Welcome to Catholic Charities. We are a Christian ministry of charity, service and justice dedicated to providing help to those in need, hope to those in despair, and inspiration for others to follow. As a person who is receiving services, you have the following rights and responsibilities:
You have the right to:
- use our services without regard to your age, race, ethnicity, gender, religious or political membership, physical or mental disability, or infectious disease.
- qualified professional services.
- a written plan of the services you will receive that you will review regularly with your service provider.
- an explanation of the services you will receive and the hours those services are available.
- refuse services and/or treatment as allowed by state and federal law.
- refuse to participate in research or experimentation unless you (or your parent/guardian, if you are under 18) give written consent. You can revoke the consent.
- an environment that respects you and protects your privacy.
- stop services at any time.
- confidentiality of your client records.
- review your own records.
- information about your rights and to speak to someone who can help you understand, practice and protect your rights.
- receive information about services and fees at your first appointment and to receive an explanation of your bill.
- refuse to make public statements for Catholic Charities or to speak at public gatherings.
- have your complaints looked into in a fair, timely and objective manner.
You have the responsibility to:
- come to all your appointments or call 24 hours in advance to cancel. If you arrive over 15 minutes late, your appointment will be rescheduled. If there is a fee for the service, we charge for late cancellations or no shows.
- pay any fees on time. If you cannot pay the fees, please speak to our staff about it.
- give us current and correct information about you such as: address, phone number, income and employment.
- participate in planning your service or treatment and in putting that plan into action.
Catholic Charities has the right to deny services if you do not meet these responsibilities, or if: (a) you show violent or threatening behavior or language; (b) you are under the influence of alcohol or drugs during your meetings, appointments, or classes; (c) the service provider believes that we can no longer meet your service needs and/or you would be better helped by another agency.
USE OF RESTRAINT AND SECLUSION
Catholic Charities strives to offer a service environment which emphasizes the peaceful resolution of conflict. Catholic Charities does not employ the use of manual or chemical restraint or seclusion for therapeutic reasons. Violent or threatening behavior or language by clients may result in the denial of services and/or referral to law enforcement.
CLIENT GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE
Clients of Catholic Charities have the right to file a complaint when they believe they have not been treated fairly or properly by a program or staff member. The steps in the grievance process are:
Step 1: If you feel comfortable, you can discuss the matter with the staff member involved.
Step 2: OR, you can talk to the program supervisor directly about your complaint. You must put your complaint in writing. If you do not put your complaint in writing, the grievance process cannot continue.
Step 3: The supervisor and agency staff have 10 working days to review the grievance and to give a written response to you. If you are not satisfied with the response, you can continue to Step 4 within 5 working days.
Step 4: You can talk to the Office Director about your complaint. The Office Director or designee will have 10 working days to review your complaint and to give you a written response. If you are not satisfied with the response, you can continue to Step 5 within 5 working days.
Step 5: You can talk to the Executive Director of Catholic Charities or designee about your complaint. The Executive Director or designee will have 10 working days to review the complaint and give you a written response.
CONFIDENTIALITY STATEMENT
Catholic Charities follows confidentiality standards as stated in the law and in professional ethical principles.
There are certain exceptions to confidentiality:
- If you indicate an intention to harm yourself or someone else.
- If a staff member believes that there may be physical or sexual abuse, especially where it involves a minor, aged or incompetent person. The staff member is required by law to report this information to the proper authorities.
- If you sign a release form giving Catholic Charities permission to give information about you to other agencies, members of your family, and/or third party payers.
- If a court orders the release of information about you.
- If your records are reviewed by individuals who have permission from Catholic Charities to provide staff supervision, to check the quality of our services, or to keep up with client data.