Lizard Service Charter & Privacy Statement

Our Service Charter tells you what you can expect from The Lizard Centre and our employees. It also tells you what you, your family, representatives or carers can do to help us provide you with the best service possible.

Our vision

Our vision at Lizard is to deliver therapy that works. We aim to do this by making a measurable improvement in the skills and quality of life of the children we support, as well as their families.

We believe our behaviour therapy programs should be temporary, with a focus on building with your child the skills they need to effectively transition into their local schools, clubs, and lower intensity allied health services.

Our Service Charter & promise

This Charter sets out the foundations upon which we aim to achieve our vision and tells you what you can expect from Lizard and our staff. We promise to strive to be:

Family-centred

We have a family-first approach. We rely on strong parental input to help us build a tailored program for each child and parent training is built into each program. But we understand that parents want to be parents, not therapists, first and foremost. We seek to strengthen not detract from your natural parental role. We will consult with you about decisions affecting your child’s therapy program.

Outcomes-based

All our Lizard programs are based on evidence-based practices, and 20 years of Lizard experience in providing services to children and adolescents. As part of each program, we also set clear goals and measure child and family outcomes. Our skilled Therapy Supervisors are charged with monitoring your program, to ensure they are delivering meaningful outcomes.

Engaging & enjoyable

Whilst learning new skills can be challenging and expand your child’s boundaries, we aim to make the experience fun and engaging. We “bring the joy” to each and every session and use positive re-enforcement to teach and build new skills.

Neuro-diverse

We recognise and celebrate neurodiversity. Each program is tailored for the individual needs or your child and your family. We focus on helping your child realise their potential and seek to have their voice heard in the design and delivery of our programs.

Ethical and principled

Our therapists are bound by an ethical code of practice, and we will be open, honest and principled in all our dealings with you. We support your right to make informed decisions regarding your child’s best interests without pressure or coercion.

Accessible and inclusive

We will aim to provide you with information that is accessible and understandable. Please let us know if you need an interpreter or advocate. We welcome and will respond to the social, cultural and physical needs of your family.

Safety first

We put the safety of your child and family first. This includes detailed screening and safety checks for new employees, our home safety checklist, as well as our staff code of conduct and mandatory reporting requirements. Our policy requires a parent or supervising adult in attendance at all therapy sessions.

Our Confidentiality & Exchange of Information Statement

Lizard complies with the Commonwealth Privacy Act 1998, as well as with other state and territory government legislation. You have a right to access your personal information.

Lizard will keep your information for 7 years. It will be securely stored in our systems. We will only use this information to provide you with a service, or for other purposes which you agree with us. You may withdraw your consent to share information at any time.

When may we share your private information:

For quality service provision

We need to collect and share personal information about you and your child with your Lizard therapy team in order to provide the best service possible. Any information shared for training purposes will be of a general nature only.

For engaging relevant parties

Your information may be shared with the following parties: the NDIA, your plan manager, your support coordinator, your support staff, your health professionals, relevant family members, a legal guardian (if applicable), your child’s school/ kindy, or other relevant parties.

For mandatory reporting purposes

We have a duty of care to you and your child. We are required by law to report any abuse of children, if you are at risk of self-harm, or if someone is a danger to you. We are required by the NDIS Quality & Safeguards Commission to report any unauthorised restrictive practice. We must also report any criminal act.

For legal purposes

We must share information if it is subpoenaed by a court.

Your Responsibilities to us

Delivering a successful program is a team effort. More than anything else, we ask you to work with us closely and collaboratively. Please be patient with any staffing challenges (they are a natural part of a service business) or any mistakes which we may make (we are only human).

But there are a few things which are critical to our joint success. We ask you to please:

Engage in the program

We understand that parent’s lives are busy and unpredictable, but we ask you to engage in parent training and support the program at home as much as possible. We know that a holistic approach will deliver better outcomes for your child. We don’t expect you to become a therapist, or detract from your natural parental role.

Ensure your availability as agreed

We will allocate our skilled staff to your child’s program, and in many instances recruit permanent therapy assistants for intensive programs. Unplanned changes to availability impact both your child’s program, as well as the livelihoods of the staff we employ.

Pay your bills when they fall due

We ask you for a committed budget before we commence our program. Please notify us immediately if there is a risk your funding will change or become exhausted. You will be personally liable for unpaid bills.

Be present at your child’s session

From a safety and risk perspective, please ensure you (or a supervising adult) are available for your child’s sessions where they are in-home or in-centre. Please advise us if you have any information or concerns regarding your child’s safety.

Our Feedback & Complaints Policy

We are a learning organisation, and welcome your compliments, suggestions, queries and complaints. We will keep you updated on relevant business changes via email correspondence and are considering more formal parental engagement options (such as a Parent Committee).

You can provide feedback to your Operations Manager at any time, or submit your feedback via our Parent Portal. This will be treated as confidential and will in no way impact the service you receive from us.