bap.0001.001€¦ · page: page 1 of 6 incident reporting - clients related (vic) issue : 3/1 0.2...

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to (I Baptcare Family and Community Services

Work Instruction Victoria Work Instruction

WIV: Quality System Page: of 6

Incident Reporting - Clients related (Vic) Issue: 3/10.2.2015

Purpose Statement:

Incidents involving clients of Family and Community Services, will be managed and reported to ensure that harm is minimised, accountability requirements are satisfactorily met and service delivery procedures are continuously improved. Information about incidents will be analysed and will be incorporated into quality improvement processes.

Related Policy References:

OHS, Respond ing to Allegations of Physical or Sexual Assault. Technical Update 2014 (Vic)

OHS, Guidelines to Responding to Quality of Care Concerns in Out of Home Care, Technical Update

2014 (Vic)

OHS, Critical client incident management instruction, Technical update 2014 (Vic)

Item/Who

Volunteers, Staff members, Managers

KEY STEPS

1. Definition of Incidents

Incident Reporting - Client related (VIC) Date of issue: 7.12.2010;

CLARIFICATION

Client/Consumer-related Incident: : An event in time that is adverse or potentially adverse because it involves:

l. Real or a near miss harm, injury or damage to individuals (i.e . client or staff) and that occurs during Baptcare's episode of service to the client or whilst the staff member/volunteer or carer is at work for Baptcare, and that is largely unexpected or unforeseen;

2. Any allegation of abuse by a carer, volunteer, contractor or staff member;

3. Any significant disruption to service or business continuity.

Quality of Care concern (Victoria): Concern or complaint received about the quality of care being provided to a chi ld or young person residing in Out of Home Care (Foster Care, Kinship Care, Respite) . Quality of Care concerns may involve allegations of physical or sexual abuse. Quality of Care concerns involve both submission of an incident report and instigation of a Quality of Care report. (see FACS Procedure: Assault of a Client during Service delivery).

OH&S Incident Reporting: Baptcare is responsible for the maintenance of a safe working environment and must monitor and report incidents that arise in relation to safety of all people within the workplace (including visitors) . The Baptcare OH&S

Review Date: 16.6.2014; I Next Review: 2.2017 I 10.2.2015;

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Incident Reporting - Clients related (Vic) Page: of 6 Issue: 3/10.2.2015

Item/Who KEY STEPS CLARIFICATION

Incident Reporting procedure is an internal procedure for reporting incidents that primarily affect employees, volunteers, contractors and trainees, although members of the public includ ing clients and consumers may also be affected by a workplace incident. Occasionally there will be an overlap between Baptcare OH&S Incident Reporting and Consumer/client Incident Reporting.

Incidents are required to be reported either internally or externally or both.

Client/Consumer-related incidents, including Quality of Care concerns, may be required to be reported to DHHS (Victoria). Occasionally a client related incident will occur that is not required to be externally reported, however it is still required

Volunteers, Staff 2. Incidents - to be reported internally via RiskMan system.

members, Reporting OH&S Incidents are required to be reported internally via Managers Obligations RiskMan Incident Reporting System.

Incidents involving property or equipment damage require internal reporting via RiskMan system.

All incidents logged in the RiskMan system are viewable by sen ior management. Alerts regarding the logging of an incident is also escalated via Risk Man email alert to senior management and quality manager.

• Incidents may include a range of events or near misses . Any event that is unexpected, that causes harm to a client or other person or might have caused harm, or that involves a disruption to normal work procedures or routine, should be considered for potential reporting.

• Incidents may come to the attention of the staff member in the form of a Complaint or a Quality of Care concern.

• Staff members who are unsure about whether an event Volunteers, Staff

3. Recognising an constitutes an incident, should consult with their members, Managers

Incident supervisor.

• Escalation of incident information is essential where the severity of the incident or the potential risk to the organisation, are high.

• A staff member who observes or receives an allegation of physical or sexual abuse or assault, and/or who receives an expression of concern in relation to Quality of Care, should immediately report the incident to his/her supervisor

• Incidents involving physical or sexual abuse or assault or

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Next Review: 2.2017

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Item/Who

Volunteers, Staff Members, Managers

Staff members, Managers

Staff Members, Managers

KEY STEPS

4. Incident management -KEY PRINCIPLES

5. Entry into RiskMan database

6. Summary of incident categories

and reporting

CLARIFICATION

Quality of Care concerns are subject to immediate escalation and external reporting to Police and Child Protection. (See FACS procedure: Assault of a client during service delivery)

• The most senior Baptcare staff member present is responsible for overseeing incident management

• If safe to do so, attend to the needs of anyone injured and contact emergency medical services if required ('OOO')

• Consider the safety requirements of other clients, staff or carers who may be present at the incident site; Redeploy staff, volunteers or carers to contain hazards and ensure the safety of others

• Verbally escalate to a more senior manager and call for support if required. The more significant the incident, the faster and higher upline the information needs to travel

• When safe to do so, record salient information to enable incident reporting (internal and external)

Team leaders, Program Managers, and Operations Managers currently have licences in RiskMan. A range of other staff also have user profiles and are able to enter information regarding incidents into the RiskMan database.

For detailed instructions regarding incident entry to RiskMan, see: http://intranet/FS/FS%20Policy%20Procedures/RiskMan%201n cidents%20Entry%20and%20Management.docx

RiskMan is set up so that the incident report is entered by a staff member and approved by a manager. In general, Team leaders are responsible for ensuring entry of incident data and Program Managers or Operations Managers are responsible for reviewing and ' posting' incident reports.

In Victoria there are two incident categories.

Category 1 incidents are the most serious involving death or significant harm, or allegations of serious harm, to a consumer,

Next Review: 2.2017

~Incident_ Reporting - Client related (VIC) Review Date: 16.6.2014; Date of issue: 7.12.2010; 10.2.2015; Authorised by: Victorian Operations Manager

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Work Instruction Victoria Work Instruction

WIV: Quality System Page: of 6 Issue: 3/10.2.2015 Incident Reporting - Clients related (Vic)

Item/Who

Staff Members, Managers

Staff Members, M anagers

KEY STEPS

procedures -Victoria

7. What if a clientrelated incident does not require external report?

8. Completing the DHHS Incident Report Form

CLARIFICATION

requiring hospital or police intervention.

All such incidents occurring at the service or during service delivery must be contained, resolved, and reported to DHHS as soon as possible and by the next working day at the latest.

Category 2 incidents involve events that seriously threaten clients or staff, but do not meet the category 1 definition.

These incidents must be contained, reso lved, and report ed to DHHS within two working days.

External reporting obligations vary according to the program type and categorisation of the incident.

For up to date incident reporting information in relation to DHHS, see: http://www.dhs.vic.gov.au/funded-agencychannel/about-service-agreements/incident-reporting/humanservices.

Not al l programs provided by Baptcare are required to report Category 2 incidents to DHHS (see incident reporting information at websites cited above).

The Program Manager, in conjunction with the Operations Manager, will determine which Incident Reports will be forwarded to DHHS, in accordance with departmental instructions.

Where an incident occurs that does not require externa l reporting, it is still required to be reported internally. Appropriate fields are provided within RiskMan for categorisation of incident type.

DHHS Incident Report forms are generated from the RiskMan database.

The DHHS Incident Report form requires the input of:

(1) the most senior staff member who observed, was on hand during, or was the fi rst to receive information about the incident

(2) the staff member' s supervisor

(3) senior management sign-off.

It is vital that the Incident Report form is written up as soon as

[ incident Reporting - Client related (VIC) I Review Date: 16.6.2014; I Date of issue: 7.12.2010; i 10.2.2015; .... ______ _

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possible after the incident situation has been made safe and restored.

The Team Leader is responsible for ensuring that the form is brought to the attention of more senior staff and receives sign-off.

The Program Manager is to ensure that the completed Incident Report is brought as appropriate to the attention of the Operations Manager and transmitted to DHHS within applicable timelines.

DHHS Incident Reports are faxed to the Department on their central Fax number: 1300 734 633. Details for faxing transmission of Incident Reports are included at htt1rLLwww .d hs. vic.gov .a uLfunded-agenc'x'.-cha nne I Labo ut-service-agree me ntsLi ncident-re QO rtingLh u man-services.

As outlined in l. Definitions, incidents involving health and safety of Baptcare staff, volunteers, contractors or members of the public involved in workplace accidents, are separately

Staff members, j9. OHS incidents I reported in RiskMan. Managers

For procedures for internal OH&S Incident Reports, see IR OHS.PR0.2.06.

Records of incidents -viz the Incident Report Form and case note details - should be recorded on the client and/or volunteer/ carer file .

Summary information about Family and Community Services incidents is reported monthly to the Baptcare Board.

10. Internal A Risk and Clinical Governance Report is compiled monthly for

Staff members, Incident recording Managers and reporting

the Quality and Clinical Governance Committee. Information

within Baptcare on incidents for this report is compiled from the Incident Register.

Incident data is analysed annually and trends identified. A report on prevalence and incidence of adverse events, is provided to the Quality and Clinical Governance Committee.

Incidents provide vital information that can be appl ied to Staff members, 11. RiskMan prevent risk and enhance safety and work systems.

Managers Incident Register All incidents should be logged in RiskMan within 24 hours or as soon as practicable. If RiskMan is not immediately accessible

! l~-dd~nt Reporti .. ng ...: client related (VIC) Review Date: 16.6.2014; l Next Review: 2.2017 ---1 ~ D?te of issue: 2:12.2010; ______ ,__10_._2_.2_0_1_5,'--·

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Incident Reporting - Clients related (Vic) Page: of 6 Issue: 3/10.2.2015


an incident form shou ld be completed (paper form). This incident should be entered into RiskMan as soon as possible.

RiskMan data can be analysed and reflected upon, and improvements devised. Over time, accumulated information about incidents provides for t rend analysis.

Reports w ithin RiskMan are reviewed by Victorian FACS Quality Commit tee.

For detailed instructions regarding incident entry to RiskMan, see: httQ :LLi ntra netLFSLFS%20Po licy%20P roced u resLR is k Ma n%201 n cidents%20Entry%20a nd%20Ma nagement.docx

Staff members, Annual audits of incidents are undertaken by the Quality

Managers I 12. Audits I Officer, and reported to the Quality Committee and Quality and Clin ical Governance Committee.

cident Reporting - Client related (VIC) 1

Review Date: 16.6.2014; l Next Review: 2.2017 _·1

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Policy:

Scope:

References:

ITEM/WHO

1

Human Resources -Procedure

Procedure

Police Check Procedure No: HR.PR0.1.13 Page: 1 of10 Issue no: 14/28.10.13

Baptcare provides services to ·care recipients" (vulnerable clients, residents, and children) and staff. Baptcare has a high duty of care to uphold and will endeavour to ensure that the services are provided in a safe environment. There is also stringent state and federal legislation that governs the employment practices of government funded agencies like Baptcare.

Any offer of employment, volunteer or student placement and, in some cases, contractor/consultant placement is contingent on a satisfactory Police Check. 'Satisfactory' shall mean 'to the satisfaction of Baptcare, having regard for the inherent requirements of the role, including but not limited to all relevant governing legislation and Baptcare's duty of care to its care recipients and staff'.

Police Checks may include but not be limited to Federal Police Checks, Victoria Police Checks, International Police Checks, and any check introduced for employees, volunteers, contractors or consultants working in aged care and Family & Community Services (FAGS).

All employees, volunteers, students, contractors and consultants.

Children, Youth and Families Act (Vic), 2005 Children, Young People and their Families Act {Tas) 1997 Equal Opportunity Act, 1995; Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Act 1999; Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act, 1986; Disability Discrimination Act, 1992, Disability Services Act (Vic) 2006; Disability Services Act {Tas) 2011; Racial Discrimination Act, 1975; Australian Workplace Relations Act, 1996 (Amended 31 March 06); Sex Discrimination Act, 1984; AS/NZS ISO 9001 :2000 Quality Management Systems, 6.2; Accountability Amendment Principles 2006 (No.1 ); Aged Care Act 1997; Records Amendment Principles 2006; Community Visitors Grant Amendment Principles 2006; Police Certificate Guidelines for Aged Care Providers; Service Agreement Information Kit for Funded Organisations; Information Privacy Act, 2000; Standards and Guidelines for Baptcare Services; Health Records Act, 2001; Privacy Act 1988; and Privacy Amendment (Private Sector) Act, 2000 Freedom of Information Act 1991 {Tasmania) Personal Information Protection Act 2004 {Tasmania) Industrial Relations Act 1984 (Tasmania)

KEY STEPS CLARIFICATION

The purpose of a Police Check is to protect care recipients, staff, volunteers and property against any potential danger or hazard in the working environment and to ensure the appropriate handling of highly confidential and sensitive issues, and to comply with Commonwealth Government legislation.

Purpose I I An employee or volunteer must be a fit and proper person to hold the All Employees and

position for which he or she is applying. The inherent requirements of Volunteers the role, the duty of care to care recipients, legislative requirements and all the circumstances will determine what a 'fit and proper person' for a particular role will be.

Where an applicant has a criminal record, including but not limited to a conviction or non-conviction with a finding of guilt, this may mean that

··~ . -Police Check PROCEDURE HR ue Date: . , . Reviewed Date:

•h October 2013 12•h February 2015

Authorised by: General Manager Human Resources

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1 1 (~ Human Resources -Proced ure

Procedure

Police Check Procedure No: HR.PR0.1.13 Page: 2of10 Issue no: 14128.10.13

ITEM/WHO KEY STEPS CLARIFICATION

the applicant cannot meet the inherent requirements of the role and I or is not a fit and proper person for that role.

Baptcare is prohibited from employing/placing employees and volunteers with certain criminal convictions. These include anyone convicted of murder or sexual assault or convicted of, and sentenced to, imprisonment for any form of assault.

The following people are required to have Police Checks:

• Those who are employed, hired, retained or contracted by an approved provider (whether or not for financial reward) to provide care or services within an aged care service; and

• Staff members who have, or are reasonably likely to have, access to care recipients within an aged care service.

• Volunteers who have, or are reasonably likely to have, unsupervised access to care recipients within an aged care service.

This will include all people over the age of 16 who work or provide services at the aged care service including:

• key personnel of the approved provider (see Item 7);

• employees and contractors such as allied health professionals, kitchen and laundry staff, office staff and gardeners who are

2 contracted by the approved provider to provide on-site services to care recipients who may have direct care contact with

All Employees, residents; Volunteers, I Police Check Inclusions I

• employees and contractors who are contracted by the Contractors and approved provider to provide services to care recipients in their

Consultants own home;

• consultants engaged by the approved provider who, in their role, may have unsupervised access to care recipients, for example, a trainer or advisor in Accreditation Support /Systems Improvement;

• staff who are not directly engaged by the approved provider but who work under the authority of the approved provider. For example, staff that have been made available to the approved provider by an employment agency or nursing agency;

• volunteers who are organised by the provider (i.e. Lifestyle volunteers, reading, craft, outings, volunteer visitors, devotions, bingo/games, Day Centre activities) who have, or are reasonably likely to have, unsupervised access to a care recipient;

• volunteers visi ting care recipients under the Community Visitors Scheme.

! Police Check PROCEDURE HR I Issue Date: Reviewed Date : I . Review Due Date: ~ .~•h October 2013 12•h February 2015 _ __.__Feb ru~ry_2~ __

. Authorised by: General Manager Human Resources _________ ------·-·····

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(( ( 3 Human Resources - Procedure

Procedure

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Baptcare requires all new employees and volunteers to have a current Police Check less than three months old (original or Certified True Copy) or to have a Police Check conducted through Baptcare before the day on which the person first becomes an employee or volunteer.

Police Checks will be renewed at the discretion of Baptcare, but not less than every three years for employees and volunteers.

Contractors who are reasonably likely to have unsupervised access to

3 care recipients must have a current Police Check and have been assessed as suitable to provide aged care. An approved provider's

All Employees, I Police Check Inclusions I contract will include provision for Police Checks for all contractual staff Volunteers, including sub-contactors, to be not less than three years old.

Contractors and New volunteers are not permitted to commence any volunteer tasks Consultants without a Police Certificate less than three months old.

In accordance with CrimTrac's* regulations, Baptcare is not permitted to provide employees whose applications were processed via the PRM Group between 26/6/2010 and 30/6/2012 with copies of their certificates. Copies of certificates processed from July 2012 onwards are available to employees on request.

*Crim Trac is the national information-sharing service for Australian Police.

Baptcare requires all new employees and volunteers within FACS to 4 have a current Police Check, less than three months old (original or

All Employees and Certified True Copy) or to have a Police Check conducted through Baptcare before the day on which the person first becomes an employee

Volunteers Not In I Police Check Inclusions I or volunteer and commences their duties. Direct Aged Care

Provision and Office Inclusions for FACS: All staff, Volunteers, Carers and Students. Note: Staff In Central Office Kinship Carers Police Checks are maintained by DHHS (Victoria).

Police Checks will be renewed every 3 years.

e Check PROCEDURE HR I Issue Date: ·-----1 Revie;;:,;d Dat;~--J 28

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ITEM/WHO

5

All Employees, Volunteers,

Contractors and Consultants

6

All Residential Care Managers

7

Key Personnel

(includes, but is not limited to, Directors

and General Managers)

Human Resources - Procedure

Procedure Procedure No: HR.PR0.1.13

Police Check Page: 4of10 Issue no: 14/28.10.13

KEY STEPS

I Police Check Exclusions I

I Community Visitors I

Scheme

I Indictable Offences I

CLARIFICATION

This will exclude:

• volunteers who are under the age of 16 (except where they are a full-time school student, then under the age of 18);

•

•

people who are expressly or impliedly invited into the aged care service by a care recipient (for example, auxiliary members, residents themselves, a client's own hairdresser, an allied health professional who is engaged and paid for by the client themselves);

visiting medical practitioners, pharmaceutical professionals and other allied health care personnel who are requested by, or on behalf of, the care recipient but not contracted by the approved provider. This includes those people who accompany the health professionals on visits to aged care services or are directed by them to visit the service; and

• suppliers who do not have unsupervised access to care recipients or access to confidential information, such as contracted service providers (for example, a plumber who visits a service to fix a tap), consultants (for example, a managemenVadministrative consultant advising an approved provider on matters other than client care), .

Community Visitors assessed by the Community Visitors Scheme as suitable to commence or continue visi ting will provide aged care facility providers with a Letter of Introduction on an ongoing basis. The letter will include a reference number and will serve as evidence for the facility that the Community Visitor has had a Police Check (and a signed statutory declaration where necessary) and has been assessed as suitable to visit. This letter is sufficient evidence that Baptcare has met its requirements in relation to Police Checks for Community Visitors. Facilities should retain a copy of the letter, or record in an appropriate manner the fact that the letter has been sighted and other relevant details including the reference number. Approved providers are not required to undertake a Police Check on behalf of a Community Visitor, sight a copy of a police certificate or have a role in assessing the suitability of a Community Visitor. Should a facility deny access to a Community Visitor because it considers the Letter of Introduction insufficient, it may be in breach of its responsibilities under the Aged Care Principles made under subsection 96-1 (1).

All Key Personnel are required to have a Police Check. It is an offence for Baptcare to allow an individual who has been convicted of an indictable offence to hold a "Key Personnel" role.

- ----··~ Review Due Date:

Febr~ary 2016 _

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Procedure



A National Criminal History Record Check Application must be completed and the appropriate fee paid. The PRM Group will conduct a record check. (Refer: Police Check-Processing of National Criminal Histori: Record Check Work Instruction

A copy of the application form is included in new CarersNolunteer. Employee Packs which are issued to candidates prior to commencement.

The relevant Police authority does not release information about a 8

Consent to person's record to any organisation outside the sphere of law All Employees and

Conduct Police Check enforcement and the administration of justice without the subject's

Volunteers consent.

A refusal to obtain a Police Check and/or provide a statutory declaration where applicable will preclude a person from employment/placement with Baptcare.

Applicants are required to honestly complete and submit the appropriate National Police Checking Service Application/Consent Form and provide identification in accordance with Section 2: Proof of Identity on the Application/Consent Form.

FAGS - the completed application form along with identification documents are provided to the Office Manager for processing in PRM.

Prospective employees are required to pay for the cost of the initial 9

I I Police Check undertaken by Baptcare. (Refer Po/ice Check Fee Payroll Police Check Fees

All Employees Deduction Authority)

Baptcare wi ll pay the cost of subsequent police checks for employees which are usually undertaken at 3 year intervals.

10 The cost of undertaking initial and subsequent Police Checks on a I Police Check Fees I potential volunteer or foster carer will be borne by Baptcare. All Volunteers

International Police Checks (IPC) is a criminal record check that is issued by the Police force of a foreign country. If the candidate has lived overseas for 12 months or more during the 10 years prior to their employment under some program guidelines they are required to have an international police check conducted. All FAGS employees, carers and volunteers are required to be screened for the requirement for an IPC. The onus is on the manager coordinating the appointment process to identify when an IPC may be required and request the provision of it by

11 International Police the candidate. However the individual is required to obtain the IPC from

Family & Community Checks· FACS the country they lived in. Employees are required to pay for the cost of the IPC. Baptcare wi ll

Services reimburse for the cost to carers and successful volunteer candidates. Some countries will not release information regarding an individual for personal or third party purposes. Where police checks cannot be obtained, referee checks must be conducted with at least three individuals who personally knew the individual while they were residing in the other country. Referee credentials must be verified and can include previous employers and government officials .. Referees will be asked to provide the following information in their report:

- How long they have known the applicant;

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All Aged Care I

Employees

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All Other Employees/ I Volunteers and

Contractors as set out In Item 2

Police Check PROCEDURE HR

11 ( b Human Resources - Procedure



- Their relationship with the applicant; - A statement declaring that, to the referee's

knowledge, the applicant has never been convicted of murder or sexual assault, and never convicted of and sentenced to imprisonment for any other forms of assault.

No Reportable outcome -Details are entered into the database, and a copy of the records are retained in the relevant volunteer/carer/staff file. This is completed by the Office Manager.

Reportable Outcomes present • Alert Operations Manager and/or General Manager for action and begin resolution of Reportable Outcomes procedure. Office Manager updates database on status and awaits further instruction.

All new employees must complete a statutory declaration form (issued by Baptcare) prior to commencement of employment.

Statutory declarations I The reason for this is that the Statutory Declaration captures persons who have lived in or been a citizen of another country since the age of sixteen.

A statutory declaration is required from employees/volunteers stating that they have never been convicted of murder or sexual assault, or have never been convicted of, and sentenced to imprisonment for, any form of assault either in Australia or in another country.

Aged Care Services • Residential Care Onl:t'.

Statutory declarations I Where service suppliers are retained or contracted by Baptcare to provide on-site services on a larger scale and where direct care contact is a possibility, for example, laundry or catering services for residents or nursing/care employment services, a Baptcare Contractor Police Certificate/Statutory Compliance Certificate must be issued by the provider to demonstrate contractor compliance with their obligations pursuant to The Aged Care Principles.

I Issue Date: Review Due Date: I 28tn October 2013

Reviewed Date: 1i" February 2015 February 2016

Authorised by: General Ma nager Human Resources

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I( ( 1 Human Resources -Procedure

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Police checks conducted via the PRM Group will be retained on the PRM /Baptcare database. Copies of Police Checks obtained by the employee and provided to Baptcare will be stored on a secure, centralised file in the Human Resources Department or the respective facility/office, accessible only by authorised Senior Managers, Human Resources and Volunteer Services employees.

14

I FACS: The date of the completed police check and its expiry is recorded Confidentiality and

All Employees and Security Information in a database used to track and monitor these checks. Volunteers

The retention of the certificate is to prove the obtaining of the certificate in discharge of Baptcare's obligations and responsibil ities under relevant legislative requirements such as the Aged Care Act 1997 Accountability Amendment Principles 2006 (No.1).

Police Checks will not be retained beyond a period of three months if an applicant is not subsequently employed or retained.

Police Check information will be treated in the strictest confidence and will not be forwarded or disclosed to any other individual or organisation or be relied upon again for the purposes of making a decision.

15 Confidentiality and The exceptions to the disclosure are:-

All Employees and Security Information • Government Departments i.e. the Department of Health and Ageing, Department of Human Services (Victoria) exercising Volunteers their regulatory powers and they are bound by legislation to protect the information;

• to obtain further legal advice in the event of a disclosable outcome.

Findings of guilt without conviction and findings resulting in a good behaviour bond are considered to be findings of guilt and will be released under this procedure.

If the check shows that the individual has been charged with offences, or is under investigation regarding outstanding matters that have not yet

Findings of Guilt without been heard at court, the details wi ll be forwarded to the HR

Conviction, Good Administrator or the relevant office/site by the PRM Group .

16 Behaviour Bonds, There are some circumstances where a record which is over ten years

All Employees and Outstanding Charges old may be released under current Victorian Police guidelines. These

Volunteers and Traffic Matters and are: exceptions If the record includes a term of imprisonment longer than thirty months.

If the record includes a serious offence of violence or a sex offence and the records check is for the purposes of employment or voluntary work with children, elderly, disabled or vulnerable people.

In other exceptional circumstances where the release of older information is in the interests of crime prevention, the administration of justice or public safety.

1 Police Check PROCEDURE HR Issue Date: T.J. Reviewed Date: f"ievi~~-6~-Date : . __________ _.__2_8'_h _O_ct_o_ber 2013 . 1~~~~~~~ rv_._20_1_s ___ ~~-F_eb_r_uary 2016

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ITEM/WHO

17

All Employees and Volunteers

I( I g Human Resources - Procedure



KEY STEPS

I Police Check I Assessment and Results

CLARIFICATION

Baptcare is prohibited from employing/placing anyone who refuses to undertake a Police Check, or who has been convicted of murder or sexual assault or who has been convicted of and sentenced to imprisonment for any other form of assault.

If a Police Check is returned to Baptcare with a conviction, an assessment will be made in consultation with the General Manager of the area and the General Manager of HR (for employees and volunteers) whether to employ/place or retain the services of that person.

Where a Police Check gives rise to any information that could lead Baptcare to conclude that the employee or volunteer is not a fit and proper person to hold the role and/or that the applicanV/employee or volunteer cannot meet the inherent requirements of the role, Baptcare shall provide the applicanUemployee or volunteer an opportunity to provide any further information he or she wishes, including the validity of the Disclosable Outcome, details of the conviction or offence, the circumstances that give rise to the conviction or offence or any other matter the person believes is relevant prior to Baptcare making a decision to either not offer employmenUplacement or terminate employmenUplacement.

In assessing persons with other convictions and offences recorded on their Police Check, Baptcare will consider the following criteria in determining whether Baptcare can employ/place/retain the candidate, employee or volunteer:

• Access: the degree of direct and unsupervised access to care recipients, their belongings, and information about care recipients. Considerations include whether the individual will work alone or as part of a team, the level and quality of direct supervision, the location of the work i.e. residential, community or home based settings.

• Relevance: the type of conviction in relation to the duties a person is, or may be, undertaking; an approved provider should only have regard to criminal record information indicating that the person is unable to perform the inherent requirements of the particular job.

• Significance: of the type of conviction in relation to the duties a person is, or may be, undertaking.

• Proportionality: whether excluding a person from employment or volunteering is an outcome proportional to the type of conviction.

• Timing: how long ago the conviction occurred or whether it was a juvenile or adult offence.

• Employment history: whether an individual has been satisfactorily employed or utilised as a volunteer since the conviction.

• Individual's Information: the findings of any assessment reports following attendance at treatment or intervention programs, or other references, the individual's attitude to the offending behaviour.

Police Check PROCEDURE HR ! Issue Date: Reviewed Date: Review Due Date: . J. 281

h October 2~3 l21h February 2015 Februar:x..?..Q.!.§

Authorise.£! by: General Manager Human Resources

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Baptcare

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All Employees and Volunteers

19

Human Resources

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Volunteer Services

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Family & Community Services

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ll ( q Human Resources - Procedure


Police Check Page: 9of10 Issue no: 14128.10.13

Convictions after a Police Check

Second and subsequent police checks for

employees

Second and subsequent police checks for

volunteers

Monitoring of Police Checks· FACS

Issue Date:

•

•

•

•

•

•

Pattern: whether the conviction represents an isolated incident or a pattern of criminality.

Likelihood: what is the possibility of an incident occurring if the person continues with, or is employed for (placed for volunteers), particular duties.

Consequences: what would be the impact of a prospective incident if the person continues, or commences, particular duties.

Treatment Strategies: what procedures will assist in reducing the likelihood of an incident occurring, including, for example modification of duties or work environment.

If the Offence is still a crime or if it has subsequently been decriminalised.

General character since offence (as far as can reasonably and confidently be ascertained).

Where an employee or volunteer provides false information or makes any false statement, this may constitute serious and wilful misconduct and employmenUplacement may be terminated as a result, or if relevant, may lead to the offer of employmenUplacement being rescinded.

Employees or volunteers convicted of any crime after or between police checks are required to advise the General Manager Human Resources.

The Human Resources Department is responsible for ensuring employees second and subsequent police checks are conducted.

Failure by the employee to return the completed police check application and identification to the Human Resources Department by the requested date may result in disciplinary action and/or termination of employment.

The Volunteer Services Department is responsible for ensuring Aged Care and administrative volunteers' second and subsequent police checks are conducted.

Failure by the volunteer to return the completed police check application and identification to the Volunteer Coordinator by the requested date may result in the volunteer's status being revoked.

FACS: All police check expiry dates are registered in a database which is used for monitoring to ensure ongoing compliance. Monitoring is conducted regularly by the Office Manager and the relevant Team Leader and/or Program Manager. Renewal reminders are sent allowing sufficient time for completion of the the application form and for processing in PRM, usually 2 months prior to expiry of the Police Check.

In addition to periodic checks, quarterly audits are conducted by the Quality Officer in order to verify 100% adherence to the maintainence of Police Checks. Audi t results are reported to the Quality Committee and Management.

Police Checks for foster carer household members over 18 years old are monitored via Supervision between the Carer and the Case Manager. Any changes to the household members are identified and Baptcare requires that new Police Checks are immediately arranoed by the new

2s•h October 2013 I Reviewed Date: --

12•h February 2015 l Review Due D~te: . i Februa'}'_ 20~-

Authorised by: General Mana~er Human Resources ----··

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(t ( tO

Baptcare Human Resources -Procedure

Procedure


household member with the case manager's support. This may include providing the required paperwork to the household member in order to process the police check. All details are entered into the database.

- ··- ·-·-------·-----·-.. ------ .... Police Check PROCEDURE HR I Issue Date: Reviewed Date: Review Due Date:

I 28'h October 2013 12•h February 2015 ~e_bru~ry 2016

Authorised by: General Manager Human Res.o_u_r_ce_s _____ .. _ ... _ .. __ .

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Baptshare\Manuals & PolicyViuman ResourcesViR OHS Manual\Procedure\Police Check

BAP.0001.001.0102


Purpose Statement:

Procedure

Supervision of Staff Procedure: Staffing Issue: 5//10.2.2015 Page: Page 1 of 2

Baptcare Family and Community Services (FACS) is committed to the delivery of quality supervision to staff in all teams. Supervision is integral to implementing the Baptcare values; provid ing leadership; supporting and ensuring positive outcomes for the individuals, children and families who use the service and the wellbeing of staff, volunteers and carers.


This procedure covers supervision of professional staff All staff, volunteers I Scope I members in FACS. A separate procedure covers

and carers supervision in relation to carers, volunteers and casual staff members.

Supervision is a component of FACS team leader, program 1. Appointment of manager and senior manager roles. Preferably

Program Manager supervisors supervisors will have 3 years demonstrated experience in

the field and hold relevant qualifications.

2. Allocate a Managers must allocate a supervisor to all new workers Program Manager

supervisor prior to these workers' commencement.

3. Comply with FACS Supervision Guidelines provides detail of the

Supervision Supervision tasks and requ irements that supervisors are to

Guidelines be familiar with to ensure consistent supervision is

including the delivered to staff across FACS programs.

All Supervisors following Supervisors will develop a structure within supervision that elements: addresses all components of administrative, educational

and supportive functions as defined in the National Practice Standards of the Australian Association of Social Workers: Supervision July 2000.

The supervisor is responsible for the induction program for 4. Complete

Induction Program new workers. This includes attendance at the Baptcare Induction session.

5. Completing The Supervision Agreement is to be completed for each

supervision supervisee. The Supervision Agreement is signed by the

agreements Supervisor and Supervisee and a copy kept on the staff file.

6. Set frequency of Planned supervision sessions are to take place for a

supervision minimum of one hour per fortn ight. For new staff one hour per week of formal supervision is recommended for a period to be negotiated between the supervisor and the supervisee. There will be times that more frequent supervision is deemed to be necessary by the supervisor or supervisee.

Informal supervision is available to staff as required and is negotiated with the supervisor.

Authorised by: General Manager FACS

Date: 6 July 2009, Reviewed: 1.5.2011; 20.10.2011;12.10.2012. 7.2014; 10.2.2015 Next Review: 10.2.2017

BAP.0001.001.0103


Item/Who

All Supervisors and supervisees

All Supervisors and supervisees

All Supervisors I

Quality Manager I

Authorised by:

Procedure

Supervision of Staff Procedure: Staffing Issue: 51/10.2.2015 Page: Page 2 of 2

KEY STEPS CLARIFICATION

Confidentiality is maintained in relation to the information 7. Maintain

Confidentiality shared during supervision, except in the following instances:

• where the supervisor will address suspected or confirmed professional misconduct, incompetence, unethical behaviour or negligence through appropriate organisational professional or legal channels;

• where there is risk of harm to the supervisee or others;

• where the supervisor discusses relevant information with their line manager.

8. Document Supervision sessions will be documented by the supervisor

supervision sessions and a copy provided to the supervisee. A copy will be held on a separate staff file.

Informal supervision is to be documented by the supervisee in case notes where appropriate.

Supervisors are to complete Performance Development 9. Complete Performance

Plans for all staff and review on an annual basis in

Development Plans accordance with t he Baptcare Performance Development Plan procedure, and Peop/estreme.

Where there is disagreement or conflict the supervisor and the supervisee have a shared responsibility to take actions

10. Disagreement or to resolve or manage the issue. In situations where the

Conflict resolution issue is not resolved between the two parties the matter is to be raised with the program manager to negotiate a resolution. This process is in accordance with the Baptcare Grievance Procedure

A review of the Supervision Agreement is to occur when there has been change in supervisor, when the frequency

11. Reviews I of supervision is required and/or on request by the Supervisor or Supervisee.

Periodic group training will be provided for supervisors 12. Training I and supervisees.

General Manager FACS

Date: 6 July 2009, Reviewed: 1.5.2011; 20.10.2011;12.10.2012. 7 .2014; 10.2.2015

Next Review: 10.2.2017 s

BAP.0001.001.0104


Procedure

Supervision of carers, volunteers and casual staff Procedure: Staffing Issue: 5110.2.2015 2015 Page: Page 1 of 3

Purpose Stat ement:

Baptcare Family and Community Services {FACS) is committed to the delivery of quality supervision to staff in all teams. Supervision is integral to implementing the Baptcare values; provid ing leadership; supporting and ensuring positive outcomes for the individuals, children and families who use the service and the wellbeing of staff, volunteers and carers.

Item/Who

All staff, volunteers and carers

Program Manager

Program Manager

All Supervisors

Authorised by :

KEY STEPS

Scope

1. Appointment of supervisors

2. Allocate a supervisor

3. Purposes of Supervision -

4. Relationship between

supervisor and supervisee

CLARIFICATION

This procedure covers supervision of carers , volunteers and casual staff members in FACS. A separate procedure covers supervision in relation to staff members.

Supervision of carers, volunteers and casua l staff is a component of FACS case manager and service coordinator roles. Supervisors will receive one on one support and supervision to develop competencies in the role .

Managers must allocate a supervisor to al l new carers, volunteers and casua l staff prior to these workers' commencement.

Supervision of carers, volunteers and casual staff is essentia l to the following aspects of Baptcare's service del ivery:

- Ensuring adherence to program procedures through provision of assistance, guidance and oversight;

- Strengthening qual ity assurance through oversight of vulnerable cl ients' wellbeing whilst in the care of carers, volunteers and casual staff;

- Providing support to carers, volunteers and casual staff so that their experience in their roles is posit ive and the team is cohesive;

- Risk management in relation to challenging situations that may arise from t ime to time, where additional skills and experience may be required to problem solve.

A positive and open relationship with the supervisee enables good supervision. If either party (supervisee or supervisor) is unable to relate comfortably to the other, the supervision relationship should be reviewed.

Any carer, volunteer or casual staff member may request a change in their supervising Baptcare staff member. A case manager or service coordinator may likewise seek a change in the people for whom they provide supervision. Either request may be made to the Team Leader of the program in question.


Date : 6 Ju ly 2009, Reviewed: 1.5.2011 ; 20. 10.2011;12.10.2012. 7 .2014; 10.2. 2015

Next Review: 10.2.2017 s

BAP.0001.001.0105

l3/-i Baptcare Family and Community Services

Procedure

Supervision of carers, volunteers and casual staff Procedure: Staffing Issue: 5/10.2.2015 2015 Page: Page 2 of 3

Item/ Who

Authorised by:

KEY STEPS

5. Content, duration and frequency of

supervision

7. Maintain Confidentiality

CLARIFICATION

Volunteers and casual staff: Volunteers' and casua l staff members' involvement in program activities can be irregular. Maintenance of upto-date knowledge about program requirements is essential to the safe conduct of the program. Staff supervising volunteers and casual staff must maintain regular individual contact (telephone or email) with all volunteer to keep them informed of changes in the program and to monitor any issues that may arise that would prevent the person's effective participation as a volunteer.

Supervision may occur in a group setting, and should take place at least once per term. Supervision sessions should be documented in t he volunteer/staff members' file for follow-up of any issues.

Carers:

Supervision of carers by case managers is a key program responsibility in Out of Home Care.

Supervision of foster carers takes place at least monthly, and should be documented in the carer file (case note copy if appropriate). Supervision must involve face-toface contact, including home visits. In foster care the carer's needs are a particular focus of supervision. In both foster and kinship care, the wellbeing of the child in placement and the viability and suitability of the placement overall, are also a focus of attention in the case manager's supervision contact with the carer.

Casual staff, volunteers and carers are entitled to seek supervision from their allocated supervisor at any t ime, if needs arise and/or information or assistance is required.

Confidential ity is mainta ined in relat ion to the information shared during supervision, except in the following instances: • where the supervisor will address suspected or

confirmed misconduct, incompetence, unethical behaviour or negligence through appropriate organisational professional or legal channels;

• where there is risk of harm to the supervisee or others;

• where the supervisor discusses relevant information with their line manager.


Date: 6 July 2009, Reviewed: 1.5.2011; 20.10.2011;12.10.2012. 7. 2014; 10.2.20 15 Next Review : 10.2.2017 s

BAP.0001.001.0106

1:s(s Baptcare Family and Community Services

Procedure

Supervision of carers, volunteers and casual staff Procedure: Staffing Issue: 5/10.2.2015 2015 Page: Page 3 of 3


8. Document Supervision sessions will be documented by the supervisor

supervision sessions and a copy retained in the relevant carer, volunteer or casua l staff member's file. Informal supervision is to be documented by the supervisee in case notes where appropriate.

Where there is disagreement or conflict the supervisor and the supervisee have a shared responsibility to take actions

All Supervisors and 9. Disagreement or to resolve or manage the issue. In situations where the

supervisees Conflict resolution issue is not resolved between the two parties the matter is to be raised with the program manager to negotiate a resolution. Th is process is in accordance with the Baptcare Grievance Procedure

Annual reviews are required for carers in Out of Home Care (annual Foster Carer reviews and Part C Kinship Carer

All Supervisors 10. Reviews - Out of assessments). Reviews must be documented and updated

Home Care carers to the carer file. Foster Carer reviews are also considered at the Carer Accreditation and Review Committee.

Authorised by: General Manager FACS

Date: 6 July 2009, Reviewed: 1.5.2011; 20.10.2011;12.10.2012. 7.2014; 10.2.2015

Next Review: 10.2.2017

BAP.0001.001.0107

BAP.0001.001.0108

Baptcare Family and Community Services Procedure

Procedure

Working with Children Check Page: 1of6 Issue no. 3

Purpose Statement:

Baptcare's Duty of Care includes that we take all reasonable steps to ensure that all those undertaking services on our behalf are fit and proper people for the role. Baptcare will ensure that all people directly engaged to work with children and families are satisfactorily checked for suitability to engage in this work.

Pre-employment and ongoing suitability checks may include but not be limited to Federal Police Checks, Victorian and Tasmanian Police Checks, International Police Checks, and any check introduced for employees, volunteers, caregivers, consultants working in Family and Community Services, including the Victorian Working with Children's Check.

Procedure:

ITEM/WHO

All Employees, Carers,

Volunteers, Contractors and

Consultants

All Employees, Volunteers, Carers,


KEY STEPS

1. The Victorian Working with

Children Check

2. Baptcare's Duty of Care to vulnerable

consumers

Issue Date:

CLAR! FICATION

Under the Working With Children Act (2005) (Victoria) any person who is engaged in child-related work in Victoria is required to hold a current Working with Children (WWC) Check.

A WWC check is required for positions that meet all of the following criteria:

• Involve contact with children in connection of listed child-related occupational fields

• The contact happens on a regular basis

• The contact is direct and is with children under 18 years of age and this contact is not directly supervised, and

• The position does not qualify for an exemption.

It is an offence to work in child-related work in Victoria, without a current WWC check. It is an offence for a service provider to use individuals who do not have current WWC checks, in delivery of services to children.

Baptcare has a duty of care to ensure that any employee, carer or volunteer, must be a fit and proper person to hold the position.

The inherent requirements of the role, considerations of consumers' vulnerability, legislative requirements and all the circumstances will assist managers and selection panels to determine what a fit and proper person for a particular role will be.

The WWC Check is an important compliance obligation in Victoria that will be used within those divisions of Baptcare where contact with children occurs, to assist in determining fit and proper persons to provide services.

Review Due Date: Working With Children Check PROCEDURE 22°d August 2012

Date Reviewed: 1i" February 2015 DRAFT

February 2016

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Aut~_orise,d b_v: ~ACS .§_ener~l ~_a_nager ___ --·-----

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BAP.0001.001.0109


Procedure

Working with Children Check Page: 2 of 6 Issue no. 3


The following people are required to have WWC checks within the Victorian Baptcare operation:

• Those who are employed, hired, or contracted by Baptcare (whether or not for financial reward) to provide direct care or services to consumers of Baptcare services where children may be present;

• Every member of staff in Out of Home Care, Integrated Child and Family Services and Disability Services in Baptcare's Family and Community Services Victorian Operation (FACS), on the assumption that these staff members have, or may reasonably be likely to have, contact with ch ildren in the course of their work;

• Volunteers and carers who are involved in the provision of unsupervised services to families where there are children.

This will include:

• employees and contractors who are contracted by

All Employees, 3. Working with Family and Community Services to provide services to Children Check families in private homes;

Volunteers, Carers Inclusions and carers engaged by Family and Community Services for Contractors and • Exclusions provision of Out of Home Care and Disability services Consultants

in the carer's own home;

• consultants engaged by Baptcare who, in their role, may have unsupervised access to families with children;

• staff who are not directly engaged by Baptcare but who work under the authority of Baptcare with families with children. For example, staff that have been made available to Baptcare by an employment agency or nursing agency;

• volunteers who are organised by Baptcare who have, or are reasonably likely to have, unsupervised access to families with children. Students are classified as Volunteers.

Kinship Carers, individuals residing in the carers home and Victorian Institute ofTeaching registered teachers are exempted from requiring a WWCC. Refer to Exemption Guide for further information.

All Employees, Proof of a current WWC check is found in the WWC card 4. Proof of current

Volunteers, Carers Working With

itself, from which the identity of the holder, the role for Contractors and which they have been approved to perform child-related

Consultants Children Check

work, and the period of currency of the check, can be

Working With Children Check PROCEDURE

Issue Date: 22"d August 2012

Date Reviewed: 1i" February 2015 DRAFT

Review Due Date: February 2016

-----Authorised by: FACS General Manager __

ljNCONTROLLED copy when printed

BAP.0001.001.0110


Procedure Procedure


ITEM/ WHO


All Employees, Carers Volunteers


KEY STEPS

5. Contractors and Consultants

6. Working With Children Check -applicat ions and commencement

7. Delays in issue of WWC checks

CLARIFICATION

ascerta ined.

An Assessment Notice, advising that a WWC Card will be issued, is also acceptable evidence of this approval.

Supplier approval procedures will include risk assessment criteria to identify if a WWC check is required.

Requirements for suppl iers, contractors and consultants to hold current WWC checks will be determined on the basis of each contract or service agreement, and the likely exposure to children that will be entailed.

Service Agreements and supplier statutory declarations requ ire that contractors and suppliers warrant that their staff have current WWC and other suitability checks, consistent with their level of assessed risk.

The requirement for current WWC checks will be included in employee and volunteer posit ion descriptions and contracts, and identified in selection interviews. The requirement will also be identified in carer preparation materia ls and training. Prospective employees, carers and volunteers will have early notice of the requirement in order that their checks can be expedited and available prior to commencement.

The requirement to obta in I possess a WWCC is included in the New Staff/ Vo lunteers/ Carers packs issued by HR or Carer Recruitment and Retention Worker.

An application form is required to be completed online via the Department of Justice website. Once approved Baptcare will be provided with a copy of the card via the Department of Justice.

Baptcare will provide information and guidance to applicants in relation to the WWC check application process.

If an applicant refuses to obtain a WWC check, then he/she will be deemed ineligible for appointment.

Baptcare requires that all employees, foster carers and volunteers working in unsupervised roles with children, have a valid WWC check in place prior to commencement in their substantive roles.

• Carers in Out of Home Care and Disability services, and volunteers will not be eligible for approval and commencement in their roles until an approved WWC check is issued and proof of the issue is available.

• New employees who do not hold an approved WWC Working With Children Check PROCEDURE I

Issue Date: Date Reviewed: Review Due Date: 22"d August 2012 l i h February 2015 February 2016

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BAP.0001.001.0111


Procedure Procedure


ITEM/WHO



KEY STEPS

8. Cost of Working with Children checks

9. Department of Justice information -

Inclusion and updating Employer

contact details

CLARIFI CATION

card by the t ime of their commencement but who can prove that an applicat ion has been submitted, may be commenced at the discretion of their program manager provided they work under direct supervision and do not have independent contact with children.

Employees: The cost of initia l application wi ll be borne by the applicant. Baptcare will reimburse for subsequent renewal checks. The WWC application will be arranged and undertaken by the applicant.

Carers: The cost of application and renewal for a WWC check will be borne by Baptcare as part of t he Carer accreditation and approvals process. The WWC application will be arranged and undertaken by the applicant, with assistance and guidance from Baptcare. Kinship Carers are excluded from the requirement to undergo a WWCC.

Volunteers: There is no cost associated with an application and renewal of WWC for volunteers. The WWC application will be arranged and undertaken by the applicant, with assistance and guidance from Baptcare.

Employees, volunteers and carers of Baptcare are required to ensure that Baptcare is listed as their employer contact in their application to the Department of Justice for a WWC check.

If the employee, volunteer or carer already has a current WWC check at the time of join ing Baptcare, they are required to update the information held by Department of Justice so that Baptcare is registered as their employer contact.

The lodging of employer information with the Department of Justice ensures that Baptcare as employer contact receives updated information in relation to the WWC status of the employee. This assists Baptcare to monitor currency of WWC checks and to remind employees, carers and volunteers to renew their WWC checks as renewal becomes due.

Staff members, volunteers and carers whose roles change whilst their check is current, must update their WWC record with Department of Justice to ensure that the information held in relation to their approval, is updated. It is an offence for a person approved for WWC as a volunteer to take up pa id work without updating their record with Department of Justice .

Working With Children Check ! Issue D~t~·~ ... Date Reviewed:

PROCEDURE - __ l~August 2012 ~~::;bru"y 2015

Review Due Date: February 2016

---·-·--· __ _ ___ ...... . .. Auth~ris~d by: FACS General Manager ___ _ UNCONTROLLED copy when printed

BAP.0001.001.0112


Procedure


ITEM/WHO

Office Manager

All employees, Carers, Volunteers

Program Managers



KEY STEPS

10. Administration of Working with Children Check

information

11. Responsibility for ensuring WWC Cards

remain cu rrent

12. Renewal of WWCChecks

13. Baptcare monitoring of WWC

approvals

, Issue Date:

CLARIFICATION

The Office Manager is responsible for the administration of the WWCC Registers. On production of a current WWC check or Assessment Notice, the cardholder's deta ils will be entered into a database which will record the cardholder name and renewal date. A copy of the card or Assessment Notice will be retained by the Office Manager in a secure file for verification of the currency of checks.

All employees, volunteers and carers are responsible for maintaining their own current and up-to-date WWC check.

Baptcare as the service provider, is responsible for ensuring that only individuals who hold current approvals, are engaged to provide services to children.

The Program Manager is the responsible position within Baptcare, for ensuring that current WWC checks are he ld by all staff, volunteers and carers engaged by Baptcare within their program area.

WWC checks are renewed every five years.

The onus is on the employee, carer and volunteer to monitor when their WWC check is due for renewal, and to take appropriate steps to renew it.

The Department of Justice provides reminders and an online faci lity to assist with renewal of WWC checks.

Employees who do not renew t heir WWC check when it becomes due, will be subject to disciplinary proceedings that may result in termination.

Carers who do not renew their WWC check may have their accred itation revoked.

Volunteers who do not renew their WWC check may have their engagement terminated.

Provided that employees, carers and volunteers have registe red Baptcare as their employer contact, Baptcare will receive information from Department of Justice in relation to any change in the approvals status of WWC card holders.

Baptcare will use the WWCC card information provided by employees, carers and volunteers at the t ime of their engagement, to monitor information held on the WWC database. In th is way, Baptcare is able to independently confirm that employees, carers and volunteers maintain current approval status.

Foster Carer household members over the age of 18 years

Review Due Date: Working With Children Check

PROCEDURE i 22"d August 201 2 Date Reviewed: 121

h February 2015

DRAFT

February 2016

BAP.0001.001.0113


Procedure

Working with Children Check Procedure Page: 6 of 6 Issue no. 3


are also required to hold a current WWCC where they have a parenting role with the child. If a new WWCC is needed the case manager is responsible for informing the new household member of the requirement and following up to ensure details are completed.

If in the course of routine monitoring it is discovered that an employee's, carer's or volunteer's WWC approval has been revoked, Baptcare will act on the information available to it to ensure our compliance with the legislation. Information in relation to lapsed or revoked WWC checks will be advised directly to the Program Manager.

Quarterly audits are conducted by the Quality Officer to verify staff/volunteers/carers possess an up to date WWCC. Audit results are reported to Management via the Quality Committee, and the Quality & Clinical Governance Committee.

If the Department of Justice decides that a person poses a risk to the safety of children and should not pass the WWWC, he or she will be issued with a Negative Notice.

A Negative Notice prohibits the person from doing child-related work .

A copy of a Negative Notice for a Baptcare applicant will All Employees, 14. Failing the Check be sent to Baptcare. By law, the person must inform any Carers Volunteers - Negative Notice organisation through which they are engaged in child-

related work that the department has issued them with a Negative Notice.

Negative Notice holders cannot apply for a WWC Check for a period of 5 years unless their circumstances change.

In this event the person will not be able to work I volunteer at Baptcare.

Working With Children Check PROCEDURE

Issue Date: 22"d August 2012

Date Reviewed: 12'h February 2015 DRAFT

i Review Due Date: ;

February 2016

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BAP.0001.001.0114

Quality Update No . 39 February 2015

Preventing & Responding to Child Sexual Abuse

What is the DEFINITION of Child Sexual Abuse? Involvement of dependent, developmenta lly immature children and adolescents in sexual activities that they do not fully comprehend, to which they are unable to give informed consent, or that violate the socia l taboos of family roles.

TYPES of Child Abuse offences Contact (physica l), and non contact including exposure to pornography, grooming and sexual self-manipulation.

SIGNS of Child Sexual Abuse Signs can vary but generally include withdrawn, unhappy, suicidal behaviour, aggressive or violent,bedwetting, sleep problems, nightmares, eating problems, mood swings, detachment, pains for no medical reasons, sexual behaviour.

What are some of the EFFECTS of Sexual Abuse? Not all children exposed to similar experiences of abuse and neglect are affected in the same way. Some of the effects include depression, anxiety disorders, poor self esteem, aggressive behaviour, suicide attempts, eating disorders, use of illicit drugs, alcohol abuse, post-traumatic stress, dissociation, sexual difficulties, self-ha rming behaviours, personality disorders, long term impacts (the impact does not end when abuse ends). The effects are dependent on the age of the child, severity, frequency and duration of t he abuse, the chi Ids relationship with perpetrator, the type(s) of abuse, whether there has been detection of the abuse and any action taken, and support provided.

Generally w ho are the child sex OFFENDERS? Offenders may not be mentally i ll, may be situationa l (opportunity presents itself), are usually someone the child knows rather than a stranger, are able to recognise vulnerable ch ildren (children with a poor relationship with parents, no friends, past victimisation). Offenders may gain insider status long before they start abusing a victim. They may also groom families, friends and organisations.

How may children disclose? Often disclosure is tentative or accidental, and depends on the child's developmental stage. Ch ildren may tell a little and see what happens, deny at first then tell later, tell in a way that adults may not understand. 80% of victims do not disclose until they are adults, if ever

Reasons children may not disclose? Children may not disclose due to the fear of the unknown (consequences, reactions from families/friends), no one to confide in I trust, feel embarrassed, ashamed or self-blame, may violates rules of family or culture, unable to communicate effectively or clearly, do not want to revisit event, pressure or threatened to keep secret, relationship to offender, fear of being labelled and/or lack of feeling safe.

What do I do if a child makes a disclosure? 1. Listen (allow them to talk) 2. Do not ask leading questions 3. Do not make assumptions about how the child feels I what they want to happen 4. Tell them that it's not their fault and provide reassurance 5. Acknowledge feelings 6. Consult with Team Leader I Manager to determine next step(s) and maintain detailed records

BAP.0001.001.0115

How do I decide id a child's sexual behaviour is not normal or concerning? Refer to Guidelines for Children Sexual Bahaviour- "Age Appropriate Sexual Behaviour in Chi ldren and Young People" .

What do I do if a Sexual Behaviour is NOT ' normal'? If the observed sexual behaviour is not age appropriate:

1. Remain calm, 2. Ask child to stop the behaviour, 3. Keep a record of the behaviour and 4. Seek professional consultation

DO NOT - apprear shocked, react in a way that may shame or embarrass the child, ignore the behaviour, assume that sexua l abuse has occurred, label the child a pervert or sex offender

What can I do to prevent Child Sexual Abuse? Continue to develop and build strong engagement with the child and with the care r(s) in order to establish a quality relationsh ip. Continue to seek knowledge about the childs family/history and childs development. Organisational support that values and encourages child focused and therapeautic approaches, supervision, reflective practices and training and ongoing training in relation to Child Sexual Abuse and Trauma.

What impacts may there be for me? Vicarious trauma may occur. Its important to know your own capacity and limits, and at all times excercise self care, and discuss in supervision.

Refer also to Quality Update No. 31- Client abuse or assault during Service Delivery, and the procedures and Work lntructions referenced within this Update.

BAP.0001.001.0116

Quality Update No . 31 July 2014

Client abuse or assault during Service Delivery

Introduction: Client abuse is a complex challenge and our responsibilities as staff vary according depending on who is the suspected abuser {whether a carer at home, a spouse, another client, or a staff member or volunteer), the nature and seriousness of the abuse {e.g. physical, sexual, psychological, financial), and when the abuse happened {eg. in Baptcare's care at the time).

What rights do clients have in circumstances where abuse has or is suspected to have occurred? •!• To receive immediate emergency services or health care if required •!• To receive support and protection from further harm •!• To be free from prejudice or insinuation about the incident •!• To have confidentiality and privacy respected •!• To have the assault or alleged assault reported and investigated •!• To choose not to participate in any Police investigation where Police report has been made •!• To be offered confidential specialist conselling related to trauma experienced •!• To be assisted by an independent advocate of their choice •!• To have the matter recorded appropriately in client records •!• To have access to an interpreter or an independent third party where required.

What steps are required if it is alleged or suspected that a client has been physically or sexually abused or assaulted during service delivery?

)i> Immediately reported to the Operations or Program Manager )i> Any serious allegation of assault is to be reported to Police. Client consent is desirable. )i> The Operations or Program Manager must evaluate the info regarding the incident to

o Determine how it should be reported {e.g. Police, OHS, QoC, ODSC, CASA etc) by considering age and vulnerability of the victim, the harm that may have been inflicted and whether the incident may be a criminal offence

o Determine if the General Manager and HR Advisor should be consulted {this is mandatory if the alleged perpetrator is a staff member or volunteer)

o Failure to report externally where an assault or sexual crime against a client has been committed within an organisation, is an offence!

)i> If it is possibly a crime and has been reported to Police, the staff member who observes or suspects abuse or assault SHOULD NOT investigate and the area in which alleged assault or abuse occurred SHOULD NOT be disturbed or interfered with.

)i> For any serious incident occurring during service delivery Baptcare will conduct an incident review, including implementing improvement actions to reduce the risk of future incidents.

)i> Staff members who have been involved in detection and responding to client abuse or assault should be offered additional support and debriefing.

BAP.0001.001.0117

Further Information?

Procedure: Assault during service delivery- Physical and Sexual - involving staff, carers or others

Other related documents include -Procedure: Client Abuse or Neglect- People with Disabilities Procedure: Positive Behaviour Approaches Procedure: Duty of Care WIV: Child Abuse and Reports to Chi ld Protection Work Instruction WIV: Restrictive Interventions

If you have any queries please contact Jennifer Ganci.

Baptcare Bringing care to life

BAP.0001.001.0118

Baptcare anch r

Peeling back the layers -kinship care in Victoria 'Complexity in Kinship Care' - Research Report Rachel Breman Baptcare Research Unit in partnership with OzChild and Anchor October 2014

BAP.0001.001.0119

Baptcare :'jj ozchild

Peeling back the layers -kinship care in Victoria 'Complexity in Kinship Care' - Research Report Rachel Breman Baptcare Research Unit in partnership with OzChild and Anchor October 2014

BAP.0001.001.0120

Baptcare Report # RD 1304 Published by Baptcare, Camberwell, Victoria Authorised by the Baptcare Research Unit, 1193 Toorak Road, Camberwell.

©Copyright Baptcare 2014. This publication is copyright. No part may be reproduced by any process except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968.

October 2014.

The author of this report would like to sincerely thank the kinship staff from Baptcare, OzChild and Anchor for their contribution and participation in this research - in particular Hayley Robinette, Gavin Kempin, Helen Riddell, Lynda Manley, Jana Fugaro, Lynne Mccrae, Bronwyn Harrison, Gaye Mitchell, Niall Mccaul, Abigail Ankers, Paul Huggett and Carmel Malone.

Baptcare, OzChild and Anchor would also like to thank Meredith Kiraly and Marilyn Webster for their expertise and contribution by providing an independent review of this report.

For queries relating to this research please contact: Rachel Breman, Senior Researcher Baptcare Research Unit Baptcare Central Office Ground Floor/1193 Toorak Road Camberwell VIC 3124 Email: [email protected] Phone: 03 9831 7321

BAP.0001.001.0121

17 (4--

Contents Glossary of Terms and Acronyms __ ·-··---······························································-·--·····-············ ............................. 4

1. Executive Summary ···········-······-······---·--·-·························································-·······-······--··-··············-··················· 5

2. Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 8

2. 1 Overview .......................................................... - ...................................................................................................................................... 8

2.2 Background .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 8

2.3 Aims ............................................................................................................................................... - ................................................................ 11

2 .4 Methodology ........... --·-··-··-·····--··-····-··-·····-································································-·······················-·····························-11

2.5 Data Analysis ......... ·----···--··--······-··-·-···-··--······-···················-·-··--··-··--·····-·····-·-····-·-·-··--·····-14

2.6 Limitations ............... -·-···········-····························-· .............................................................................................................................. 14

3. Results ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 15

3.1 Demographic Snapshot .............................................................................................................................................................. 15

3.2 Issues Involving both Child and Carer ..................................................................................................................... 17

3.3 Child Placement Issues and lmpacts. ................................................ -.............................. - ..................................... 18

3.4 Carer Placement Issues and lmpads. ...........................•................................... - ................................................... 22

4. Discussion ............................. -........................................................... ···································································-······-····················-··-··········26

4.1 Discussion ................................................................................................................................................................................................. .26

4.2 Indicators of Placement Complexity ............................................................................................................................ 28

4.3 Measurement Tools ........................................................................................................................................................................ 3 0

4.4 Interaction of Complexity and Funding ................................................................................................................. 30

4.5 Financial Support for Carers. ............. -·-·--·-··-........................................ --------·-·--·-·-......... 31

5. Recommendations .............................. ·-··--·········-........................................................................ - .................................... 32

References ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 33

Appendix A - List of Analysis Variables .................................................................................................................................. 34

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4

Glossary of Terms and Acronyms

Carer Assessment (Part A and B)

Case Contracted

CP

Complexity

cso

Custody to Secretary Order

OHS

Guardianship to Secretary Order

Kinship Care

Statutory Kinship Care

OoHC

PES

Placement Issue

Self-managing

The Part A Assessment form is the initial screening tool used by Child Protection practitioners to assess the kinship placement and is also used as the basis for the preliminary assessment report to agencies at referral. The Part B Assessment is a more comprehensive assessment of the suitability of the carer to support and sustain the placement and is undertaken by Child Protection practitioners for placements that are likely to exceed three weeks.

A referral from DHS to a non-government provider to provide on-going placement support for a small proportion of the most vulnerable kinship arrangements to ensure placement viability

Child Protection

Refers to substantial issues that are likely to make the placement particularly challenging. Measures of complexity may include any one, or a combination of, issues relating to the child, carer or the family. They include substantial problems in the domains of health, emotional disturbance, social interaction, familial tensions and/or conflict and financial difficulties.

Community SeNice Organisation

The magistrate of the Children's Court has granted the Secretary of the Department Human SeNices sole custody of the child.

Department Human SeNices

The magistrate of the Children's Court has made the Secretary of the Department Human SeNices the guardian of the child. The legal rights and responsibili ties as a parent have been transferred for the length of the order to the department.

Kinship care refers to the care provided by relatives or members of the child's social network when a child is unable to live at home with their parents.

Statutory kinship placements occur when Child Protection inteNention has occurred and a decision has been made to place the child with a relative or significant friend. It may also involve an order made by the Children's Court.

Out of home care

Placement Establishment Support. This involves a referral from the DHS to a non-government provider to assist with placement establishment process for up to six months.

Placement issues may include low level issues (for example, minor health issues) through to high level issues that contribute to complexity (such as risk taking behaviours, significant mental health issues) for either the child or carer in the context of the placement.

Kinship placements that involve engaging members of the extended family to be able to successfully manage the placement with a minimal need for on-going professional involvement.

17(5

BAP.0001.001.0123

Complexity in Kinship Care - Research Report

1. Executive Summary Baptcare, OzChild and Anchor are Kinship Care service providers in Victoria that have identified increasing complexity in statutory kinship placements and are concerned about the adequacy of capacity of the existing kinship care service model in Victoria to properly address the level of complexity. For the purpose of this study, 'complexity' is a measure of substantial issues that are likely to make the placement particularly challenging. The measure of complexity may include any one, or a combination of, issues relating to the child, carer or the family. They include substantial problems in the domains of health, emotional disturbance, social interaction, familial tensions and/or conflict and financial difficulties.

Kinship care refers to the care provided by relatives or members of the child's social network when a child is unable to live at home with their parents, and is the preferred placement option within the child protection system. Children entering out of home care bring their own unique issues and difficulties and often present with a range of significant behavioural, emotional, health and physical needs that reflect their history of neglect, disadvantage and abuse (Department of Human Services, 2006).

Kinship care is an important element of the child protection system given the number of out of home care placements. According to the latest statistics from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2013), as of June 30 2012, there were 39,621 children in out of home care in Australia; an increase of 5.4% on the previous year. In total, 47% of these children reside in a kinship care arrangement, followed by foster care (44%). In Victoria, 3526 children are in statutory kinship placements. Of these, Community Service Organisations (CSOs) currently support approximately 750 statutory kinship cases.

Historically, the Department of Human Services (OHS) was responsible for the welfare of children in statutory kinship care in Victoria. In 2010, a new state-wide kinship support program was implemented that involved a tender process with a selection of CSOs. The kinship model consists of three distinct components including; information and advice, placement support and kinship family services, as outlined in the Department Human Services document 'A new kinship care program model for Victoria,· December 2008.

To date, ho tool has been developed to assess complexity in kinship care arrangements and associated service needs in out of home care. Previous research has also not addressed this issue.

Baptcare OzChild and Anchor proposed this research to understand more about how complex issues were impacting children and families in kinship care.

The aim of this research was to explore the range and impact of the complexity surrounding statutory kinship care placements for kinship clients from three organisations, Baptcare, OzChild and Anchor, who were partners in this research. Based on their experience supporting children and families within kinship placements, these organisations were of the impression that many placements are more complex than what is initially identified during the placement assessment process. The research also aimed to identify indicators of placement complexity that might act as 'red flags' at the time of referral to indicate that the placement would benefit from more intensive and/or therapeutic supports than are normally provided.

One hundred and thirty children and their carers in statutory kinship care in Victoria were randomly selected to participate in this study from Baptcare (50), OzChild (SO) and Anchor (30) that were active (for at least some part) during the period March 2011 -March 2013. At a point in time this sample represents 18% of the current number of all state-funded kinship placements supported by a community service agency in Victoria. The research involved secondary analysis of pre-existing service data, with practitioners extracting de-identified data taken from case notes and included a range of demographic, placement, child and carer variables. The majority of these placements had duration of over two years.

5

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Complexity in Kinship Care - Research Report

6

This research revealed substantial breadth and intensity of complexity among kinship care arrangements. The evidence indicates that the needs of the children and carers are more complex than has been previously recognised in the current kinship service model.

For example, issues concerning the placement for either the child or the carer were identified for almost two thirds (63%) of all cases in this study during the initial screening process, as identified during the Part A Assessment. Placement issues may include low level issues (for example, minor health issues) through to high level issues that contribute to complexity (such as risk taking behaviours, significant mental health issues) for either the child or carer in the context of the placement. Once the placement was established, issues concerning the child or the carer were identified in eight out of ten (80%) of all cases in the study.

For the children in the study, overall, the most common placement issues related to significant behavioural issues, including physical and verbal aggression towards others (25%) followed by developmental delays (14%), physical health issues (12%) and significant school issues (1 1 %). Of the cases where an issue was identified for the children after the placement was established (88), over eight in ten (83%) were reported as having a 'medium or high' impact on the placement.

Half (50%) of the children who attended primary or secondary school experienced poor educational outcomes (44 out of 88); that is, they were not achieving academically and/or experienced learning difficulties. One in six children (15%) were reported as being socially isolated from connections such as their friends, family, school and/or their community. Most children had other siblings in care (67%).

In terms of the carers, overall, conflict with the birth parents (77%), followed by fi nancial stress (52%) and concerns over access/fear of reunification (15%) were the most common issues that were reported during the placement. Of the cases where an issue was identified for the carers after the placement had been established (89), two thirds of (67%) were reported as having a 'medium to high impact' on the placement.

The majority of carers in this study were grandparents (63%) fo llowed by an aunt/uncle (19%). Only one third of all carers in the study carers were employed (33%), half were in financial stress (that is, reliant upon income support and/or were in debt) and just under one in five carers were (or had at some point) been subject to a Quality of Care review concerning the current placement (18%).

Over two-thirds (70%) of carers and half (49%) of children had some indication of complexity. This suggests that the current funding model, based as it is on the presumption that most placements only require low level of support, is inadequate to provide sufficient support to these kinship care famil ies.

Given that the majority of children in out of home care are currently residing in a kinship care arrangement, it is no longer acceptable to make broad assumptions that a familial relationship is enough in and of itself to fully meet the needs of children and young people in the out of home care systems.

Children and young people in the out of home care system have inevitably experienced trauma, grief and loss which impacts on all areas of their li fe and long term outcomes. The needs of carers and their issues impact significantly on the outcomes of these children and therefore their needs must also be considered.

Until we better understand these complexities within kinship care placements and develop appropriate responses to address them, we run the risk of failing to meet the needs of half of the children and young people who are currently unable to live at home with their parents.

In order for this to occur the kinship program model needs be reviewed accompanied by a better funding structure and allocation of resources so that children placed in kinship care receive equitable care compared to children in other out of home care programs. The majority of children in statutory kinsh ip care should be contracted to CSOs.

BAP.0001.001.0125

Complexity in Kinship Care - Research Repon

Further, in the absence of a rel iable tool used to assess complexity that is specific to kinship care, all children in kinship care should be assessed, as a matter of priority, using the same classifications used in foster care so that highly complex cases start to receive the support they need.

Likewise, all carers should also be assessed to ensure they are receiving the appropriate amount (and length) of support required to sustain the placement and to ensure a safe environment for the child being cared for.

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