Community Visitor Scheme
About us
The South Australian Community Visitor Scheme (CVS) plays an essential role in promoting the wellbeing, dignity, safety and rights of people who are:
- living with a mental health condition and receiving care from a mental health service
- under the guardianship of the Public Advocate and participants in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS)
- living with disability in a state-run disability service.
In 2026, the scope of the Community Visitor Scheme will expand. It will be available to any person in South Australia who receives disability-related support, services or treatment and chooses to be part of the CVS.
The Community Visitor Scheme is a volunteer-led program. Experienced, skilled, and independent Community Visitors conduct visits and inspections of accommodation. Community Visitors engage with residents and their families to make sure they have adequate information regarding their treatment, care, and rights and are supported to achieve better outcomes.
The Principal Community Visitor and Community Visitors are independent statutory appointments established under the Mental Health Act (2009). Their independence is vital to the Scheme. The PCV provides advice to two Ministers. Firstly, to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing for issues arising in mental health services and secondly, to the Minister for Human Services on issues arising from disability services.
The purpose of the Community Visitor Scheme is to uphold the rights of people with a mental health condition who are receiving care in a mental health treatment centre or attending a community mental health facility. The Scheme also upholds the rights of people with a disability who receive state-run disability services and will be expanded in 2026 to include a broader range of people with disability who choose to be part of it. The Scheme also upholds the rights of people with a disability who receive state-run disability services. Community Visitors also visit clients of the Office of the Public Advocate (OPA) who are participants of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants.
Relevant legislation
You can read the legislation relevant to the Community Visitor Scheme on other websites:
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