Office of the Public Advocate - Community Visitors Program

The Community Visitors Program is administered by the Office of the Public Advocate and engages volunteers to uphold and safeguard the human right of people with a disability and/or mental illness.

Community Visitors are the eyes and ears of the community and perform an important role of upholding the human rights of people with a cognitive disability and/or mental illness who are living in supported care.

Volunteers visit either group homes for people with a cognitive disability or mental health facilities for people with a mental illness. They speak to the residents/patients to find out if they have any issues or concerns with their care, treatment and/or living conditions. At the conclusion of a visit, they write a brief report detailing the findings of the visit. Volunteers visit in pairs and visit services within their local community.

Training & reimbursement of expenses are provided.

Time commitment is approximately 6-8 hours per month.

This is a challenging but rewarding volunteer role which is a formal Victorian Governor in Council appointment.

Community Visitor volunteers are currently required in Werribee and the surrounding areas.