What are the general principles?

The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) may consider a residential aged care placement for a person if all community-based options for their proper care and support have been exhausted, and if they would be placed at unacceptable risk of harm or neglect if they were to remain living in their current accommodation arrangements.

What are the General Principles?

As with all substituted decisions, the Public Guardian is required to apply the General Principles of the Guardianship and Administration Act 2000 when considering whether to make a residential aged care decision. These include:

The person should be encouraged and supported to live a life in the general community, take part in activities enjoyed by the general community, and perform valued social roles.
The person should be encouraged and supported to achieve their maximum physical, social, emotional and intellectual potential, and to become as self-reliant as possible.
The person has a right to participate in decisions that affect their life, to the greatest extent practicable, and should be given the necessary support to do so.
The person’s existing supportive relationships should be maintained.
The adult’s cultural and linguistic environment, and set of values (including religious beliefs) must be taken into account.