The Rainbow Tick (LGBTI Accreditation)

The Rainbow Tick (LGBTI Accreditation) is a consumer driven quality assurance branding initiated by the Ageing LGBTI Community and Latrobe University, Melbourne to assist organisations in becoming LGBTI culturally safe.

Margaret Bernard, the presenter for this session from Uniting NSW ACT (previously UnitingCare Ageing) has the following to say: 

"Uniting NSW ACT (Previously UnitingCare Ageing) commenced addressing LGBTI areas for improvement as early as 2012 and in October 2014 commenced the preparation for the LGBTI Accreditation. The process involved reviewing our organisation’s LGBTI culture, policies, training programs, marketing, consultation, and access/intake procedures. The accrediting organisation called Quality Innovation Performance (QIP) provided us with 6 Standards, containing 23 indicators that would require all indicators to be met to achieve the Rainbow Tick. One of the challenges for Uniting was the size of our organisation with 8,000 staff and 3,000 volunteers as well as working with our three Service Streams to achieve the desired outcomes."

"In September 2015 the QIP Review Team comprising of six members spent 8 days visiting 30 of our sites in both metro and rural areas.  Our organisation was informed on 25 November 2015 that we had achieved the Rainbow Tick; at this time we were only one of 8 organisations in Australia to do so, being the first organisation in NSW, ACT and the first large Aged Care Provider in Australia."

"The time of preparation was one of excitement for the organisation, apart from improving how we provide services to the LGBTI community, staff worked across streams and departments, since we all had the same shared goal. A number of staff and consumers also felt safe to disclose and were proud to be part of our organisation. It was a time of great progress and achievement. "