AMIDA provides Advocacy for people with a disability in Victoria.
We have two advocacy services for people with disabilities: housing advocacy, and NDIS appeals advocacy.
Housing Advocacy:
AMIDA supports people with disabilities if they are having problems where they live. Our advocates can help people having issues in any accommodation setting. Please note that we cannot help you search or apply for new housing options.
NDIS Appeals Advocacy:
AMIDA supports people with appealing NDIS decisions. We mostly support people having external reviews at the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART, formerly the AAT). We help with any NDIS related issues, not just those relating to home and living.
If you or someone you know is unhappy with decisions made by the NDIA, please click here for more information. Please note that we provide non-legal advocacy.
What is Advocacy?
The Australian Government National Disability Advocacy Program funds agencies across Australia to provide people with disability access to effective disability advocacy which promotes, protects and ensures their full and equal enjoyment of all human rights, enabling full community participation.
This funding means that people with disability of all ages can receive support from one of these agencies free of charge.
Everyone deserves to have their voice heard, their rights upheld and the power to make their own choices and decisions over matters that affect their lives.
While many people can successfully advocate for themselves, some find it hard or are unable to speak up.
An advocate is someone who speaks, writes or acts on behalf of another person or group of people with no conflict of interest and in the best interests of their client, to promote, protect and defend their welfare, interests and rights.
Advocates help their clients access information to make informed decisions.
If you want to change something in your life but don’t know how to go about it, an advocate may be able to help. They bring expertise, give advice and can support a person.
The following advocacy is offered by AMIDA through the program:
Self-advocacy educates people with disability about their rights and works with them to develop personal skills and confidence to enable them to advocate on their own behalf.
This can include helping communicate a situation you are unhappy with, ask questions or seek clarification. It may include help to choose support or services that are right for you, or help to make an official complaint or change the way things are done.
Being a self-advocate does not mean you are alone in standing up for your rights – disability advocacy organisations can still provide you with assistance.
Family advocacy is about enabling parents and families to act as advocates with and on behalf of a family member with disability on either a short-term or an issue-specific basis.
Family members are provided with skills and support to gain the understanding they need to promote, protect and defend the welfare, interests and rights of the person with disability.
Individual advocacy seeks to uphold the rights and interests of people with disability on a one-to-one basis by addressing instances of discrimination, abuse and neglect.
Individual advocates are professionals assigned through an advocacy agency to work with people with disability on either a short term or issue-specific basis at no cost.
With the understanding that the rights and interests of the person with disability must be upheld at all times, individual advocates ensure the person with disability has their voice heard and their rights upheld.
Systemic advocacy seeks to influence or secure positive long-term changes that remove barriers and address discrimination to ensure the collective rights and interests of people with disability.
This is achieved through lobbying, written submissions to government, promoting reform and highlighting injustices.
Systemic advocates work with groups of people with disability, advocacy agencies and other relevant organisations to change legislation, policy and service practices to produce long-term positive changes.
Intake/Referral Process
People with a disability or anyone concerned about the interests of a person with a disability can contact us via phone, email or by visiting the office via appointment.
If you would like to make a referral for housing advocacy, please email us at amida@amida.org.au with information about your situation. Please include what type of accommodation you live in (public housing, community housing, private rental etc.) and how you would like us to help. You can also call us to make a referral.
If you would like to make a referral for NDIS appeals advocacy, please email us at appeals@amida.org.au with information about your situation. Please include information about what requests for funding are being reviewed and why these supports are being requested. You can also call us to make a referral.
Making a complaint
AMIDA is committed to providing a high standard of service to our members and people who use our service.
It is okay to make a complaint. If you are not satisfied with the situation, you have a right to say so.
AMIDA has a ComplaintsProcedurerevised2014 (pdf) (Complaints Procedures) txt that ensures that you get to have your say. The complaints procedure is designed to solve your problem. If you want a copy of the procedure, you can ask any member of the staff or management committee for a copy contact AMIDA on 9650 2722 or e-mail amida@amida.org.au
Reviews and complaint – If you are dissatisfied with the advocacy support you receive raise it directly with the AMIDA. If a resolution is not reached through the AMIDA’s internal complaints system you can contact the Complaints Resolution and Referral Service (CRRS) an independent service funded by the Australian Government on 1800 880 052. If you are not satisfied with an outcome from CRRS you can apply to the Ombudsman for a review. Sensitive complaints, such as assault, abuse or neglect should be referred to the police.
Other AMIDA Policies
WhocanuseAMIDA2015 (pdf) WhocanuseAMIDA2015 (txt)
PrivacyPolicyFeb15 (pdf) PrivacyPolicyFeb15 (txt)
DecisionMakingMarch2015 (pdf) DecisionMaking&Choice2015 (txt)
Individual need Policy INDNEEED2014 (pdf) IndividualNeedPolicy (txt)
Affirmative Action Policy AffActionPol2016 (pdf) AffActionPol2016 (txt)
AMIDA presents a monthly radio show.
AMIDA’s radio show is called ‘Raising our Voices’. It is
on 3CR (am 855) at 6pm, on the second Wednesday of every month.
National Disability Advocacy Program
The purpose of this video is to ensure that people with disability, their families and carers have access to information that will assist them to be more aware of the role that disability advocacy can play in their life, the responsibilities of advocacy organisations and how to access advocacy support. It contains information about the six advocacy models funded under NDAP and includes stories told by people with disability, who have benefited from advocacy support, and the advocates who have worked with them. Please note that AMIDA does not provide all six types of advocacy described in the video. For more information https://www.dss.gov.au/our-responsibilities/disability-and-carers/program-services/for-people-with-disability/national-disability-advocacy-program-ndap