I had NO idea I could request any documents a provider has on me. That’s an eye opener. What do I do if they say no?
Is it only if we’re making a complaint or is it anytime?
I was curious to know about the notes that some support workers would write about me at times in the past but the provider said to me that support workers need to be able to write their notes without fear of judgement. So they wanted to keep the notes private. What are your thoughts about this? It actually made a little sense to me and I was happy with that explanation at the time.
They can request to keep notes private but that is just a request. The notes are about you. You have every right to see them. If they deny you, you go through the FOI or a coordinator and have them released.
Some participants include in their service agreements that they must see and sign off on all notes. Some request that no detail be included, just basics.
There are several reasons you might need your support workers notes as well.
*If you are being audited by NDIA
*If you are showing progress to an AHA
*If you are changing coordinators
*If you are changing providers
*If you need evidence for continued or increased funding
Regardless of your reasoning, they are yours and about you. What if the support worker was lying when they wrote them? What if they are keeping inaccurate records that might affect your funding if reviewed? What if a serious incident happened and they tried to play it down in their notes? What if they never bothered to keep notes and now NDIA has requested evidence of supports?
Speaking of complaining, there is updated advice about misleading advertising to participants and over inflated costs of goods for ndis funding purchases.
