Statement Regarding Centacare NQ Services Commencing April 6th, 2020

 At Centacare NQ we value and prioritise the wellbeing of our Staff and all people who use our services. We provide services that are very important to many in our community, supporting those who may be experiencing vulnerability right now and those where were already engaged with services. We remain committed to delivering our services in a way that supports current measures and expectations of government and community in relation to safety given the Covid-19 (Corona Virus) concerns.

We understand that our service users may be concerned, but still want to receive services, so the following measures have been put in place:

· Our staff will practice good hygiene around handwashing, and self-exclusion if they have any symptoms or have been in contact with another person who has symptoms of Covid-19

· lncreased cleaning measures in our offices as well as preventative measures such as social distancing prompts in public areas and hand sanitising measures for all people coming into our offices

· Pre-service contact will be made with all Service-users to confirm any health issues and service delivery preferences (eg, telephone, videoconference, face to face)

· We are actively reducing the number of people attending our offices, however our services are still available face to face in most cases

· You may reschedule or cancel your appointment by emailing or calling ahead of time

· We will waive cancellation fees for services until May 4th, 2020 for all service users who contact to cancel prior to the appointment as a result of self-exclusion measures

Centacare NQ has been supporting our communities for 40 years and we are committed to keeping our services available, with the wellbeing of our Staff and Service Users firmly in mind at all times.

For people attending our offices, we ask that you help us to maintain good practices around hygiene and health, if you are experiencing any flu-like symptoms, are feeling unwell, have recently returned from overseas, been in contact with someone who may have Covid-19, or potentially have compromised immunity, please call our office before your appointment so we can identify suitable service delivery arrangements.

The Senior Leadership Team of Centacare NQ thank all of our Staff, service users and the broader community for their support in helping us keep our services available in this challenging time.

Paula Washington

Executive Director

Centacare NQ