This document provides information about policies, procedures, and programs that should be followed in an organization. It defines these terms and explains that most community service organizations have written guidelines covering various areas like clients, staff, management, and health and safety. These are developed based on legal obligations and ethical considerations. The document emphasizes that policies should be written, kept in a manual, and available to all for clear understanding and adherence. They help provide standards, inform people of expectations, and protect rights of clients and staff.

1. FOLLOW
POLICIES,
PROCEDURES
AND PROGRAMS
OF THE
ORGANISATION

2. FOLLOW ORGANISATION
GUIDELINES
Recap from week 2 What is a policy?
What is a procedure?
What is a philosophy?
How are they used within a service organisation?
Why are they used within an organisation?

3. WHAT ARE POLICIES AND
PROCEDURES?
Today, as a result of legislation, regulations,
funding requirements and best practice
standards, most community service organisations
have some form of written or spoken guidelines.
These guidelines are generally called policies,
procedures, protocols or programs.
Policies reflect the philosophy of the service or
organisation and usually outline a set of general
guidelines or rules that tell us what the
management of the organisation expects will be
done in particular situations.

4. CONT’D
They may also include a philosophy statement as
well as step-by-step procedures or protocols that
relate to how things should be done in practice.
For example;
At the workplace where you are there are rules
for you to follow and information for you so you
will know what to do in a particular situation.
Some things would include what to do if you are
arrive late for work or what type of behaviour is
expected of you as a professional

5. CONT’D
Policies are usually specific to and developed by
individual organisations, are informed by legal
obligations and ethical considerations, and are
monitored and enforced through service
management procedures.
This means that an organisation writes policies
that will abide by all laws that govern them and
it is the management who will make sure that
they are being followed

6. CONT’D
For example;
People with disabilities who are receiving
personal care in their own homes what to be sure
they are treated with respect.
Parents want to be sure that their child will be
safe and cared for in an appropriate manner in a
children’s service
Workers in community or children’s services
want to be able to work in a safe and healthy
environment

7. CONT’D
Community Service organisations will have
policies and procedures relating to all areas of
their operation. Often these policies are
compulsory because we must follow occupational
health and safety. This means we must keep our
staff and clients safe and healthy in the
workplace.

8. CONT’D
These include;
Clients or service users eg. confidentiality,
behaviour guidance
Staff eg. workplace agreements, job
descriptions/responsibilities
Community eg. access to the service, antidiscrimination
Management eg employment, staff complaint and
grievance
Health and safety eg immunisation,
administering medication, illness, accident

9. CONT’D
Policies are usually written and kept in some
form of “Policy Manual” or on an organisations
intranet site.
Occasionally there are spoken policies however
these are generally not a good ideas as they can
be open to misinterpretation.
Today, with so much legal obligation in
community services organisations you would
think that all policies are written to ensure that
they are clear and understood and everyone has
access to them

10. CONT’D
Written policies provide a clear record which can
be referred to by management, workers and
clients using the service
Like job descriptions they inform the relevant
people about the standards of the organisation
required in a particular situation
Policies and procedures help workers by telling
them what to do in particular circumstances
For example
What to do if there is a fire, if someone comes
asking for help from the service etc.

11. CONT’D
Policies and procedures also uphold the rights of
clients and service users and ensure that they
are being treated fairly and appropriately
Think about what types of things you need to
know in your school environment.
Everyone needs to know how their school
timetable operates, what time to have recess,
lunch and where you should be for every lesson.
Imagine if different students or teachers decided
to change rooms or lunch times for different
classes……it would be disorganised chaos at your
school

12. CONT’D
The management of an organisation usually
determines the policies with input from staff and
clients.
Staff are often given greater responsibility for
determining the procedures detailing how a
policy is to be implemented.

13. FOLLOW ORGANISATION
GUIDELINES
DRAFTING
OUR OWN SERVICE
PHILOSOPHY AND POLICY
WK 3 1/8/2013

14. ACTIVITY 1A
Large (CLASS) Group work
Students are to design a service philosophy.
Working together and using the resources from the
booklet How to update and develop policies
successfully (without the stress) Pp 9 – 11
This philosophy will be printed for use using the
sample on p 11 as a guide.

15. ACTIVITY 1B
Small Group work – Developing policy.
Students to divide into 3 groups of 4.
Where would you go to start to develop a policy?
How would you start?
What resources would you use?

16. 1. How to update and develop policies successfully (without
the stress) Pp 12 –
2. Education and Care National Regulations 2011
3. Children's Services Central
4. Being, Belonging and Becoming
5. Australian Education and Care Quality Authority
….? Where else

17. ACTIVITY 1C
Small Group work – students to divide into 3
groups of 4.
On A4 paper, work on 3 separate policies.
Group 1 relating to child safety
Group 2 1 relating to staff
Group 3 relating to child health - medication