The words we choose can affirm identity and empower people. When we affirm identity, it has a real impact: it helps people feel safe to access the supports they need and safeguards team members in their workplace. Inclusive and respectful language creates dignity, belonging, and trust. This guideline supports us to use language that respects diversity, affirms people’s identities, and guides how we collect necessary information for care and safety with transparency and respect.
This policy applies to all employees of KEO Care. Additionally, all non-employees such as contractors and suppliers who may be present at KEO Care work sites should abide by this policy for the duration of their association with KEO.
KEO Care seeks to provide the highest quality workplace and deliver exceptional care for our clients, and as such we expect our team members to hold themselves to a standard that is conducive of this. At all times, we ensure compliance with all applicable legislative requirements and guidelines.
Inclusive and respectful language affirms people’s identities and empowers them to be themselves. In healthcare, we sometimes need to collect personal or sensitive information for safe and effective service delivery. How we ask for and use that information matters. By combining professional requirements with transparent, respectful communication, we create a culture of safety, dignity, and belonging. Language evolves, and this guideline will evolve with it.
Principles and Practices
- Respect humanity – Use words that affirm dignity and recognise each person as an individual.
- Value diversity and equal rights – Acknowledge and respect the equal rights of all people, and the richness that diversity of identities, cultures, and experiences brings to our workplace and services.
- Put the person first – Use language that centres the person, not their condition or background. Some may prefer identity-first language (e.g., Autistic person). Always follow individual preference.
- Be strengths-based – Highlight abilities and contributions rather than focusing only on limitations.
- Avoid assumptions – Don’t assume gender, sexuality, cultural identity, family structure, or beliefs. Use neutral terms until you know someone’s preference.
- Use inclusive terms – Choose language that includes everyone (e.g., partner instead of husband/wife; parents or carers instead of mum and dad).
- Affirm identity – Be specific where appropriate. If someone has shared how they identify, use those terms consistently and respectfully.
- Explain why you are asking – Where information must be collected for service delivery (e.g., Medicare records, diagnoses, medical history, or risk assessments), explain why this is required, how it will be used, and how it will be kept confidential.
Before asking questions about someone’s identity, background, or personal circumstances, pause to reflect:
- Why do I need this information? Is it necessary for clinical care, safety, or service planning — or is it curiosity?
- Will the person feel safe being asked?
- Can I explain clearly how the information will be used and how it will remain private?
- Am I prepared to respect their choice if they prefer not to share (unless it is required for safe service delivery)?.
- Be open about why you are asking. For example: “I need to confirm your name as it appears on Medicare so we can process your rebate. I understand you may use a different name in everyday life, and I will make sure to use that in all our communication.”
- Reassure people that personal information will only be used for care, safety, or legal purposes, and will be kept confidential.
Use this | Not this |
partner | wife/husband, girlfriend/boyfriend |
parents or carers | mum and dad |
person with a disability | disabled person |
uses a wheelchair | confined to a wheelchair |
person born overseas | foreigner |
gay or lesbian | homosexual |
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples / Nation or language group (if shared) | Indigenous Australians, Aborigine |
Focus Areas for Respectful Language
- Use the name and pronouns a person shares with you. For official records (e.g., Medicare), use the legal name as required, but affirm the person’s chosen name in all interactions.
- Use gender-neutral terms unless a person specifies otherwise (e.g., partner rather than boyfriend/girlfriend).
- If someone shares how they identify (e.g., bisexual, non-binary, queer), use those words consistently and respectfully.
- Use Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the appropriate collective term.
- Where possible, use the specific Nation, language group, or community name if it has been shared.
- Capitalise words such as Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, Country, Elder, and Community when used in this context.
- Recognise that there are many distinct Nations, cultures, and languages. Be inclusive of this diversity and respectful if someone chooses not to disclose.
- Explain why cultural information may be needed (e.g., for risk assessment, accessibility of services) and reassure how it will be used.
- Use accurate, respectful terms for cultural and religious groups (e.g., Muslim person, Sikh community).
- Respect practices such as prayer, fasting, dietary needs, and cultural celebrations.
- Avoid assumptions about someone’s background or faith based on appearance or name.
- Acknowledge cultural and faith holidays inclusively, without assuming participation.
- Respect the language a person uses for themselves — whether person-first (person with disability) or identity-first (Autistic person).
- Focus on supports and abilities. For example, “uses a wheelchair” affirms independence.
- Use empowering terms. For example, “lives with mental illness” rather than “suffers from mental illness”.
- Where clinical information is required (e.g., diagnosis, medical history), explain why it is needed and how it supports access to services or funding.
- Use inclusive terms such as “parent or carer” to recognise diverse family structures.
- Respect how people describe their own families, including kinship carers, same-sex parents, and chosen families.
- Acknowledge caring responsibilities broadly — not just parents, but all those in caregiving roles.
- When collecting family information for NDIS planning or safety, explain why it is relevant and how it will be used.
- Use respectful terms such as “person born overseas” or “migrant”.
- Affirm linguistic diversity by describing someone as “multilingual” rather than suggesting a hierarchy of languages spoken (e.g. avoid phrases like "non-native English speaker")
- Avoid assumptions about citizenship, residency, or language skills.
- If asking about migration background (e.g., for service access, interpreter needs, or funding requirements), explain clearly why it is needed and how it will remain confidential.
Each person’s experience of identity is shaped by many factors — such as culture, gender, sexuality, disability, faith, family structure, and socioeconomic background. These aspects often overlap and influence how people experience inclusion, discrimination, and access to supports.
At KEO Care, we recognise that true inclusion means understanding and respecting this complexity. We avoid making assumptions based on a single part of someone’s identity and instead see people as whole individuals. When we use language that reflects this, we help remove barriers, promote equity, and ensure everyone feels seen and valued in all parts of who they are.
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