Client Statement Policy
Client Statement:
The purpose of this statement is informing clients of their RIGHTS and RESPONSIBILITIES as well as providing clients information about 211 Broward’s responsibilities and the grievance and discharge procedures.
Clients have the right to:
- Receive services in a professional, courteous and caring manner that respects and appreciates individual difference;
- Be served without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, age, marital status, political affiliation, sexual orientation, pregnancy, gender identity and expression in or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. Discrimination is prohibited;
- Expect that their personal privacy is respected and confidentiality protected to the greatest extent permitted by law;
- Determine the amount of information to be released either to or from anyone outside 211 by signing a consent form and cancel your permission at any time verbally or in writing;
- Choose verbally or in writing what information you want to provide to 211 Broward. You will not be denied access to services if you choose declining to provide certain identifying information;
- Be provided with adequate and accurate information regarding the services provided in order to make informed choices about engaging in any of 211’s programs;
- Receive services that are responsive to your individual needs and circumstances from properly qualified staff;
- Receive services that are sensitive to your personal values and belief system;
- Participate in, and contribute to, decision making in, periodic review and reassessment of your individualized service plan where appropriate;
- For qualified persons with a disability, receive material in alternate format (large print, computer disc, Braille, audio tape, and/or oral presentation) as appropriate;
- Have your questions and concerns addressed promptly and receive a prompt reply to your letters, telephone calls, emails, faxes, and other communications;
- Consent to or decline any service upon full explanation of the expected consequences of such consent or denial. Only when appropriate, a parent or legal guardian may consent to or decline a service on behalf of a minor client;
- Have 211 staff handle your case competently and diligently, in accordance with the highest standards of the profession. If you are not satisfied with how a 211 Staff member is managing your services, you have the right to discharge your 211 staff member and terminate the staff-client relationship at any time;
- Access any personal and other information held for the provision of services and correct any wrong information as permitted by law after your written request has been approved by the President/CEO of 211 Broward;
- Receive an explanation of the reasons for denial of service; and
- Be fully informed, verbally and/or in writing, of your rights.
Clients have the responsibility to:
- Be respectful and polite to 211 staff;
- When filing applications, provide complete and correct information; fraudulent misrepresentation or falsifying information is grounds for denying your application and eligibility.
- Verify household size, income, veteran discharge status, and other required information if necessary todetermine eligibility;
- Report all changes of income, residency, and household information;
- Follow the reasonable instructions of 211 staff in managing your safety and the safety of others;
- Engage with services only when safe (e.g., not when driving); and
- Inform 211 of special accommodations needed to provide appropriate services (accommodation must bereasonable to the disability and supported by documentation).
Florida Fraud Information
Any person (including the designated or authorized representative) who knowingly does not tell the truth, hides information, pretends to be someone else, does not give all the information needed about themselves, the person(s) they are applying for, or other people in their home, or does anything else unlawful in order to get state or federal public assistance benefits is guilty of a crime and will be punished as state or federal law allows. Further, any person (including the designated or authorized representative) who knowingly does not report a change in circumstances in order to continue to receive such aid or benefits which they should not get, or more benefits than they should get, is guilty of a crime and will be punished as state or federal law allows. Any person who purposely helps another person to do any of the above acts is guilty of a crime, and will be punished as federal and state law allows. This information is located in Section 414.39, Florida Statutes. You can get more information about this law on the Internet.
211 Broward has the responsibility to:
- Ensure all staff, Supervisors, Directors, and Administrators shall be familiar with and comply with this policy;
- Inform clients of their rights and grievance procedures, which will be explained by staff at the time of application for service and at any time on request;
- Record grievances on the approved form, submit the form to the appropriate program staff, and retain in a file for a minimum of five years; and
- Provide service of unparalleled quality in accordance with the expectations of clients, funders, and other stakeholders.
Client services will be discharged and/or terminated as follows:
- Termination may result from the client’s failure to adhere to the terms of the Client Statement.
- If a client misses 3 or more appointments in a row or within a 3-month period without calling 24 hours in advance to cancel, services may be terminated.
- Services will be time-limited and terminated in accordance with the care plan outlined for each individual.
- Abusive, sexually inappropriate, or harassing behaviors may result in immediate termination of services.
- Client will not attend appointments if under the influence of alcohol or other substances. Violation will result in services being immediately terminated.
- If a client exhibits intimidating or threatening behaviors towards staff, the violation will result in services being immediately terminated.
211 should provide clients with as much advance notice as possible when terminating services. Clients have the right to due process and to appeal the decision. The individual should not be discharged until an administrative decision on the appeal is rendered unless the reason for discharge warrants immediate removal.
Grievance Policy and Procedures:
It is the policy of 211 Broward that clients have a right to offer positive and constructive feedback about our staff and services, to file grievances and/or to report violations of laws and policies. It is the sincere desire of the staff of 211 to address grievances with an attitude of open-mindedness and without prejudice. Every effort will be made to resolve the grievance at the lowest possible step in the grievance procedure so as not to prolong any difficulty or problem. Client grievance information will be used to track trends to address the client’s needs.
When filing a grievance, clients have the right to:
- Make a grievance about a service or their experience, with the expectation that any grievance will be investigated appropriately and in confidence without fear of it affecting decisions related to their provision of professional services;
- Receive a timely response from 211 Broward;
- Receive oral or written instructions for filing a grievance; and
- Be informed orally or in writing of the results of the grievance.
To File a Grievance and Offer Constructive Feedback with 211 Broward:
If you have a complaint or want to offer constructive feedback, such as sharing a success story about 211 Broward’s services, you can let us know in one of these ways:
- Call 954-357-0718 to leave a voicemail message and your call will be returned within 3 business days;
- Deaf and Hard of Hearing clients can use TTY services by dialing 711, and providing the 954-357-0718 telephone number to the Florida Relay Operator.
- Email: [email protected]
- Write to 211 Broward at:
Director of Helpline Services
250 NE 33rd ST
Oakland Park, FL 33334
These steps should be followed when filing a report:
- If appropriate, talk with your assigned 211 staff member about your dissatisfaction with service or experience, providing an opportunity for immediate resolution of the situation; the client must receive an answer within 3 working days.
- Contact 211 Broward, 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, and make a report to a 211 staff not involved with the experience. This staff person is required to report this within 24 hours to Director Helpline Services, who must respond within 3 working days.
- If a client is not satisfied with the Director of Quality Assurance & Reporting response, you may contact the Chief Operations Officer at (954) 390-0493, who must respond within 5 working days.
- If 211 does not resolve the complaint to the client’s satisfaction, the client has the right to seek an advocate. 211 can help guide clients to the appropriate advocate; please ask us for our assistance to determine the proper advocate, knowing that this will not impact your receipt of professional services from 211.
When filing a report, we encourage clients to prepare in sharing pertinent information regarding the experience, which may include:
- Name, address, and contact number of the person(s) making the complaint;
- Names, addresses, and contact numbers of witnesses;
- A narrative or statement describing the alleged experience, including date and time of the alleged experience and where and when the alleged incident occurred;
- A narrative or statement identifying the desired corrective actions to solve the alleged violation(s); and
- Any other documentation that may provide additional explanation or identification of the alleged experience.
If 211 does not resolve the complaint to the client’s satisfaction, the client has the right to seek an advocate(s). 211 will help guide clients to the appropriate advocate(s); please ask us for our assistance to determine the appropriate advocate(s) with confidence that this will not impact your provision of professional services by 211. Additional Telephone Numbers for Reporting Complaints or Grievances include:
Other Contract Administrators, including and not limited to Broward County Human Services Department, Children’s Services Council of Broward, and United Way of Broward County.
To File an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Complaint:
To File an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Complaint:
Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 prohibits disability discrimination in places of public accommodation, such as hotels, restaurants, and certain places of entertainment. If you feel that an entity covered by Title III discriminated against you or another person because of a disability, you can file an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) complaint.
Your complaint should include:
- Your full name, address, and the telephone numbers where you can be reached during the day and evening, and the name of the party discriminated against (if known).
- The name and address of the business, organization, institution, or person that you believe committed the discrimination.
- A brief description of the acts of discrimination, the dates they occurred, and the names on individuals involved.
- Other information you believe necessary to support your complaint, including copies (not originals) of relevant documents.
- Information about how to communicate with you effectively. Please state if you want written communications in a specific format (e.g., large print, Braille, electronic documents) or require communications by video phone or TTY.
You can email, mail, or fax your complaint to:
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Civil Rights Division
Disability Rights Section – 1425 NYAV
Washington, D.C. 20530
Fax: (202) 307-1197
Email via website: http://www.ada.gov/complaint/
To learn more about filing an ADA complaint, visit www.ada.gov/filing_complaint.htm.
You can email, mail, or fax your complaint to:
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Civil Rights Division
Disability Rights Section – 1425 NYAV
Washington, D.C. 20530
Fax: 202-307-1197
Email via website: http://www.ada.gov/complaint/
To learn more about filing an ADA complaint, visit www.ada.gov/filing_complaint.htm.
Approved by Board 03/13/14
Updated 06/29/15
Updated 04/29/16
Updated 01/01/21
