Neami’s Safety and Opportunity Philosophy has guided how we think about safety and opportunity at Neami for staff, consumers, and carers.
Neami is paying attention to many forms of evidence, including quantitative research, qualitative evidence such as the stories of people who have used services, Lived Experience expertise, staff working in this context, and family and carers who have supported people in distress.
We know that classifying risk (such as high, medium, low) is no longer best practice. Despite this, we continue to see resistance to moving away from traditional risk assessment practice within the system and legislative context we are working within.
We are at a paradigm shift – the whole system is talking about these new forms of evidence and new ideas, but the guidance still sits in the old paradigm.
We’ve been reviewing how we approach and respond to risk, making sure everything we do aligns with this philosophy and reflects current evidence-based best practices.
We are excited to be launching our new approach by moving away from “assessing and managing risk” and instead focusing on “co-creating safety and opportunity.”
This shift in language, processes, and practice recognises that building relationships is key to promoting safety and creating hope.
By working together with the consumer, the worker and loved ones, we can create better connections and more relevant, personalised responses for each person.
At the heart of Neami’s practice is a strong commitment to human rights, giving consumers choices and flexibility. We want to ensure that consumers feel heard and respected so they can make informed decisions that are right for them.
Safety isn’t just about risk management but about building trust, so people feel comfortable to share what’s going on for them.
To support safety, we focus on listening—not just to act, but to understand. By connecting with people in the moment, we build trust for future support, fostering open communication when needed most.
To ensure the validity and effectiveness of our approach, an external review was conducted in December 2024. This review, combining lived experience and clinical perspectives, further affirms that our practice changes align with contemporary evidence and the needs of consumers.
We are looking forward to sharing more on this as we implement this approach and gather learnings and feedback.