Download CHCORG201C - Follow Policies

CHCORG201C Follow policies, procedures and programs of the
organisation
Follow workplace instructions and policies, support
organisation programs and procedures within the job
role
A policy is a high level overall plan that looks at the general goals and
expectations of an institution or organisation – a statement that guides
behaviour and sets general rules in place related to how the business will
be conducted.
Policy documents outline the philosophies and the ways in which business will support its vision,
mission and goals.
Policies will relate to:
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Government Laws
Health and safety standards
Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO) and
matters of social justice
Anti-discrimination, racial vilification, antiharassment
Industrial relations
Ethical behaviours
Human resource management
Administration
Staffing
Confidentiality requirements
Appropriate relationships with clients
Gifts
Workplace agreements
Job descriptions
Grievance/complaints procedures
All workers in the organisation should know which policies and procedures are relevant to the work
they do and should know how to access the policy and procedure documents held by the
organisation.
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Procedures
Procedures are the written instructions on how the policies should be applied. In some organisations
procedures will be further broken down into task instructions which are called Standard Operating
Procedures (SOPs) SOPs generally apply to specific tasks and contain step by step instructions for
completing tasks, while general procedure documents might be less specific.
Procedures are documented and recorded so they can be referred to as needed. Procedures might
relate to:
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All the paperwork needed including record keeping and filing
Workplace programs and timetable management systems
Use of equipment
Staff rosters
Managing crises situations
Coping with emergencies
Staff security and safety procedures for
responding to physical violence
Conducting team meetings
Procedures will also outline reporting processes – the
people who workers should report to, the types of
reports that should be made and the type of information that should be contained in reports.
Organisations have set procedures or work practices for raising concerns. If you have a problem with
a client (parent, student, teacher) or you are unsure about how to complete a task or deal with a
situation then you will need to follow appropriate procedures to fix the problem.
Procedures and SOPs exist so that everyone in the organisation will know what to do and when to do
it. They also show the standard of work that is required from workers. So they are written to ensure
that everyone handles situations and does things in
a similar way – giving consistency throughout the
organisation. That way each person who works
there delivers the same type of service to the same
standard. Procedures relate directly to quality
control and to try and stop performance problems.
If the correct procedures are not followed then
problems might develop in delivering service to
clients.
Many procedures can be more effectively managed if there are SOPs to follow.
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SOPs could be written for the following procedures:
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Transporting students to and from school
Conducting hazard assessments and risk
evaluations in locations where students
gather and hang out
Writing reports for team leaders or
management
Operating specific machinery and equipment
Cooking and serving food to students
(breakfast clubs etc)
Purchasing of school clothes or shoes
Policies and procedures are supported by work plans. Plans are necessary so that people who work
in the organisation know what to do, when to do it and what they are expected to achieve. Without
policies, procedures and plans work would be undirected and uncontrolled. It is likely to then be
inconsistent and not achieve the goals or objectives of the organisation.
Organisational policies and procedures should be monitored and reviewed regularly to ensure that:
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they are in keeping with the ideals (vision and mission) and
philosophy of the organisation
they continue to meet the needs of clients and the
community within which the organisation operates
they are following Government law
they continue to support the workers efforts to achieve
organisational goals
They should be updated as necessary and updates or changes should
be communicated to workers and other community members (stakeholders) in a timely manner.
Following correct workplace instructions and policies helps to maintain consistency and high
standards in the delivery of services to the community/clients. It improves efficiency and effective
work practice while following the rules for health and safety requirements and standards.
When you accept employment you are agreeing to comply with and support the organisation’s
policies and procedures. Policies and procedures should be communicated to you at induction when
you start work and through ongoing information sharing and communication processes. These
processes could be training, meetings, coaching and in writing. Any changes or updates to the
policies and procedures should be told to the workers in a timely manner. You should also be told
where the policies and procedures are kept and how you can look at them as needed.
By accepting employment you are agreeing to support and actively contribute to the programs and
practices of the organisation. Community services providers will offer a range of programs and
services. Workers need to know what the organisation offers and understand their own roles and
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what they are expected to do. You should participate in planning, meetings and improvement on an
ongoing basis to ensure that your work contributes to the achievement of organisational goals.
It is very important that people who work in an organisation are aware of, understand and agree
with the organisation’s vision, mission, goals and intentions. They must be suited to their work roles
and the skills and knowledge required for the work they do should be regularly reviewed and
updated as needed.
Activity 1
Name 3 policies and procedure your organisation has for RSAS?
Provide your answers in the Assessment Document for this unit.
Use organisation resources for the purpose intended
In order to provide a quality service to your clients (families) you will require information about the
various services and resources that might be of use to clients. Some of these services or resources
will be provided by your workplace but many others will be available in your community through
other organisations.
Resources can be broken down into two categories – supplies and operational resources. Supplies
are the goods and services needed for the running of the organisation – food, uniforms, paper,
furniture, computer, telephones etc. Operational resources are the workers and equipment which
turn these supplies into services for clients – staff, policies and procedures, money, time, buildings,
skills and knowledge.
In order to use the resources you must know and understand the key roles and responsibilities of
people in your organisation. You need to know the skills, responsibilities and level of authority of the
people so you know who can make decisions relating to the use of resources. It must be clear to you
about what you can do on your own, your tasks and responsibilities, what
decisions you can make and what you are authorised to do.
Meeting the needs of the families in your community to
ensure that children attend school is your main task.
To do this you must identify the needs of the
families and children, while talking with them. You
then need to work out how you can meet those
needs with the resources that are available in your
organisation or within the community. It is
important to know how to access resources and what
procedures you need to follow. Your team leader will be
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able to help you in following the correct procedures and accessing resources to meet the needs of
the families/clients.
You must be able to give clients advice and refer them to other agencies so that their needs can be
met and their children can attend school regularly. It is necessary for community service
organisations to build networks and contact lists that will enable
staff who work in them to access resources as they are needed by
the clients. Your workplace should have a way for collecting and
recording information about the services provided by other
agencies and organisations and you should know how to access
these.
By clearly identifying the services available in your community
and having them listed in an easy to read manner, you will make
your job and the jobs of other workers in the organisation easier.
Ask questions when unsure
Instructions
In order to do your job properly you need information and instructions. You need to know what to
do, and how to do it and when to do it. You need to know what your responsibilities are and what
responsibilities of other people in the organisation are. You need to
clearly understand the tasks you are expected to perform and to be
aware of the people you can ask for help if you do not understand or
cannot carry out your tasks.
Much of the necessary information about your job will have been
communicated to you in a job description, during induction, through
ongoing in-house training and at staff and team meetings. Your
supervisor will also sometimes give you new instructions and directions as to what you should do.
These may be written or spoken to you.
The organisation’s policy and procedures documents will also contribute toward your job
knowledge.
Experienced and authorised workmates can also provide relevant information.
If you do not understand the directions/instructions you are given, ask for help. Make sure that both
you and your supervisor agree on your understanding – try explaining your instructions back to
them. This way, the supervisor can check your understanding and correct errors. The more you can
find out about the task, the less chance there is of making mistakes.
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Also ask your supervisor for the guidelines that go with the task.
Ask:
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How long do you have to complete the task?
Is there a level of quality you must meet?
Do other people know that you have been given this task?
Will you need help from other people?
What outputs and outcomes are expected?
Do not make guesses as they can lead to dangerous or costly mistakes.
If necessary, make notes as you are being briefed. This way, you will
not have to rely on only your memory to remember every tiny detail
and will be able to read your notes again when needed.
Resources and physical support
You will often need specific resources in order to do your job.
Resources include:
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Time
Information
Support from other staff
Materials and equipment
You will need to know how to access the
necessary resources. Sometimes it will be
necessary to requisition (ask for) resources and the correct procedures for completing and
submitting requisitions must be followed.
Problems
As you work through a task, even though you made sure with your supervisor that you understood
before starting, some problems may still arise. If you are unable to solve these problems yourself,
you will need to find someone who can. Do not be afraid to ask for help. Asking for help is far better
than making what could be a costly, embarrassing or dangerous mistake. Make sure, however, that
the person you ask to help you is authorised to do so and knows what they are doing.
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When working with others there will be many times when it is necessary to:
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Make sure you understand instructions or directions
Modify tasks
Ask for further support
When asking for support, you need to know the most
appropriate person/s to talk to. You need to consider
the knowledge and experience you are looking for and
your responsibilities in the process.
Activity 2
Name three people you might talk to in your organisation about problems and what they might do
to help you
Provide your answers in the Assessment Document for this unit.
Ensure your decisions and actions reflect your job description and are consistent with the
philosophy of the organisation
Underpinning all organisations are values and philosophies that determine policies, procedures and
operational guidelines. An organisation’s vision, mission statement, aims and objectives provide
guidance to staff. The organisation’s Code of Behaviour or Code of Ethics will also help. These are
guidelines which employees can use to make sure their behaviour and attitudes meet the
requirements of the organisation and the RSAS programme.
Organisational philosophy will influence the:
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Vision
Mission statement
Organisational goals and objectives
Strategic plans
Written policies must support the
organisation’s philosophies, just as the
organisation’s management must support
both the philosophy and the vision. That is,
people within the organisation must act in a
way that reflects the organisation’s
philosophy and vision. This does not mean that an organisation’s vision cannot change. Over time
and in tune with community changes and trends, the vision will adapt to meet the changing needs of
society.
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The organisation’s values, which staff must keep in mind, might include:
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Clients must be treated fairly and the same
Discrimination and harassment should not occur
Staff must not judge about a person’s circumstances, situation or past
Each person’s right to make their own choices will be respected
Each person’s right to confidentiality and privacy will be respected and enforced
Each person’s cultural and religious beliefs will be respected and accommodated
Clients’ individuality and self-expression will be respected
Staff will not force their own personal values upon clients
Service provides must embrace basic human rights such as:
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Freedom of speech
The right to choose where we live
Protection from abuse or neglect
Respect for one’s own culture, religion and language
the right for petition and peaceful gathering
The right to social and legal justice
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Job roles
The quality of the job that each and every worker does is linked to how well the service is offered.
You will have a range of tasks and duties to perform. These will be outlined in your job description
and must be performed so that services and expectations for school attendance are met.
Your job description or duty statement will set out for you exactly what is expected. It should also
tell you about when and how many hours you work, the people you must report to, and anything
else you need to do such as travel etc.
Not everything that is expected of you will be documented in your job description. There will be
other things such as:
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Starting work on time
Being polite
Phoning when you cannot come into work
Treating clients with respect
What you think and the way you work should fit with the
organisation. If, for some reason, you cannot make this happen you
will probably find it difficult to fit in.
Activity 3
What things are not in your job description but you think you need to do to make sure the job is
done properly?
Provide your answer in the Assessment Document for this unit.
Perform duties promptly and consistently in all workplace activities
Each workplace will have specific work practices and expected work standards.
Work practices are how you achieve the organisation’s goals and outcomes.
Standards which employees are expected to work are usually explained in the form of agreed KPIs
(Key Performance Indicators). They will also be outlines in the job description and explained to
employees by managers and supervisors.
Employees must have a clear understanding of what is expected of them and how to do it. It is up to
you to organise your work so that everything you do is done correctly, as work wants and on time.
We all need to monitor our own work – to decide for ourselves, how well we are doing, what skills
we need to develop and whether what we are doing meets what work wants us to do. Most of us
probably do this anyway, but an important part of this is being able to fit the daily, weekly and long
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term tasks into specific time slots – time management. This means setting and meeting your own
work priorities.
You need to know what must be done and when it must be done and you need to have appropriate
strategies for achievement.
Certain tasks will be more important than others. The key to being organised is to know how to
prioritise or order your workload within the time that you have, so you focus on the most important
things and don’t leave them to the last minute. Important activities are not necessarily urgent but
urgent tasks have short-term consequences while important tasks are those with long-term, goalrelated ones.
In order to prioritise tasks you need to:
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Know your job description
Make daily, weekly and monthly plans
Talk to your supervisors and colleagues as to the
priorities of each day’s workload
Prepare work in advance – draw up work plans
and ‘to do’ lists
Keep work areas tidy and easily accessibly
Keep filing and paperwork under control
Try to keep all those things that interrupt your day out of the way
Use a diary or work schedule to record appointments and work to be done
Organising your work environment is an important. There is a good chance the office has already
been set up for you but if there is an opportunity to set it up in a way that works for you, do so.
Always check with your supervisor how long it is expected for you to complete a job.
If you are unable to do something, make sure you tell your supervisor as soon as possible. If there
are others who are waiting on your work, let them know about any problems.
Everyone wastes time!
To stop this:
1. Prioritise tasks
2. Do important jobs when needed
3. Don’t put things off until they become urgent
If wasting time is a problem, no one else can solve it besides you.
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The objective of time management is to achieve results:
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Concentrate on getting things done that you need to do, not on being busy
Break large tasks down into smaller steps and check each step off your list as it is completed,
this way you can actually see what has been done
When thinking about how you are doing with your work
you need to know what is expected of you. These will be
outlined in your job description and the organisation
procedures. If you do not know what you need to do ask
your supervisor.
The expectation is that you will consistently produce work to the required standard.
Activity 4
What 3 things do you do to make sure you are using your time effectively?
Provide your answer in the Assessment Document for this unit.
Name 2 things you know distract you or cause you to waste your time.
Provide your answers in the Assessment Document for this unit.
Gifts and organisation resources
Some organisations have strict policies and procedures saying you cannot accept gifts from your
clients. Some say small gifts at special times of the year are OK. Usually rules are about why gifts
are offered - a client might give a gift as a simple thank you for the help.
If at any time a child or family or any other client gives or
offers to give you something – money or gifts – and you are
unsure about whether or not you should accept it, talk to
your supervisor.
You must also think about using clients’ things if you ever
need to, and be respectful. If, for instance, a School
Attendance Officer is using kitchen utensils in a client’s
home, those utensils should be cleaned and put into their
proper place after use.
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Behave in a reasonable and careful manner at all times
Your position as a RSAS worker means you have to think about how you do your job and how you act
when working. All community organisations will have a code of conduct or code of ethics, which
workers are expected to follow.
A code of ethical practice is a positive way to tell everyone what is done with service delivery,
reporting procedures, complaints and duty of care. The code of practice tells workers what they
need to know about the way they work and what they do.
An organisation’s code of ethics could include the
following:
1. Being careful with private information
2. Being respectful about client privacy
3. Being honest and open with clients while
still doing work within the law
4. Being aware of what is required from you under duty of care.
5. Being respectful when working with clients; that includes how you talk to them, what you
wear at work and other things.
Duty of care
Staff who work with clients must be professional and careful in the way they carry out their jobs.
Professional care and duty of care is both an ethical and legal issue.
Staff are personally accountable for the care of clients and have to be careful not to do things that
they are not trained in, in case it is not safe for the client. They must be very careful that the client is
not hurt or upset because they didn’t do something or didn’t know how to do something. You could
think you are acting ethically and trying to do something good, but still be considered negligent if
something goes wrong because you were not trained to do something properly.
Duty of care means you make sure your clients’ rights to safety and security are taken care of. For
example, if you are aware of violence in someone’s home but you choose not to tell your supervisor
or someone else, you could be in breach of duty of care.
There are a number of ways to become familiar with exactly what duty of care means for you in your
workplace. These could include discussions with your supervisor or your colleagues, asking about the
policies and procedures or researching the relevant laws on the internet.
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The law
Other laws that will apply to your work includes:
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Anti-discrimination legislation
Anti-harassment legislation
Privacy law (National Privacy Principles)
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)
Access and equity legislation
Legislation relating to social justice
Legislation related specifically to old people, children and to the care of people with
disabilities
8. Mandatory notification
9. Health and safety legislation
All of these apply to the organisation’s responsibilities and workers.
Workers have to know the law that applies to their work and should have
a clear understanding of duty of care and their own personal
responsibilities within that duty. They must also about reporting and
recording case management information as required.
Your organisation should ensure that you are familiar with the law,
regulations and duty of care and code of ethics requirements.
Respect
As a worker you must be respectful when dealing with all
of sorts of people in community. This means respecting
their differences and being polite and honest. Make sure
that you don’t give the wrong information to people. Any
situations you are not sure about should be talked over
with your supervisor.
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Maintain confidentiality in accordance with organisation requirements
You will be collecting information about families when you are working with them, and it is
important that this information is accurate and true. You should be careful to just write down what
is needed and not write any personal thoughts you have about the family - remember that clients
must be given access to their files and case notes if they request it.
Files and written information about clients should be accessed only by staff who are allowed to see
it.
To ensure the safety of data held in computers:
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Computers can be password protected
There should be regular backing-up of information
Virus checks and protection should be put in place
Systems can be regularly cleaned out of unused of
unneeded files
The Privacy Act
You can only collect client information that is directly relevant to RSAS. This information can only be
used in the workplace for RSAS services and reports. You can’t keep or do other things with any
information you collect without the client’s permission.
The Privacy Act says information can be transferred to others if the client (or their authorised
representative) gives written permission. It can also be transferred if it can be shown the
information might endanger the client or other people.
Although your organisation should advise you of what records can be kept it is your responsibility to
ensure that you understand the law and apply it in your work.
If you believe there has been a confidentiality breach you will need to it with your supervisor.
Disclosure
A client’s personal information should only be discussed in the RSAS office. It should not be
discussed with other clients, with friends or even co-workers who are not working on the RSAS
program. It should not be discussed in ways or in a place where the discussion can be heard by other
people. If you are not sure about this talk to your supervisor.
Activity 5
Name 3 things you do to make sure you keep the information you have about clients confidential
Provide your answers in the Assessment Document for this unit.
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Report difficulties in carrying out duties to appropriate person/supervisor
Sometimes you might have difficulties doing your job. Things might include:
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You are not sure how to fill out any required
paperwork or documents
You are not sure about the best way to go about
working with a client
Another stuff member has not done their job and
this affects your work
A client is aggressive or abusive and you are not
sure how to deal with them
Difficulties should be reported to your supervisor; by reporting difficulties you help to identify areas
for improvement and makes sure the RSAS program offers a good service.
All organisations should encourage continuous improvement – that is, looking for ways to make the
service better within community. So all client problems and concerns must also be reported,
assessed and acted upon.
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