Last updated Monday 6th July 2022
Dear Laurel House Clients and Supporters,
Laurel House is committed to keeping our clients, staff, and visitors safe when they visit our offices or interact with our staff in outreach locations. In order to achieve this we have recently reviewed our COVID risk assessment and updated our COVID-safe practices as listed below:
Mask Requirements
While the Government have ended Tasmania’s mask mandate, Laurel House will:
- Continue to require staff to wear masks when interacting with our clients or other visitors.
- Require unvaccinated clients and visitors over 12 years of age to wear a mask while on site or accessing services from Laurel House staff in an outreach location unless you have a valid exemption from vaccination, or you can provide medical certification (or other documentation from a medical practitioner) of a physical or mental health condition or disability that makes wearing a fitted mask unsuitable.
- Encourage but not require unvaccinated clients and visitors under 12 years of age to wear a mask.
Vaccinated clients and those under 12 do not need to wear a mask, but masks will be supplied by Laurel House if it is your preference to wear a mask. You MUST wear a mask
Please call our team if you would like to move your counselling appointment to an online or telephone session.
Staff Vaccinations
All Laurel House staff are fully vaccinated for COVID-19.
Client Vaccinations
Laurel House will be asking all clients over 5 years of age about their vaccination status. Understanding the vaccination status of our clients and visitors allows our staff to respond appropriately to protect themselves, their colleagues and other clients.
For clients, we will document your vaccination status in your client file. This information will be held confidentially like other information we collect through our interactions with you.
At this stage we will not be routinely seeking evidence of your vaccination and will accept your verbal disclosure of your vaccination status, but we reserve the right to request evidence of your vaccination.
You do not have to provide evidence of your vaccination status if you choose not to. If you choose not to provide this information we will consider ongoing service provision as though you are unvaccinated.
Visitor Vaccinations
Visitors to Laurel House will be required to notify Laurel House staff about their vaccination status. Depending on the nature of your visit to Laurel House will determine if you are permitted to enter Laurel House’s offices. You will be asked to provide evidence of your vaccination. The following forms of evidence will be accepted as proof of vaccination against COVID-19;
- Check-In Tas App – Green Tick,
- an Australian Government COVID-19 vaccination certification, or
- an Immunisation History Statement recorded on the Australian Immunisation Register.
Screening Questions
On arrival at our offices or at our outreach sites, you will be asked the following questions:
- Do you have any COVID-19 symptoms?
- Are you currently considered to be a close contact of a person diagnosed with COVID-19?
If you answer yes to either of these questions, you will not be able to attend a face-to-face appointment so please consider whether you should reschedule or swapping to an online or telephone meeting prior to arriving onsite.
You will be also asked for information about your vaccination status and depending on your response you may be required to wear a mask.
Text messages will be sent to clients the business day prior to their appointment to remind them not to attend Laurel House offices or outreach sites if they are unwell.
Other requirements
- Stay home if you are sick. If you arrive at our offices unwell, we will ask you to leave immediately.
- Keep your hands clean by using hand sanitiser on arrival.
- Keep your distance – stay 1.5m from other people.
- Wear a mask if directed
- Minimise the number of people attending your appointment. Where possible do not bring additional visitors (including siblings) to the appointment.
- Please wait in your car or outside until a few minutes before your appointment time.
We recognise that the continued high rates of COVID in the community may cause you stress or anxiety, so please call us on 6334 2740 (North) or 6431 9711 (North West) if you have any questions or concerns about your personal circumstance or your preferences for your ongoing service provision.
We appreciate your support in keeping Laurel House as safe as possible for our clients, staff and visitors.
Kind regards,
Kathryn Fordyce, CEO