Who can access our service?
VMIAC offers a free information and advocacy service for consumers in Victoria who have living/lived experience of mental health challenges.
To work with a VMIAC advocate, you must be aged 18 or over and identify as having a lived/living experience of emotional distress, trauma, mental health challenges or neurodiversity.
You must also be a consumer of mental health services (public or private) who has experienced a breach of rights, including but not limited to:
- discrimination
- lack of choice in treatments or services (related to their mental health diagnosis or psychosocial disability within Victoria).
- Be aged 18 or older
You can call or email to get in touch.
CONTACT US
Opening Hours: 9.30AM – 4.30PM, Monday – Friday
Phone: (03) 9380 3900
Email: reception@vmiac.org.au
Address: Level 3 80 Dorcas St Southbank VIC
Please include your concerns and experiences in your email. An advocate will then contact you as soon as possible.
Issues we can help you with:
Our advocates can:
- provide information
- and/or support you in advocating for yourself.
The issues we can help you with include:
- Your rights concerning your mental health and hospital stays
- Navigating complaints processes for mental health services
- Enhancing your skills in self-advocacy
- Ensure your voice is heard and your treating team respects your preferences.
It’s important you know that while we do our best to help you, we are not legal advocates, so we can’t provide legal representation or advice on legal matters.
If our team can’t help you, we can help you find other service options.
How do we support you?
Our team will support you in developing an advocacy plan highlighting your concerns.
- Clearly define your concerns, ensuring that your voice is heard and understood.
- Develop specific, measurable goals and identify actionable steps we can take together to help you achieve these.
- Establish a realistic timeframe to keep your advocacy efforts on track and aligned with your objectives.
- Summarising the key elements of your plan, creating a clear roadmap that you can follow as you move forward.
Your Rights
At VMIAC, we are a lived experience workforce, and our working relationships are based on mutual respect.
When working with us, you have the right to:
- be treated with dignity and respect
- confidentiality
- participate in documenting your advocacy plan
- request documentation about your advocacy issues
- be referred to another agency
- give feedback or make a complaint
Complaints & Feedback
We value your feedback, whether positive, negative or a formal complaint. You do not have to disclose your identity and can do so anonymously.
Submitting Feedback
We accept feedback in person, online or via post:
- by speaking to a member of the VMIAC team
- by feedback survey or written letter, submitted in person, or by post
- Online Feedback form
For more information on our Complaints Procedure please access our Advocacy Services Information Pack.