Our values

A values driven organisation refers to an organisation that has undertaken a conscious process to clarify and document, and have reached shared agreement about, their values and mission. The values and mission become the foundation documents of the organisation and guide all work undertaken by the organisation. The aim of a values driven organisation is to strive to be coherent with its stated values and mission. This includes the style of work, the policies and practice and the moral underpinning of all decision making. (Dyke 1988)

The Our Values document was developed in December 2011 with members and staff through a deeply thoughtful and considered process; being congnisant of the work done by individuals with lived experience who were the foundation members of the organisation, and the underlying Social Role Valorisation principles defined by Wolf Wolfensberger.

The Our Values document articulates the values that have always been a part of the culture of Independent Advocacy SA Inc. and the values that have grown through advocacy action and understanding over time. It is an essential element of the framework from within which advocacy efforts are undertaken. We believe that principled, values driven, social advocacy is crucial to effectively addressing the exclusion, discrimination, exploitation and violation common in the lives of people with intellectual disabilities.

We strive to make all our decisions and behaviours consistent with Our Values. It provides a firm foundation for everything we do and say at Independent Advocacy. We are committed to remaining loyal at all levels to the people on whose behalf we speak, and whom we defend. In short, the way we work will model the way we would like the rest of society to function.