7941 version 4 28-Jun-16 1 of 6 MANAGE SOCIAL SERVICES Contract to provide social services level: 7 credit: 3 planned review date: June 2006 sub-field: Social Services purpose: People credited with this unit standard are able to: negotiate to provide social services; formalise the contract to provide social services; implement the contract to provide social services; terminate the contract to provide social services; and evaluate performance of the contract to provide social services. This unit standard is for people in the social services who are responsible for negotiating for and providing social services under contract. They may be contracting on their own behalf as an independent contractor, or on behalf of a service provider. In the context of this unit standard, contracts may be for the direct provision of social services; or analysis, consultancy, information, or research on social services. entry information: Open. accreditation option: Evaluation of documentation and visit by NZQA, industry and teaching professional in the same field from another provider. moderation option: A centrally established and directed national moderation system has been set up by Community Support Services ITO Limited (Careerforce). New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016 7941 version 4 28-Jun-16 2 of 6 MANAGE SOCIAL SERVICES Contract to provide social services special notes: 1 People awarded credit in this unit standard are able to implement Te Tiriti o Waitangi in the social services according to the authority and resources available to them, and are able to demonstrate application of this competence to the context of assessment for this unit standard (for further clarification, please refer to Unit 7928, Implement the Te Tiriti o Waitangi in the social services). 2 Glossary "A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between [two or more parties]. It is an exchange of promises by each party to do something of value for the other. A contract must involve: 1 Offer and acceptance; 2 Performance; 3 Intention to create a legal relationship; 4 Certainty as to the terms of the agreement; 5 Capacity to contract." Acknowledgements to: New Zealand Community Funding Agency. 1995. Contracting: Information for community-based social and welfare Service Providers on Contracting with the New Zealand Community Funding Agency. Wellington: New Zealand Community Funding Agency: p 7. Contract means "a mutually negotiated agreement under which one organisation undertakes to fund defined welfare activities, and the other organisation (or individual) undertakes to provide them according to specified terms and conditions". Source: Department of Social Welfare. 1980. Contracting for Social Services: Principles and Guidelines. Wellington: Department of Social Welfare: p 5. Cost and funding of the service may include: administration, education and training, equipment, furnishing, salaries and expenses of paid and unpaid personnel, publicity, quality systems, running costs, and adequacy of funding for pay and conditions for employees. New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016 7941 version 4 28-Jun-16 3 of 6 MANAGE SOCIAL SERVICES Contract to provide social services Evaluative information sought may include: information on actual provision of social services, constraints on provision of social services, support and critique of stakeholders and service users in the contract. Evaluation methods may include: hui, service user feedback, questionnaire, survey, analysis of records kept for monitoring and evaluation. Non-monetary resources may include: education and training, legal services, premises, managerial or professional supervision, monitoring and evaluation services, personnel. Terms and conditions that are essential to the contract may include: measurable social service objectives, rights and responsibilities of all parties to the contract, minimum standards for provision of social services, monitoring and evaluation of the service delivery, cost and funding of the services, payment for services, including progress payments, provision of nonmonetary resources by either party to the contract, employment practices in salary related agreements, sub-contracting, use of capital resources during performance and termination of the contract. 3 All communications are treated confidentially. The scope and limits of confidentiality are defined through negotiation and informed consent, and criteria established by legislation, ethical practice, and service provider guidelines. In the context of this unit standard, sources of criteria established by legislation, ethical practice, and service provider guidelines include but are not limited to: Official Information Act 1982, Privacy Act 1993, service provider codes of conduct, codes of practice issued by the Privacy Commissioner, social service codes of ethics, and service provider guidelines, protocols, staff manuals, strategic plans, kawa, or tikanga. 4 People awarded credit in this unit standard show that their actions are guided and supported by valid theory for social service practice. Evidence is required of social service theory that is derived from authoritative sources, which may include but are not limited to: body of knowledge related to social service work; cultural theory; practice research. New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016 7941 version 4 28-Jun-16 4 of 6 MANAGE SOCIAL SERVICES Contract to provide social services Elements and Performance Criteria element 1 Negotiate to provide social services. performance criteria 1.1 Negotiations match services to identified requirements of the other party(ies) for social services. 1.2 Negotiations are in accordance with abilities as a contractor to provide the required social services. Range: 1.3 Negotiations cover all issues that are essential to the establishment of a contract for provision of social services. Range: 1.4 abilities include - expertise, knowledge, qualifications, skills, resources. issues may include but are not limited to - Te Tiriti o Waitangi issues; service requirements; measurable service objectives; rights and responsibilities of all parties to the contract; minimum standards of the parties for provision of social services; monitoring and evaluation of the service delivery; disputes resolution procedures; cost and funding of the service; payment for services, including progress payments; provision of non-monetary resources by any party to the contract; term or length of time of the contract. Evidence is required of six issues. The term or length of time of the contract is negotiated according to relevant criteria. Range: relevant criteria - the period of time for which funding can be guaranteed, the period of time for which services can be guaranteed, the nature of the service as developmental or ongoing, estimated time for completion of delivery of service. element 2 New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016 7941 version 4 28-Jun-16 5 of 6 MANAGE SOCIAL SERVICES Contract to provide social services Formalise the contract to provide social services. performance criteria 2.1 Formalisation of the contract identifies all parties to the contract according to their legal status and capacity to contract on behalf of their party and commit their party to the contract. 2.2 Formalisation of the contract records agreement on all terms and conditions that are essential to the contract. Range: terms and conditions that are essential to the contract include dates for commencement, review, and termination of the contract; service specifications; procedures for managing performance of the contract; procedures for managing performance of the contract may include but are not limited to - evaluation and monitoring of the contract; nature and accessibility of records to be kept for monitoring and evaluation; contact people; progress payments; dealing with difficulties in implementation; breach of contract; renewing the contract; terminating the contract. Evidence is required of four procedures for managing performance of the contract. element 3 Implement the contract to provide social services. performance criteria 3.1 Implementation of the contract is according to the terms and conditions of the contract. 3.2 Implementation of the contract is monitored against the service specifications in the contract. 3.3 Implementation of the contract is monitored according to the time-frames and procedures in the contract for monitoring. 3.4 Where necessary, difficulties in implementation, or any breach of contract, are managed according to the terms and conditions of the contract. New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016 7941 version 4 28-Jun-16 6 of 6 MANAGE SOCIAL SERVICES Contract to provide social services element 4 Terminate the contract to provide social services. performance criteria 4.1 Termination of the contract and any proposals for renewal of the contract are managed according to the terms and conditions of the contract. element 5 Evaluate performance of the contract to provide social services. performance criteria 5.1 Evaluation measures actual performance of the contract against the terms and conditions of the contract. 5.2 Evaluation methods are appropriate to the nature of the contract and are matched to the type of evaluative information sought. Comments to: Careerforce PO Box 2637 Wellington 6140 Please Note: Providers must be accredited by the Qualifications Authority before they can offer programmes of education and training assessed against unit standards. Accredited providers assessing against unit standards must engage with the moderation system that applies to those unit standards. [Please refer to relevant Plan ref: 0222] New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2016