IVA membership brings together individual advocates, associated professionals and organisations committed to high-quality, ethical and effective veteran advocacy.

Our membership framework recognises that good advocacy depends on both:

• capable and accountable individual advocates; and
• organisations that support appropriate standards, professional development and service delivery.

Membership Benefits for Individuals

Individual membership includes access to:

• Professional recognition and applicable post-nominals. IVA membership provides professional recognition and signals a commitment to IVA’s standards, continuing development and complaints framework. This gives veterans and their families additional information and assurance when choosing an advocate.

• Training and continuing professional development opportunities. IVA supports eligible members to access available ATDP and CiMA pathways, including advocates working in free and fee-for-service settings.

• Professional resources, guidance and practical tools. As IVA grows and develops, templates and other helpful tools will be created for member use based on member feedback.

• Regular updates on developments affecting veteran advocacy via a monthly newsletter.

• Support when dealing with systemic or recurring issues. IVA will liaise with DVA and other providers, such as CSC, on identified systemic issues to ensure our members are supported when making claims on behalf of their clients.

• The Department of Veterans’ Affairs intends that approved IVA accredited advocates, with a demonstrated history of submitting ‘decision-ready’ claims, will receive beneficial claims processing support.

• Opportunities to contribute to IVA consultations and sector reform. IVA will provide a unifying voice to the Government and service agencies (such as DVA and CSC) on Veterans’ Advocacy matters and will actively engage on behalf of our members to drive best practice service provision to veterans and their families.

• Connection with a national professional community.

Membership Benefits for Organisations

Support your advocates. Strengthen your service. Help shape the future of veteran advocacy.

IVA Organisational Membership gives Ex-Service Organisations, advocacy providers, branches, sub-branches and commercial providers practical support, professional recognition and a stronger voice on issues affecting veteran advocacy.

By joining IVA, your organisation demonstrates its commitment to professional, ethical and consistent advocacy while becoming part of a national framework designed to strengthen outcomes for veterans and their families.

Why organisational membership matters

Veteran advocacy is delivered through a diverse network of organisations, ranging from national ESOs and volunteer-led local branches to specialist and commercial providers.

IVA recognises that each organisation operates differently. Our role is not to replace those operating models. It is to support the people and organisations delivering advocacy and to strengthen professional standards across the sector.

Organisational membership connects your organisation and its advocates with:

• professional standards and guidance;
• capability development and training opportunities;
• direct sector information and updates;
• practical resources and templates;
• assistance with systemic issues;
• opportunities to contribute to consultation and reform; and
• a national professional network.

Key Benefits for Organisations

Public recognition: Your organisation can be identified as an IVA Organisational Member, demonstrating its commitment to quality, integrity and professional advocacy.

Your organisational membership status will also be displayed through the Advocate Register where you will be publically able to demonstrate your IVA membership and commitment to professional standards. 

Support tailored to your organisation: Organisational Members can request assistance on issues affecting their organisation, service model or advocate workforce. This may include assistance to:

• understand new policy or procedural requirements
• identify training or capability needs
• address recurring problems experienced by advocates
• develop or improve advocacy-related processes
• interpret professional standards and expectations
• access appropriate templates or guidance materials
• raise systemic matters with relevant agencies on your behalf.

IVA will assess requests having regard to its role, available resources and whether the issue may also affect the broader membership.

Practical tools and resources: IVA will progressively develop resources informed by member needs, including:

• practice guidance
• checklists and templates
• professional standards material
• cost agreement guidance for fee-for-service providers
• governance and assurance tools
• professional development material.

Support for your advocates: Organisational membership enables eligible advocates working or volunteering through your organisation to apply for individual IVA membership and accreditation. IVA can also work with organisations to identify:

• professional development priorities
• qualification and accreditation pathways
• common capability gaps
• emerging areas of practice risk
• opportunities to improve consistency across an advocate workforce.

A stronger collective voice: IVA engages with government agencies and service providers on issues affecting veteran advocacy. Organisational Members can identify recurring or systemic issues for IVA to consider raising with organisations such as DVA, CSC and other relevant bodies.

IVA does not replace direct engagement between an organisation and an agency. It provides an additional professional channel through which common issues can be identified, supported by evidence and pursued constructively.

Influence over standards and reform: Members will have opportunities to contribute to:

• professional standards
• continuing professional development priorities
• training and capability reform
• guidance and practice resources
• consultation responses
• broader improvements to the veteran advocacy system.

Targeted communication: Direct membership by local and/or sub-branches enables IVA to provide information and support to the people delivering services within their communities. This helps ensure that communications, professional development and engagement are relevant to local operating conditions.

Membership for federated organisations

IVA’s federated membership model recognises that many ESOs operate through national, state, territory and local structures.

A national, state or other principal federated entity can join IVA as the principal organisational member. Its affiliated branches and sub-branches can then join at a substantially discounted rate.

This model allows:

• the principal organisation to participate in IVA at the strategic level;
• branches and sub-branches to engage directly with IVA;
• local advocates to be linked to the organisation through which they work or volunteer;
• targeted support and communications to be provided locally; and
• IVA to build a clearer picture of advocacy capability and service availability across Australia.

Branches and sub-branches remain eligible to join where their principal organisation has not joined, but the standard standalone organisational fee will apply.