Rights at Home: Consent, Privacy & Safe Supports

What “rights at home” look like in everyday support

At home, your support workers must respect your choices, privacy, and safety every day. That means staff should ask before helping with personal tasks (like showering, dressing, toileting, or changing clothes), explain what they’re doing, and follow your consent preferences. If you say “not today” or “not like that”, your support should change. You can also choose who enters your space (where reasonable and safe), set routines, and decide what information is shared with others.

Privacy is about more than door locks. It includes how staff talk about you, whether they knock before entering, and whether they keep records secure. For example, a worker should discuss your needs privately, not in shared areas, and should not look through your belongings or read your mail. They should also protect your dignity by using appropriate coverings and speaking respectfully. If something doesn’t feel right, you have the right to ask questions and request a different way of working.

Safe supports means you are treated with respect, in line with training and your plan goals. Workers should use safe practices, follow behaviour support or safety plans (if relevant), and never restrain you unless it’s lawful, necessary, and part of approved plans. You can expect clear communication, help that matches your capacity, and supports delivered with your dignity in mind. If you’re using plan management, you may also want to check invoices and support details through MyMoney NDIS (www.planmanager.net.au) to make sure supports match what you agreed to.

Key takeaway: You’re the decision-maker at home—supports should only happen with your consent, with your privacy respected, and with safe, respectful practices.

If you’re comparing providers, it can help to ask questions like: “How do you get consent every shift?”, “How do you protect my privacy?”, and “What do you do if I change my mind?”. My Care Finders can be a useful starting point for comparing options and understanding what good support looks like before you commit.