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The Open Minds governing team
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Focusing on quality supports for everyone
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David Withers
DirectorBEng, MBA, FAICD, FRAESDavid Withers became a Director of the Board of Open Minds in October 2021. David is the Chief Executive of Burrana, a world-leading provider of aircraft system cabins that he founded in 2009. He has a long career in the aviation sector and has held several non-executive positions with not-for-profit organisations in the mental health and disability sectors.
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Elissa Morriss
DirectorMPsych (Clinical Psychology, Clinical Neuropsychology), Churchill FellowElissa Morriss is a psychologist with more than 35 years’ experience in brain injury rehabilitation and vocational rehabilitation, working with adults with disability and their family members, and with community services.
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Our governing board keep our values
at the forefront of our descisions-
Integrity
We always do the best that we can and believe in being held accountable in order to do what is right.
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Curiosity
We ask questions, are always interested, and never stop learning about what is best for our clients.
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Togetherness
We are stronger as a team, understanding that we can always achieve more collectively than as individuals.
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People-centred
As a support and people-focused organisation, we believe that we can do nothing for you without you.
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Respect
We know that each person and their experiences are unique, and strive to always respect everyone that we work with.
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We believe in full
transparencyOpen Minds is committed to meeting the highest standards in corporate and clinical governance, transparency, and accountability. We are compliant with constitutional obligations and regularly review our governance arrangements, as well as developments in current practices, expectations, and regulations.
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Child and Young Person Safety
and Wellbeing StatementOpen Minds is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people. Open Minds has a zero tolerance for violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of children and young people.
To support this commitment, Open Minds is focused on providing an environment where all children and young people are safe, feel safe, and their voices are heard about decisions that impact their lives.
Open Minds also respects diversity in cultures and child rearing practices. Open Minds promotes the cultural safety of children and young people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and other culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds.
Open Minds values the input of, and communicates regularly with, families and carers of children and young people involved in upholding their safety and wellbeing.
Open Minds is focused on preventing the abuse of children and young people, through a proactive approach that includes:
- identifying risks to the safety and wellbeing of children and young people early and removing or reducing these risks,
- fostering a culture of openness that supports all persons to safely disclose risks of harm to children and young people,
- treating all allegations and safety concerns relating to children and young people, seriously,
- enacting our legal and moral obligations to contact authorities when we are worried about any child or young person’s safety,
- ensuring workers understand that they are required to act in accordance with Open Minds Code of Conduct, and associated procedures and processes
- championing children’s and young people’s rights and modelling best practice in ensuring their safety and wellbeing,
- robust human resources and recruitment practices that minimise the risk of new and existing Directors, workers and volunteers from abusing children and young people,
- incident management processes that assertively respond to safety concerns regarding children and young people in required timeframes, and
- routinely training and educating our Directors, workers and volunteers on the risks and responsibilities regarding abuse of children and young people.
