Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria for Entry to RIDCA

1. Persons whom are either a ‘proposed care recipient’, a ‘care recipient’, or a ‘special care recipient’, as defined in the Intellectual Disability (Compulsory Care and Rehabilitation) Act 2003. These persons are court referred to the RIDCA and have automatic eligibility.
   
   
2. Persons who the RIDCA considers meet the following criteria:
   
   

   Intellectual Disability

   • The person has a clear and assessed intellectual disability according to standard psychometric measures and with significant adaptive functioning deficits in at least two areas that are evident in developmental years.

   AND

   Behaviour poses serious risk of physical harm to self/others

   • There is a likelihood of risk of serious harm to the person or others arising from the behaviours.
   • The source of harm is from behaviour related to their intellectual disability, rather than from health conditions or extremely high support needs.
   • Serious harm means death, permanent injury, psychological trauma, harm requiring acute medical care.
   • High risk of harm to self includes suicide attempts, exposure to hazards, self harm requiring medical intervention.
   • High risk of harm may arise when the person behaves in ways that increase their or others vulnerability to harm (e.g. unsafe sexual practices, sexual exploitation, or an itinerant lifestyle which may increase vulnerability to assault).

   AND EITHER

   Access to mainstream or community options is limited or prevented

   • The provider is unable or unwilling to provide services to meet the needs of the person

   OR

   Manifests a psychiatric disorder, or substance use disorder

   • Has a co-existing mental disorder (not necessarily clearly diagnosed at time of referral) and where the management is complex and where the person’s mental health disorder is not the predominant current need.
   • Where the person’s management is unable to be achieved within the client’s current service – i.e. requires a degree of clinical Mental Health oversight within the disability service.
   • Documentary proof that all appropriate steps have been taken to support the person in mainstream services.
   • Where drug or alcohol abuse increases the risk of behaviour.

   OR

   Behaviour results in a breach of the law

   • Recent history of serious and/or repeat involvement with the police or criminal justice system.

Further indicators that establish serious risk of harm are:

• Abused/neglected or living in an environment where the probability of abuse/neglect is high
• Homeless or an imminent risk of homelessness or the person is in temporary accommodation e.g. a respite facility, refuge, or mental health facility or alternative emergency accommodation such as a public hospital
• Social supports have broken down or are at imminent risk of breaking down
• No agency accepts primary responsibility for case coordination or case management
• Person is in an environment which results in significant limitation of abilities
• Person is at risk of entry to an inappropriate living environment e.g. younger person in Aged Care facility