Dignity of Risk in Support at Home for OTs

Dignity of risk is not optional in Support at Home - it is a legal requirement under the Aged Care Act and an explicit expectation of registered providers.

For Occupational Therapists, this often creates pressure to push clinical boundaries, navigate unclear expectations, and justify decisions when clients choose risk. Join Lauren Hennessy (Way Forward OT) and Rebecca Wood (Practice Group Leader, LegalVision), for a webinar that unpacks:

• What dignity of risk actually requires under Support at Home,
• How the Strengthened Quality Standards apply to OT practice, and
• How to manage the tension between provider expectations, duty of care, and client choice.

Using real OT case scenarios, the session will explore practical documentation, defensible decision-making, and risk conversations through case studies and live Q&A.

Designed for OTs seeking clarity, confidence, and practice-ready guidance in a changing regulatory environment.

What You’ll Learn:

• What dignity of risk means under the Support at Home program and specifically for OTs
• Understand how to apply the legislative and regularly frameworks to OT practice
• Balancing duty of care with client choice in everyday OT scenarios
• What must be documented when a client chooses to take risk
• Opportunity to discuss common challenges (falls, AT, cognition, refusals) and defensible responses
• Case studies explored with a guest lawyer from LegalVision, focusing on legal risk, documentation, and decision-making
• Live Q&A with a legal expert, addressing real OT practice questions
• Resources (included with registration)

Who Should Attend?

• Occupational Therapists working in community aged care
• Occupational Therapist supervisiors and in leadership roles
• Practice managers

About Lauren Hennessy

Lauren is an experienced Occupational Therapist and aged care leader with professional experience across Australia, Ireland, and the UK. With more than a decade of hands-on practice supporting older adults, she brings strong clinical insight from the community health and NFP and public sectors. Lauren is passionate about innovation, clinical reasoning, and real-world impact, and supports Occupational Therapists to navigate the aged care space with confidence and deliver high-quality, client-centred services.

About Rebecca Wood

Rebecca is the Practice Group Leader of LegalVision’s Disputes and Litigation team. She brings extensive experience from leading international law firms and advises clients on complex commercial disputes. Rebecca specialises in commercial litigation, including corporation law, shareholder matters, contracts, intellectual property, and negligence claims. She also has strong experience advising on regulatory investigations and has previously worked with government departments and contributed to major Royal Commissions.

About LegalVision

LegalVision is a commercial law firm that provides unlimited legal support to SMEs and in-house teams through a fixed-fee membership. We help businesses manage all aspects of commercial and corporate law, including employment law, commercial contracts, mergers & acquisitions, intellectual property and business disputes with fast, practical advice, using custom-built tech to deliver predictable pricing and on-demand access to specialist lawyers across the UK, Australia and New Zealand. Visit legalvision.com.au or call 1300 544 755 to get in touch with our team.

A recording of the session and slide summary will be provided to attendees, even if you cannot attend live.

Please note: Date and time of the session may be subject to change.