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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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