Disability Advocate

**Position Description**:
**Title**:
Advocate - National Disability Advocacy Program

**Employment Type**:
Full Time Contract Position

**Classification**:
Level 4

**Award**:
Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award 2010

**Division/Branch/Section**:
National Disability Advocacy Program

**Reporting to**:
Manager - Community and Corporate

**Location**:
Central: 70 Light Square, Adelaide SA

**Key Challenges**:
Managing expectations of applicants, managing demand for the service

**Position Summary**:
The Advocate is responsible for providing high quality individual and systemic advocacy for persons with disabilities. The Advocate protects the human, legal, civil and consumer rights of people with acquired brain injury (ABI) by empowering and directly representing clients and their carers in the resolution of disputes, and promotes those rights to government and the community by contributing to policy development and identifying opportunities for stakeholder engagement.

**Duties include**:

- Advocate on behalf of individuals with ABI and/or support them to self-advocate by providing information and support
- Link individuals with services that can support them with their issue or concern
- Support individuals to participate in formal dispute resolution settings (tribunals, courts, South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (SACAT)
- Contribute to raising awareness of issues impacting on people with ABI through systemic advocacy
- Contribute to informing government policy, service and program development through data collection, evaluation and submissions.

**Position Requirements**:
**Key Result Area 1: Service Delivery to Individuals**:
**Objectives**:
**Deliver advocacy for individuals**
- Appropriate and timely advocacy delivered to people with disability that addresses instances of abuse, discrimination and neglect.
- People with ABI informed about their rights and responsibilities and supported where possible to make decisions about their lives and matters affecting them
- Department of Social Services (DSS) Operational Guidelines are upheld in the delivery of services
- Confidentiality is upheld in the management of what may be sensitive information relating to staff or client matters.

Position holder is successful when:

- Individuals seeking support are responded to in a timely manner (within 5 business days) and referred on promptly if unable to assist within allocated resources or placed on waiting list
- Participants are able to communicate their needs
- Participants establish an advocacy action plan
- Consent is obtained before speaking to service providers
- Positive outcomes are achieved for service users
- Positive feedback is received from service users

**Key Result Area 2: Systemic Advocacy**:
**Objectives**:
**Undertake systemic advocacy on behalf of people with ABI**
- Contribute to raising awareness of disability issues
- Contribute to government policy, service and program development through the completion of data collection and participating in any evaluation of the program

Position holder is successful when:

- Systemic issues are highlighted and raised with the appropriate complaints or decision-making authority
- Systemic issues are reported to the Department via reporting processes or by contributing to submissions where opportunities arise

**Key Result Area 3: Promotion of Self Advocacy**:
**Objectives**:
**Self Advocacy is encouraged and supported**

Position holder is successful when:

- Clients are able to self-advocate with support
- Clients are provided with the information/advice required to resolve issues
- Positive outcomes are achieved for service users
- Positive feedback is received

**Key Result Area 4: Compliance and Service Quality**:
**Objectives**:
**Administration, Compliance & Quality**
- Ensure all necessary data is obtained as outlined in the Data Exchange Protocols and entered accurately into Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software to enable timely Data Exchange (DEX) reporting as per Grant Agreement
- Contribute to government policy, service and program development through the completion of data collection and participating in any evaluation of the program
- Ensure all participants receive a Client Satisfaction Survey
- Deliver all services in line with the National Standards for Disability Services (NSDS)

Position holder is successful when:

- Consent forms are completed prior to information being uploaded to CRM software / DEX
- Data is reported accurately to the Data Exchange via CRM input
- Case notes are completed in a timely and accurate manner
- Information is provided to government to shape policy and future directions
- Positive feedback is received from service users
- Audits results demonstrate alignment and compliance with the NSDS
- Time is used productively to achieve desired outputs

**Key Result Area 5: Teamwork**:
**Objectives**:

- **Support the goals of Brain Injury SA by contributing to t