Home Visiting Policy

Next Challenge supports a family's choice to receive services in their home. Where this service delivery is nominated by the family, specific guidelines must be followed to ensure the safety of Next Challenge employees and the effectiveness of therapy outcomes.

Families/Carers must provide a safe, clean home environment conducive to therapy and be present for the whole time the session is being run.

Before a therapist attends a home visit, a safety checklist is completed with the family (by support team). If any unsafe elements are reported by the family, the support team will inform the directors and a decision not to complete home visits may be made.

In all cases, at least two Next Challenge staff members will be present for the first visit to any client’s home. In most cases this will be two therapists, but if this is not possible or only one profession is involved, it could be the therapist and the navigator, or the therapist and an allied health assistant / support team staff member that attends. Therapists will observe and take note of any safety concerns or risks to plan for future home visits.

Where therapists have concerns regarding being in the home environment, they must be reported to a supervisor or a manager. These include but are not limited to:
- Threatening or aggressive behaviour;
- Verbal aggression or abuse;
- Behaviours that are out of character;
- Drug or alcohol abuse;
- Unsafe or unclean environment (i.e. dangerous pets, unhygienic conditions etc.) and
- Others present in the home (i.e. residents, visitors, extended family members).

Employees have the right to end a home visit session early where they feel they are at risk and may decline to provide further home visits.

Directors have the right to decline home visits, or the ongoing provision of home visits to a family based on an employee's report of risk.

Date Written: January 2015
Date Review Completed: June 2021
Due for Review: January 2023