Our Policies

Visitor Procedure

Referring Policy:

Safeguarding Policy

Supportive Housing Policy

Sustaining Tenancies Policy

Visitor Policy

Purpose

  • To ensure the safety and security of visitors, tenants, employees, and the building.
  • To ensure tenants are supported in the management of visitors.

Definitions

“Child”:  a person under the age of 18 years.

“Responsible adult”: the parent, step-parent, guardian, a person who has parental rights and responsibilities (e.g., teacher, relative), if the child is in out-of-home care, the foster parent or a representative of the organisation caring for the child. 

NB: a friend of the child who is 18 or over is NOT considered a responsible adult.

“Visitor”: includes visitors of tenants, Common Ground Queensland (CGQ) and Micah Projects staff, staff of visiting services, contractors, building tour groups, visiting officials, function attendees and volunteers.

“Visiting service”: an organisation delivering a service to a tenant.

“Volunteer”: an unpaid person engaged by CGQ or Micah Projects to undertake work or provide services in the building. Includes students and interns.

“CGQ Management”: the CEO and Chief Operations Officer.  

Visitor Procedure

  • Visitor Registration and Sign-out
    1. All visitors are required to present to the Concierge desk each time they enter the building for registration and/or identification in the Visitor Register (Passage Point).
    2. First-time visitors are required to show ID and be photographed, this includes:
      • Tenant’s visitors, and
      • Staff of visiting services who cannot provide photo identification from the organisation that they are representing.
    3. Visiting officials, corporate visitors, building tour groups and people attending functions do not need to provide identification or be photographed but must be signed-in via Passage Point or the Guest List provided by the organiser of the event. Refer to Functions, Events and Venue Tour Procedure. Exceptions are on the discretion of the CEO or delegated officer.
    4. Visitor’s pets are not permitted in the building.
    5. Concierge must contact the tenant/staff member being visited to seek their consent to admit the visitor.
    6. Tenants will only be contacted between 8 am and 9 pm. When presenting after hours, visitors will be told they should contact the tenant directly and arrange for the tenant to provide access.
    7. Visitors will not be provided access without tenant/staff consent.
    8. Concierge must NEVER give out the full name or unit number of a tenant even if visitors are persistent.
    9. Once a tenant has provided consent for a visitor to enter the building, Concierge will either create a new profile in Passage Point for signing the visitor into the building (for first-time visitors) or find the existing visitor profile and sign them into the building.
    10. Concierge will sign visitors out of Passage Point when they exit the building.

Visitors Without Identification (Tenants’ visitors and visiting services)

    • Visitors without identification will be photographed and this will be held in Passage Point as a record for identification. The visitor will be advised that they will be required to show identification on their next visit. Concierge will make a note of this in Passage Point (‘X’) and include the date signed in and the ‘Has NOT shown ID (mark ‘X’)’ field which will flag the next time the visitor signs in. If the visitor presents on their second visit without ID, Concierge will:
      1. Refer to Management during business hours for entry permissions (this only needs to be done once). If Management allows the visitor to enter without ID, the ‘X’ can be replaced with a ‘No ID required’ comment, or
      2. Allow entry if there is no perceived safety risk (outside of business hours). Note: in circumstances where a determination to allow entry has been made, the decision is to be logged in the Concierge Log to enable the CGQ Operations Team to follow up.
    • A visitor’s record of identification is held on file.

Restriction of Visitors

  • CGQ Management may restrict any visitor(s) at management’s discretion or at the request of tenants (refer Table 1)

Table 1: Visitor Restriction Protocols

Type of Visitor Restriction

Instructions

Tenant request

1.   A tenant can request a visitor be refused entry to the building. This request may be made to a CGQ or Micah staff member in writing or by lodging a Tenant Issues Form (hardcopy via the Tenant Forms Mailbox).

2.   If endorsed, a Tenancy Management Team member will send an email to Concierge advising of the restriction and ask them to update Passage Point.

3.   Unless otherwise agreed, the period of restriction will be for one (1) month.

Management decision

1.   The CEO or Chief Operations Officer may refuse a visitor entry to the building at their discretion.

2.   A Tenancy Management Team member will notify Concierge via email with instructions on what to advise the visitor when they present and request, they  update Passage Point.

3.   Concierge can advise the restricted visitor of the date of the next review and/or the method of appealing the decision (which must be made in writing from a tenant).

CGQ Concierge decision

1.   CGQ Concierge (at their discretion but with reasonable cause) may remove a visitor or temporarily refuse a visitor entry to the building.

2.   CGQ Concierge will complete an Incident Report which includes details about why the decision to restrict was made including a categorisation of the event as minor, moderate, or major.

3.   The Tenancy Management Team will review visitor restrictions on the next business day and decide to uphold or cancel.

  1. Reasonable cause includes violent activity, criminal activity, non-compliance with the Visitor Policy, this procedure, and violations of the Brisbane Common Ground (BCG) Good Neighbour Charter (Attachment B).
  2. The visitor restriction list will be reviewed at the BCG Weekly Coordination Meeting within that month at a maximum for expired restrictions and will consider information from tenants and staff in determining if the restriction is to be lifted.
  3. The Tenancy Management Team will e-mail the Concierge Group the results of these reviews, with instructions on what to advise the visitor when they present.

Visiting Children (Refer to Safeguarding Policy)

  • Visiting children and young people (0 to 17 years) must be signed in at the Concierge desk by the parent or responsible adult.
  • Prior to the child or young person being admitted to the building, a parent or responsible adult for the children must sign their agreement to the Child Supervision Guidelines.
  • All tenants receiving child visitors must follow the Child Supervision Guidelines.
  • Visiting children and young people are not permitted to stay overnight unless approved by CGQ Management by 6:00 pm of the day of the visit. CGQ Concierge are required to inform CGQ Management of any overnight stay requests prior to completing the sign-in process.
  • Children visiting a tenant may not be left overnight with other tenants.
  • If CGQ Concierge becomes aware that a visiting child/young person without an overnight stay approval has not signed out before 6:00 pm they must contact the relevant tenant to advise that the child is not permitted to stay overnight. If the tenant does not comply, CGQ Concierge will log the incident in the Concierge Log and advise the Micah Projects Tenant Service Worker (TSW) on duty and the CGQ On-call Person. The CGQ On-call Person will contact the on-call Micah Projects On-call Person to conduct a risk assessment and advise CGQ Concierge on the actions to be taken. CGQ Concierge will take direction from the CGQ On-call Person and log any advice received or action in the Concierge Log.
  • In individual cases, in the interests of the child, CGQ or Micah Projects may initiate a Child Visitor Management Plan to be developed collaboratively with the tenant and/or parent/responsible adult, CGQ and Micah Projects.
  • If the Child Supervision Guidelines are not followed, the child and the accompanying adult may be restricted from visiting the building.
  • No child may be left unsupervised at any time inside a unit or in common areas for any reason. Supervision must be by the parent or the responsible adult by agreement.
  • Children who visit the building as volunteers, to attend a function or as part of a tour group must be supervised at all times by a staff member of CGQ, Micah Projects or a responsible adult.

Visitor Access Throughout the Building

  • Tenant’s Visitors
    1. Tenants must be home for their visitors to be allowed to enter unless the tenant has provided a Consent to Enter form to CGQ.
    2. Visitors and tenants are not to sleep in common areas
    3. Tenants are responsible for the behaviour of their visitors.
    4. Unaccompanied visitors are not permitted to use the ground level art room or computer room.
    5. Visitors are not provided with swipe cards unless approval has been provided by CGQ Management.
  • Contractors
    1. Unless a contractor is approved by CGQ as an Authorised Visitor, he/she is required to be escorted by a CGQ staff member.
    2. Contractors approved as an Authorised Visitor may move unaccompanied around the building.
    3. Concierge will issue a swipe card if requested by CGQ Management who will advise Concierge of the level of access to the building, including date and time.
  • Volunteers
    1. Volunteers must register with Concierge.
    2. Volunteers are to be managed by either CGQ or Micah Projects, in line with the relevant organisational policies and procedures.
    3. Concierge will issue a swipe card if requested by CGQ Management, who will advise the level of access to the building, including date and time.
  • Tour Groups, People Attending Functions, Official Visitors
    1. Visitors who are members of tour groups, attending a function or official visitors may not enter a residential floor of the building, unless accompanied by a staff member of CGQ or Micah Projects.
    2. Function Groups above 10 will be pre-registered. The Function Coordinator (or delegate) will email Concierge 24 hours before the group arrives with details (i.e., size of group and full names).

Visitor numbers per unit

  • During the day (up to 10:00 pm), a tenant can have a maximum of four (4) visitors in their unit at one time.
  • Visitors cannot have guests.
  • For overnight stays, tenants may not have more visitors than allowed for their unit size without prior management approval:
  • Accessible units that are 42m2 may have 2 visitors
    • One-bedroom units that are 40m2 may have 2 visitors; and
    • Studio units that are 28m2 may have 1 visitor.
    • The Tenancy Management Team will advise Concierge of any discretionary approval given to tenants outside of these rules.

Length of stay for visitors

  • A visitor who stays for longer than 4 weeks can be assessed as having joined the household. This means their income can be included in any calculation of rent (refer to Rent Calculation, Collection and Review Procedure).
  • For stays over 14 nights, tenants must submit an Extended Stay Visitor Approval Form to CGQ Management.
  • Visits of over 14 nights without approval will be reviewed at the BCG Weekly Coordination Meeting to assess if the visitor may require assistance with their accommodation, or if there are any concerns regarding the tenant being visited.
  • The Tenancy Management Team may decide to restrict a visitor who has stayed more than 14 nights in any given 28-day period without approval.

Monitoring tenant visitor stays

  • Every shift, CGQ Concierge will check Passage Point to ensure they are aware of who is in the building. They will:
    1. Sign out any contractors and function room attendees who have left the building.
    2. Check which tenants have visitors.
    3. Contact CGQ Management should there be any concerns.
  • If CGQ Concierge sees a tenant without their visitor during their shift, they will ask if the visitor is still in the building. If the visitor has left, they will update Passage Point and log the event in the Concierge Log.
  • The Tenancy Manager will review the Concierge Log each day and consult with relevant staff regarding any required follow up actions.
  • The Tenancy Team Leader will run a report from Passage Point every week for the purposes of informing the BCG Weekly Coordination Meeting.

Related Documents and Systems

  • Child Supervision Guidelines
  • Child Visitor Management Plan
  • Concierge Log
  • Extended Stay Visitor Approval Form
  • Functions Manual
  • Good Neighbour Charter (Attachment B)
  • Safeguarding Policy
  • Standing Orders Register (SharePoint)
  • Visitor Policy
  • Visitor Register (PassagePoint)

Version 9.0

Download Visitor Procedure

Acknowledgement of Country

Common Ground Queensland acknowledges the Turrbal and Jagera/Yuggera peoples as the Owners and Custodians of the land and waters we live and work upon.
 
We recognise and respect the historic and continued connection to land and water including the deep spiritual connection and relationship that First Nations people have to Country.
 
We recognise sovereignty was never ceded.
 
Common Ground Queensland acknowledges the ongoing impacts of colonisation on First Nations people and is committed to working in partnership with First Nations people to address the impacts of colonisation.