Department of Health

Key messages

  • Community visitors are volunteers who help people with a mental illness to resolve issues, seek support and make complaints.
  • Community visitors can visit and inspect bed-based facilities without notice.
  • Anyone receiving services in a mental health service, their family or carer can ask to be visited by a community visitor.

Community visitors are volunteers who monitor the adequacy and appropriateness of mental health services, and they help people with a mental illness who receive these services to resolve issues, seek support and make complaints.

The Office of the Public Advocate administers the Community Visitors program.

Community visitors can visit and inspect bed-based facilities without notice, including designated mental health services, residential services that provide 24-hour nursing care, and other types of residential services.

Any person receiving services in one of these mental health services, their family or carer can ask to be visited by a community visitor.

The person in charge of the mental health service must notify the Office of the Public Advocate within two days of the request.

Reviewed 29 May 2015

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