Guidelines for field staff to assist people living in ... - Housing NSW

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• assistance with medication and therapy• home maintenance• links to community supports (activity centres, transport),• social activities and living skill programs.For further information regarding contact details for selected NGOs see Appendix 9.42
APPENDIX 6:Organisations that can assist whenpeople are unwilling to accept assistanceLocal CouncilsUnder the Local Government Act 1993, the local council may conduct inspections ofresidential premises, and order removal and disposal of waste, under certaincircumstances. If the person is known to other services such as mental health, agedcare, drug and alcohol or a non-government organisation (NGOs), it is beneficial to havethe health or welfare worker accompany the council staff at the time of inspection.If required, council officers may order cleaning, removal of property and repairs, undercertain circumstances. A council is authorised to recover the reasonable costs of theentry or inspection and the clean up work.If council officers are concerned about fire safety, they may invite Fire Brigade officers toattend during the inspection.Councils are generally not permitted to unilaterally enter a property and remove materialwithout first giving notice of their intention to do so. However, entry without notice ispermitted in circumstances where there is a reasonable likelihood of serious risk to healthand safety. Whenever possible, an independent advocate such as a family member orneighbour should be present to record the items removed from the premises.NSW Department of Housing (DoH)NSW Department of Housing (DOH) has responsibilities under provisions of theResidential Tenancy Agreement to monitor public rental tenancies, and ensure thattenants keep premises reasonably clean, do not cause a nuisance, and do notinterfere with the reasonable peace, privacy and comfort of their neighbours.Where extreme tenant hoarding or unclean behaviours creates a public health orsafety risk (such as fire risks), then engagement with the tenants will occur in anegotiated way by using techniques such as discussions on the safety, aesthetic andaccess implications. Advice could be provided on techniques for breaking downlarger tasks into more manageable smaller ones, and choosing target areas whereprogress is more easily apparent and thus more rewarding. The Department’s staffwill attempt to build rapport and endeavour to use a sympathetic and collaborativeapproach with the client on the issues.However, if a tenant is unwilling to accept supports or alter their behaviours throughconsultative approaches, and a breach of their Tenancy Agreement is evident, thenan approach to the Consumer Trader and Tenancy Tribunal (CTTT) may be made.This could result in orders that:• Create formally ratified agreements on acceptable behaviours of the tenant.The agreement content may be developed in conjunction with other agenciesand be intended to support longer-term changes for the client.43
Page 1 and 2: Guidelines for field staff toassist
Page 3 and 4: Section 7: Strategies to help peopl
Page 5 and 6: SECTION 2: Explaining severe domest
Page 7 and 8: If such persons do agree to speak,
Page 9 and 10: 3.3 Gathering resources for use at
Page 11 and 12: • If the person is from a CALD ba
Page 13 and 14: availability of essential services,
Page 15 and 16: 4.6 Initiate referrals to address c
Page 17 and 18: SECTION 5: Interagency cooperationF
Page 19 and 20: 5.3 FLOWCHART 1: ASSESSMENT & SUPPO
Page 21 and 22: • placing a lien on the property,
Page 23 and 24: SECTION 7: Strategies to help peopl
Page 25 and 26: SECTION 8: Strategies to assist peo
Page 27 and 28: SECTION 9: ConclusionsThe key point
Page 29 and 30: ENVIRONMENTAL CLEANLINESS AND CLUTT
Page 31 and 32: J.SLEEPING AREA:0 1 2 3Reasonablycl
Page 33 and 34: APPENDIX 3: Impact of Squalor Check
Page 35 and 36: APPENDIX 5:living in severe domesti
Page 37 and 38: Aged Care Assessment Teams (ACATs)A
Page 39 and 40: Department of Ageing, Disability an
Page 41: Department of Community Services (D
Page 45 and 46: NSW PoliceThe Police are often the
Page 47 and 48: • must have a disability within t
Page 49 and 50: APPENDIX 8: Case studiesCASE 1An el
Page 51 and 52: CASE 3Ms D, who had been living in
Page 53 and 54: CASE 6Mr A. is a 70-year-old man wh
Page 55 and 56: would permit a psychiatrist to ente
Page 57 and 58: Non-GovernmentAssistance with Care
Page 59 and 60: APPENDIX 11:Further readingClark AN

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