Quiet hour trial at Service SA

29 November 2024

From Saturday 30 November 2024, Service SA will trial a quiet hour across five customer service centres.

The eight-week trial aims to support autistic people and neurodiverse communities with accessing government services. This is guided by the South Australian Autism Inclusion Charter.

The quiet hour will be held on Saturdays from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm at the following centres:

·         Marion

·         Modbury

·         Seaford Meadows

·         Elizabeth

·         Prospect.

To help make the environment less overwhelming, centres will:

·         dim lights

·         lower loudspeaker announcements

·         reduce other noises to create a calmer atmosphere

·         limit the number of people in the centres at one time.

Feedback has shown that busy times can be loud and stressful for people with sensory sensitivities. This makes it hard for them to access important services.

By having a quieter space, customers will find it easier to access services like licensing and age verification. This is important for education, job training and volunteering opportunities.

To better support customers, Service SA staff have also completed training from the Office for Autism. This will help our staff to better understand autism and learn how to support inclusion.