RIGHTS, RESPONSIBILITIES & GRIEVANCES POLICY

 

Diamond Diva Empowerment Foundation is committed to a mutually beneficial and respectful relationship with our clients and their families. Our staff and volunteers recognize and value the partnership we have with our clients and we want you to be aware of your rights and responsibilities as a client.

 

As a client of Diamond Diva Empowerment Foundation, you have the following rights:

To receive services without regard to sex, sexual orientation, economic status, educational background, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, marital status or illness;

• To receive considerate, respectful and quality social services;

• To participate actively in decisions regarding your services;

• To have all communications and records pertaining to your services treated with complete confidentiality according to the California Welfare and Institution code Section 5328. No information will be released to agencies or persons outside of 2DEF without your written consent, except in the case of medical emergency or as permitted by law;

• To meet with a staff member with whom you feel comfortable, including the right to request a change in staff if you wish;

• To accept or decline 2DEF’s services, including contact and follow-up;

• To follow 2DEF’s grievance procedures if you are dissatisfied with the services you receive, or if you believe your rights or the rights of someone else have been violated.

 

Clients’ Responsibilities.

We ask that all clients respect the following list of responsibilities while receiving services:

• To the best of your knowledge, report accurate and complete information regarding any matters pertaining to your care.

• Make sure you clearly understand a proposed course of action and what is expected of you. If you do not understand, ask for clarification from the staff member or volunteer with whom you are working.

• Keep appointments. If unable to do so, notify the person with whom you have an appointment and reschedule.

• Treat staff, volunteers, and other clients with respect.

• Respect the confidentiality of all who are associated with 2DEF.

• Notify 2DEF staff of any changes in your circumstances (e.g. address, phone number, health or financial status, etc.)

• Actively participate in the development of a care plan, if appropriate, that is specific to you and includes your agreement to work toward defined care plan needs.

 

Clients’ Code of Conduct.

To assure a respectful, safe, and secure environment for clients, staffs, volunteers and visitors, clients are required to follow this:

 

Consent to Participate.

I am consenting to participate in these services and give 2DEF staff my permission to provide me with services including contact and follow-up.

 

Code of Conduct.

• Physical violence, threats of violence, weapons, intimidation, or harassment will not be tolerated.

• Verbal abuse, profanity, or remarks that are derogatory, racist, sexist or homophobic will not be tolerated.

• Overt sexual behavior towards another person, or in the presence of another person, will not be tolerated. Safer sex discussions between staff and clients for educational purposes are appropriate.

• If you possess, consume or are under the influence of illicit drugs, alcohol, or any mood altering drugs while you are at 2DEF, you will be asked to leave and return when you are able to interact appropriately with staff and/or volunteers.

• Disruptive behavior that interferes with the ability of clients, staff or volunteers to use 2DEF’s facility and/or that results in damages to 2DEF’s property will not be tolerated.

• Violations of the confidentiality of any person(s) you may see at 2DEF will not be tolerated.

 

Depending upon the seriousness of a violation of any of these rules:

• You may be required to leave the premises immediately.

• You may be required to meet with the Executive Director before accessing any additional services.

• You may have conditions placed upon you with which you must comply in order to continue receiving services.

 

Grievance Procedure for Clients.

The Diamond Diva Empowerment (2DEF) is committed to assisting clients in resolving their concerns or complaints in a timely manner. The following outline identifies the steps to be taken to resolve a grievance with 2DEF. A grievance may be filed if a client experiences dissatisfaction with decisions concerning the client or with services or information provided and/or if the client is making allegations of discrimination or mistreatment.

 

• Step I: Talk to the staff member with whom the problem occurred. Many times a grievance or complaint can be cleared up directly with the staff member.  If the client is not satisfied with the resolution at this level, the staff member will give the client the name of his/her immediate supervisor.

• Step II: Talk to the staff member’s supervisor. In most cases, concerns or complaints can be resolved at this level.

• Step III: Talk to the Executive Director. If the client’s complaint is with the supervisor, or if the client is not satisfied with the solution proposed by the supervisor or if the Executive Director is the immediate supervisor, the client should discuss his/her problem or complaint with the Executive Director. The Executive Director can be reached at 314.328.4348, Ext 4. The Executive Director will propose a resolution to the grievance.

• Step IV: Appeal to the Board of Directors. If the client is still dissatisfied with the proposed resolution, s/he may make a written appeal to the Board of Directors. The appeal should outline the client’s issue(s)/concern(s), the steps the client has taken to resolve the problems (Steps I – III above) and the reason for the continued dissatisfaction with the proposed resolution. The written appeal should be emailed to the Board of Directors at office@2def.org. The email should be marked “Private/Confidential - Client’s Name”.

 

The Board shall decide upon a process for handling the grievance, make a determination regarding the grievance, and reply to the client in writing within no more than 30 days. 

 

In addition, at any time, the client may contact any of the resources listed on the following pages for assistance.

If you file a grievance, you have the following rights:

• Not to be denied service or otherwise retaliated against because you have filed a grievance.

• To have your identity kept confidential to the extent possible while allowing for an investigation.

• To take other avenues of review or redress provided by law even though you have used this grievance procedure.

• To be provided with copies of agency information that you request related to the grievance that is not confidential and/or legally protected from disclosure. You may be required to pay a copying charge for this service, but this charge may be waived under certain circumstances.

• To choose a representative to be present at any time during the grievance process to act as an advocate and observer. This other person may be a friend, other client, family member, or formal advocate and must be provided at your own expense.

• To file a grievance orally, or when necessary in another format when necessary to accommodate a disability. If the grievance is filed orally, the agency will summarize the grievance in writing.

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