Mission, Vision, Mandate and Values
Mission
We protect and promote the rights and entitlements of Ontarians with mental illness through advocacy, rights advice and education.
Vision
We envision a society where the rights of all individuals regardless of mental illness or disability are respected, protected and realized.
Mandate
- To advance the legal and civil rights of patients by means of both individual case work and systemic advocacy;
- To inform the patient, family, hospital staff, and the community about patients' legal and civil rights;
- To assist, facilitate (self-advocacy), and help resolve the complaints made by psychiatric patients by providing an avenue for resolution through negotiation according to the patient's instructions;
- To investigate alleged incidents and to assess institutional and systemic responses to these instances;
- To refer patients, when necessary, to outside community advocacy resources such as community organizations, lawyers, or physicians who may offer a second opinion.
Values
As champions of consumer rights, we believe:
- people can and do recover from mental illness
- people have the right to pursue personally defined goals for recovery and well-being
- advocacy and rights protection play vital roles in recovery and continued health and well-being
- advocacy is most effective when it is independent and free from actual or perceived conflicts of interest
- people can function and live in the communities of their choice with adequate supports and services
- people have the right to access effective services which are both needed and wanted
- consultation with consumers is essential to building responsive and effective services
- people have the right to information that is necessary to make informed choices
- people have the right to be involved in all decisions affecting their care, treatment and lives.
