with families, carers, support coordinators, and plan managers where appropriate
- Your Rights as a Participant
You have the right to safe, respectful, and quality support.
As a participant receiving support from Next Step Life Care, you have the right to:
Be Treated With Respect
You have the right to be treated with dignity, kindness, patience, and respect at all times.
Make Choices About Your Support
You have the right to be involved in decisions about your support, preferences, routines, goals, and service arrangements.
Privacy and Confidentiality
You have the right to have your personal information, health information, and support details handled carefully and confidentially.
Safe and Quality Services
You have the right to receive support that is safe, reliable, appropriate, and delivered by suitable workers.
Clear Information
You have the right to receive information in a way that is easy to understand, including information about services, costs, changes, complaints, and your support arrangements.
Raise Concerns or Complaints
You have the right to give feedback or make a complaint without fear of unfair treatment. The NDIS Commission states that participants, families, friends, advocates, providers, workers, and members of the public can report issues or make complaints about NDIS providers or workers. NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
Use an Advocate or Support Person
You have the right to involve a family member, carer, advocate, support coordinator, nominee, or other trusted person where appropriate.
Be Free From Harm
You have the right to support that respects your safety and helps protect you from abuse, neglect, violence, exploitation, and discrimination. The NDIS Commission states that participants have the right to be safe and receive quality services from providers and workers they choose. NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
- Your Responsibilities as a Participant
Working together helps us provide safe and reliable support.
Participants, nominees, families, carers, or representatives may have responsibilities that help support safe and effective service delivery.
These may include:
Provide Accurate Information
Please provide accurate and current information about your needs, goals, NDIS plan, support preferences, risks, health needs, and contact details.
Use Funding Appropriately
NDIS participants are responsible for understanding what supports can and cannot be funded by the NDIS. NDIS
Communicate Changes
Please tell us if your needs, health, address, contact details, plan details, support arrangements, or risks change.
Treat Workers With Respect
Participants and support networks are expected to treat workers, contractors, and staff with courtesy, dignity, and respect.
Attend or Cancel Services Properly
Please attend scheduled supports where possible, or provide required notice if a service needs to be cancelled or changed.
Maintain a Safe Support Environment
Please help provide a safe environment for workers delivering support at home or in the community.
Follow Agreed Service Arrangements
Please follow service agreements, support plans, safety instructions, communication processes, and payment arrangements where applicable.
Raise Concerns Early
Please tell us if something is not working well so we can respond, review, and improve support where possible.
- Privacy and Dignity
Your personal information and dignity matter.
Next Step Life Care respects the privacy and dignity of every participant. We handle personal information carefully and only share information where required for service delivery, consent, safety, or legal and regulatory obligations.
We aim to:
- Protect personal and sensitive information
- Respect private spaces and personal routines
- Communicate respectfully
- Seek consent where required
- Explain how information may be used
- Support participants to feel safe and comfortable
The NDIS Code of Conduct includes respecting the privacy of people with disability, and the NDIS Practice Standards include participant privacy and dignity as part of provider responsibilities. NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
- Safe Support
We aim to provide support that is safe, suitable, and reliable.
Participant safety is an important part of quality care. We take reasonable steps to provide services in a way that supports participant wellbeing, comfort, dignity, and independence.
This may include:
- Name and contact details of the person reporting
- Participant name
- Date, time, and location of the incident
- Service involved
- What happened
- People involved or witnesses
- Any injury, harm, or immediate risk
- Action already taken
The NDIS Practice Standards for provision of supports include supporting each participant’s health, privacy, dignity, quality of life, and independence. NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
- Speak Up
You have the right to give feedback or make a complaint.
We welcome feedback, compliments, concerns, and complaints. Feedback helps us improve the quality, safety, and reliability of our services.
You can speak to us about:
- Service quality
- Staff communication
- Safety concerns
- Privacy or dignity concerns
- Missed or changed supports
- Scheduling issues
- Invoicing or administration concerns
- Suggestions for improvement
- Positive experiences or compliments
You can also contact the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission if you are not satisfied with our response or if you have concerns about the quality or safety of NDIS supports.
- Coordinated Support
We can work with the people who support you.
With appropriate consent and where relevant, we may work with families, carers, nominees, support coordinators, plan managers, healthcare professionals, and advocates.
This helps us provide support that is clear, coordinated, and aligned with the participant’s needs and goals.
We respect the participant’s right to choose who is involved in their support and how information is shared.
- External Support and Advocacy
You can ask for help from someone you trust.
Participants may choose to involve a trusted person or independent advocate when making decisions, raising concerns, understanding information, or resolving issues.
External support may include:
- Family member
- Carer
- Nominee
- Support coordinator
- Plan manager
- Independent advocate
- Healthcare professional
- NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
The NDIS Practice Standards require participants to be provided with information about how to give feedback or make complaints, including external avenues and the right to access advocates. NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
- Incident Reporting Form Fields
Suggested Website Form
The website incident reporting form can include the following fields:
In an emergency, call 000.
Next Step Life Care is not an emergency service.
If there is immediate danger, serious harm, or a life-threatening situation, please call 000 immediately.
For urgent health concerns, contact your GP, treating healthcare professional, emergency services, or other appropriate crisis support.
- Frequently Asked Questions
Questions about participant rights and responsibilities
You have the right to safe, respectful, quality support; dignity and privacy; choice and control; clear information; and the ability to raise concerns or complaints.
Yes. Participants should be involved in decisions about their support, preferences, goals, and routines wherever possible.
We aim to handle personal and sensitive information carefully and confidentially. Information is only shared where required for service delivery, consent, safety, or legal and regulatory reasons.
Yes. You can give feedback or make a complaint directly to Next Step Life Care. You may also contact the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission for concerns about NDIS supports or services.
Yes. You can involve a family member, carer, advocate, support coordinator, plan manager, nominee, or another trusted person.
Your responsibilities may include providing accurate information, treating workers respectfully, communicating changes, using funding appropriately, maintaining a safe support environment, and following agreed service arrangements.
If there is immediate danger, serious harm, or a life-threatening situation, call 000 immediately.
Need More Questions
Need help understanding your rights or support responsibilities?
Our team is here to answer your questions and provide information in a clear, respectful, and supportive way.