Follow policies, procedures and programs
of the organisation
CHCORG201C
Follow policies, procedures and
programs of the organisation
This unit is about the different sorts of policies
and procedures relevant to work in the
community sector, and knowing how to access
the documents of the organisation that you work
for.
You will learn how to:
• Follow workplace instructions and
policies
• Perform duties consistently according to
role description
• Operate within the laws that apply to
your role
Assessment Tasks
1. Download and print the assessment sheet for
this unit from the ‘Resources’ drop down
menu at the top right hand side of the
screen.
2. Complete your assessment sheet as you work
through the unit.
3. Email your completed assessment to
info@betterlinkgroup.com.au
or ring (08) 9353 3089
Follow workplace instructions and policies,
support organisation programs and
procedures within the job role
A policy is a high level overall plan that looks at
the general goals and expectations of an
institution or organisation – a statement that
guides behaviour and sets general rules in place
related to how the business will be conducted.
Policy documents outline the philosophies and the ways in which
business will support its vision, mission and goals.
• Government Laws
• Health and safety standards
• Equal Employment
Opportunities (EEO) and
matters of social justice
• Anti-discrimination, racial
vilification, anti-harassment
• Industrial relations
• Ethical behaviours
• Human resource
management
• Administration
• Staffing
• Confidentiality
requirements
• Appropriate relationships
with clients
• Gifts
• Workplace agreements
• Job descriptions
• Grievance/complaints
procedures
All workers in the
organisation should know
which policies and
procedures are relevant to
the work they do and
should know how to access
the policy and procedure
documents held by the
organisation.
Procedures
Procedures are the written
instructions on how the policies
should be applied. In some
organisations procedures will be
further broken down into task
instructions which are called
Standard Operating Procedures
(SOPs) SOPs generally apply to
specific tasks and contain step by
step instructions for completing
tasks, while general procedure
documents might be less specific.
Procedures are documented and recorded so they can
be referred to as needed. Procedures might relate to:
•
•
•
•
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All the paperwork needed including record keeping and filing
Workplace programs and timetable management systems
Use of equipment
Staff rosters
Managing crises situations
Coping with emergencies
Staff security and safety
procedures for responding to
physical violence
• Conducting team meetings
Procedures will also outline reporting processes –
the people who workers should report to, the
types of reports that should be made and the type
of information that should be contained in
reports.
Organisations have set procedures or work
practices for raising concerns. If you have a
problem with a client (parent, student, teacher) or
you are unsure about how to complete a task or
deal with a situation then you will need to follow
appropriate procedures to fix the problem
Procedures and SOPs exist so that everyone in
the organisation will know what to do and when
to do it. They also show the standard of work
that is required from workers. So they are
written to ensure that everyone handles
situations and does things in a similar way –
giving consistency throughout the organisation.
That way each person who works there delivers the same type of service to the
same standard. Procedures relate directly to quality control and to try and stop
performance problems. If the correct procedures are not followed then
problems might develop in delivering service to clients.
Many procedures can be more effectively managed if there are SOPs to follow.
SOPs could be written for the following procedures:
• Transporting students to and from
school
• Conducting hazard assessments and
risk evaluations in locations where
students gather and hang out
• Writing reports for team leaders or
management
• Operating specific machinery and
equipment
• Cooking and serving food to students
(breakfast clubs etc)
• Purchasing of school clothes or
shoes
Policies and procedures are supported by work
plans. Plans are necessary so that people who
work in the organisation know what to do,
when to do it and what they are expected to
achieve. Without policies, procedures and plans
work would be undirected and uncontrolled. It
is likely to then be inconsistent and not achieve
the goals or objectives of the organisation.
Organisational policies and procedures should be
monitored and reviewed regularly to ensure that:
• they are in keeping with the ideals
(vision and mission) and philosophy
of the organisation
• they continue to meet the needs of
clients and the community within
which the organisation operates
• they are following Government law
• they continue to support the
workers efforts to achieve
They should be updated as necessary and
updates or changes should be
organisational goals
communicated to workers and other
community members (stakeholders) in a
timely manner.
Following correct workplace instructions and policies helps to
maintain consistency and high standards in the delivery of
services to the community/clients. It improves efficiency and
effective work practice while following the rules for health
and safety requirements and standards.
When you accept employment you are agreeing to comply
with and support the organisation’s policies and procedures.
Policies and procedures should be communicated to you at
induction when you start work and through ongoing
information sharing and communication processes. These
processes could be training, meetings, coaching and in
writing. Any changes or updates to the policies and
procedures should be told to the workers in a timely manner.
You should also be told where the policies and procedures are
kept and how you can look at them as needed.
By accepting employment you are agreeing to support and
actively contribute to the programs and practices of the
organisation. Community services providers will offer a range of
programs and services. Workers need to know what the
organisation offers and understand their own roles and what
they are expected to do. You should participate in planning,
meetings and improvement on an ongoing basis to ensure that
your work contributes to the achievement of organisational
goals.
It is very important that people who work in an organisation are
aware of, understand and agree with the organisation’s vision,
mission, goals and intentions. They must be suited to their
work roles and the skills and knowledge required for the work
they do should be regularly reviewed and updated as needed.
Name 3 policies and
procedure your
organisation has for RSAS?
Provide your answer in the
Assessment Document for this unit.
Use organisation resources for the purpose
intended
In order to provide a quality service to your
clients (families) you will require information
about the various services and resources that
might be of use to clients. Some of these services
or resources will be provided by your workplace
but many others will be available in your
community through other organisations.
Resources can be broken down into two categories
Supplies
Supplies are the goods and
services needed for the
running of the organisation –
food, uniforms, paper,
furniture, computer,
telephones etc.
Operational resources
Operational resources are the
workers and equipment which
turn these supplies into
services for clients – staff,
policies and procedures,
money, time, buildings, skills
and knowledge.
Meeting the needs of the families in your community to ensure that children
attend school is your main task. To do this you must identify the needs of the
families and children, while talking with them. You then need to work out how
you can meet those needs with the resources that are available in your
organisation or within the community. It is important to know how to access
resources and what procedures you need to follow. Your team leader will be able
to help you in following the correct procedures and accessing resources to meet
the needs of the families/clients.
Meeting the needs of the families in your
community to ensure that children attend school is
your main task. To do this you must identify the
needs of the families and children, while talking
with them. You then need to work out how you can
meet those needs with the resources that are
available in your organisation or within the
community. It is important to know how to access
resources and what procedures you need to follow.
Your team leader will be able to help you in
following the correct procedures and accessing
resources to meet the needs of the families/clients.
You must be able to give clients advice and refer them to other agencies so that their
needs can be met and their children can attend school regularly. It is necessary for
community service organisations to build networks and contact lists that will
enable staff who work in them to access
resources as they are needed by the clients.
Your workplace should have a way for
collecting and recording information about the
services provided by other agencies and
organisations and you should know how to
access these.
By clearly identifying the services available in
your community and having them listed in an
easy to read manner, you will make your job
and the jobs of other workers in the
organisation easier.
Instructions …
In order to do your job properly you need
information and instructions. You need to know
what to do, and how to do it and when to do it.
You need to know what your responsibilities are
and what responsibilities of other people in the
organisation are. You need to clearly understand
the tasks you are expected to perform and to be
aware of the people you can ask for help if you
do not understand or cannot carry out your
tasks.
Much of the necessary information about your job will
have been communicated to you in a job description,
during induction, through ongoing in-house training
and at staff and team meetings. Your supervisor will
also sometimes give you new instructions and
directions as to what you should do. These may be
written or spoken to you.
The organisation’s policy and procedures documents
will also contribute toward your job knowledge.
Experienced and authorised workmates can also
provide relevant information.
If you do not understand the
directions/instructions
you
are given, ask for help. Make
sure that both you and your
supervisor agree on your
understanding – try explaining
your instructions back to
them.
This
way,
the
supervisor can check your
understanding and correct
errors. The more you can find
out about the task, the less
chance there is of making
mistakes.
Also ask your supervisor for the guidelines that go with the task
Ask:
• How long do you have to complete
the task?
• Is there a level of quality you must
meet?
• Do other people know that you
have been given this task?
• Will you need help from other
people?
• What outputs and outcomes are
expected?
Do not make guesses as they can lead to dangerous or costly mistakes.
If necessary, make notes as you are being briefed. This way, you will not have to rely on only your
memory to remember every tiny detail and will be able to read your notes again when needed.
Resources and physical support
You will often need specific resources in order to do your job.
Resources include:
 Time
 Information
 Support from other staff
 Materials and equipment
You will need to know how to access the necessary resources. Sometimes it will be
necessary to requisition (ask for) resources and the correct procedures for completing
and submitting requisitions must be followed.
Problems
As you work through a task, even though you made
sure with your supervisor that you understood
before starting, some problems may still arise. If
you are unable to solve these problems yourself,
you will need to find someone who can. Do not be
afraid to ask for help. Asking for help is far better
than making what could be a costly, embarrassing
or dangerous mistake. Make sure, however, that the
person you ask to help you is authorised to do so
and knows what they are doing.
When working with others there will be many times
when it is necessary to:
 Make sure you understand
instructions or directions
 Modify tasks
 Ask for further support
When asking for support, you need to know the most appropriate person/s
to talk to. You need to consider the knowledge and experience you are
looking for and your responsibilities in the process.
Name 3 people you might
talk to in your organisation
about problems and what
they might do to help you
Provide your answer in the
Assessment Document for this unit.
Ensure your decisions and actions reflect your job
description and are consistent with the philosophy
of the organisation
Underpinning all organisations are values and
philosophies that determine policies, procedures
and operational guidelines. An organisation’s
vision, mission statement, aims and objectives
provide guidance to staff. The organisation’s
Code of Behaviour or Code of Ethics will also
help. These are guidelines which employees can
use to make sure their behaviour and attitudes
meet the requirements of the organisation and
the RSAS programme.
Organisational philosophy will influence the:
 Vision
 Mission statement
 Organisational goals and
objectives
 Strategic plans
Written policies must support the organisation’s philosophies, just as the organisation’s
management must support both the philosophy and the vision. That is, people within the
organisation must act in a way that reflects the organisation’s philosophy and vision. This does not
mean that an organisation’s vision cannot change. Over time and in tune with community changes
and trends, the vision will adapt to meet the changing needs of society.
The organisation’s values, which staff must keep in
mind, might include:
 Clients must be treated fairly and the same
 Discrimination and harassment should not occur
 Staff must not judge about a person’s circumstances, situation or
past
 Each person’s right to make their own choices will be respected
 Each person’s right to confidentiality and privacy will be respected
and enforced
 Each person’s cultural and religious beliefs will be respected and
accommodated
 Clients’ individuality and self-expression will be respected
 Staff will not force their own personal values upon clients
Service provides must embrace basic human
rights such as:
 Freedom of speech
 The right to choose
where we live
 Protection from
abuse or neglect
 Respect for one’s own culture, religion and language
 the right for petition and peaceful gathering
 The right to social and legal justice
Job roles
The quality of the job that each and every worker does is linked
to how well the service is offered. You will have a range of tasks
and duties to perform. These will be outlined in your job
description and must be performed so that services and
expectations for school attendance are met.
Your job description or duty statement will set out for you
exactly what is expected. It should also tell you about when and
how many hours you work, the people you must report to, and
anything else you need to do such as travel etc.
Not everything that is expected of you will be documented in your job
description. There will be other things such as:
 Starting work on time
 Being polite
 Phoning when you cannot
come into work
 Treating clients with respect
What you think and the way you work should fit with the organisation. If, for some
reason, you cannot make this happen you will probably find it difficult to fit in.
What things are not in your
job description but you think
you need to do to make sure
the job is done properly?
Provide your answer in the
Assessment Document for this unit.
Perform duties promptly and
consistently in all workplace activities
Each workplace will have specific work practices
and expected work standards.
Work practices are how you achieve the
organisation’s goals and outcomes.
Standards which employees are expected to work are usually explained in the form
of agreed KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). They will also be outlines in the job
description and explained to employees by managers and supervisors.
Employees must have a clear understanding of what is expected of them and how
to do it. It is up to you to organise your work so that everything you do is done
correctly, as work wants and on time.
We all need to monitor our own work – to decide for ourselves, how well we are
doing, what skills we need to develop and whether what we are doing meets what
work wants us to do. Most of us probably do this anyway, but an important part of
this is being able to fit the daily, weekly and long term tasks into specific time slots –
time management. This means setting and meeting your own work priorities.
You need to know what must be done and when it must be done and you need to
have appropriate strategies for achievement.
Certain tasks will be more important than others. The key to being organised is to
know how to prioritise or order your workload within the time that you have, so
you focus on the most important things and don’t leave them to the last minute.
Important activities are not necessarily urgent but urgent tasks have short-term
consequences while important tasks are those with long-term, goal-related ones.
In order to prioritise tasks you need to:
• Know your job description
• Make daily, weekly and
monthly plans
• Talk to your supervisors and
colleagues as to the priorities
of each day’s workload
• Prepare work in advance –
draw up work plans and ‘to do’
lists
• Keep work areas tidy and
easily accessibly
• Keep filing and paperwork
under control
• Try to keep all those things
that interrupt your day out of
the way
• Use a diary or work schedule
to record appointments and
work to be done
Everyone wastes time!
To stop this:
• Prioritise tasks
• Do important jobs when
needed
• Don’t put things off until
they become urgent
Organising your work
environment is an important.
There is a good chance the office
has already been set up for you
but if there is an opportunity to
set it up in a way that works for
you, do so.
Always check with your
supervisor how long it is expected
for you to complete a job.
If you are unable to do
something, make sure you tell
your supervisor as soon as
possible. If there are others who
are waiting on your work, let
them know about any problems.
If wasting time is a problem, no one else can solve it besides you.
The objective of time management is to achieve results:
• Concentrate on getting
things done that you need
to do, not on being busy
• Break large tasks down
into smaller steps and
check each step off your
list as it is completed, this
way you can actually see
what has been done
When thinking about how you are
doing with your work you need to
know what is expected of you.
These will be outlined in your job
description and the organisation
procedures. If you do not know
what you need to do ask your
supervisor.
The expectation is that you will consistently produce work to the required standard.
What 3 things do you do to
make sure you are using
your time effectively?
Provide your answer in the
Assessment Document for this unit.
Name 2 things you know
distract you or cause you to
waste your time.
Provide your answer in the
Assessment Document for this unit.
Gifts and organisation resources
Some organisations have strict policies and procedures saying you cannot accept
gifts from your clients. Some say small gifts at special times of the year are OK.
Usually rules are about why gifts are offered - a client might give a gift as a simple
thank you for the help.
If at any time a child or family or any
other client gives or offers to give you
something – money or gifts – and you
are unsure about whether or not you
should accept it, talk to your
supervisor.
You must also think about using
clients’ things if you ever need to, and
be respectful. If, for instance, a School
Attendance Officer is using kitchen
utensils in a client’s home, those
utensils should be cleaned and put
into their proper place after use.
Behave in a reasonable and careful manner at all times
Your position as a RSAS worker means you have to think
about how you do your job and how you act when working.
All community organisations will have a code of conduct or
code of ethics, which workers are expected to follow.
A code of ethical practice is a
positive way to tell everyone
what is done with service
delivery, reporting procedures,
complaints and duty of care.
The code of practice tells workers what they need to know
about the way they work and what they do.
An organisation’s code of ethics could
include the following:
• Being careful with private information
• Being respectful about client privacy
• Being honest and open with clients while still
doing work within the law
• Being aware of what is required from you under
duty of care.
• Being respectful when working with clients; that
includes how you talk to them, what you wear at
work and other things.
Duty of care
Staff who work with clients must be professional and careful in the way they carry out
their jobs. Professional care and duty of care is both an ethical and legal issue.
Staff are personally accountable for the care of clients and have to be careful not to do
things that they are not trained in, in case it is not safe for the client. They must be
very careful that the client is not hurt or upset because they didn’t do something or
didn’t know how to do something. You could think you are acting ethically and trying
to do something good, but still be considered negligent if something goes wrong
because you were not trained to do something properly.
Duty of care means you make sure your clients’ rights to safety and security are taken
care of. For example, if you are aware of violence in someone’s home but you choose
not to tell your supervisor or someone else, you could be in breach of duty of care.
There are a number of ways to become familiar with exactly what duty of care means
for you in your workplace. These could include discussions with your supervisor or
your colleagues, asking about the policies and procedures or researching the relevant
laws on the internet.
The law
Other laws that will apply to your work includes:
• Anti-discrimination legislation
• Anti-harassment legislation
• Privacy law (National Privacy Principles)
• Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)
• Access and equity legislation
• Legislation relating to social justice
• Mandatory notification
• Health and safety legislation
• Legislation related specifically to old people, children
and to the care of people with disabilities
All of these apply to the organisation’s
responsibilities and workers.
Workers have to know the law that
applies to their work and should have a
clear understanding of duty of care and
their own personal responsibilities
within that duty. They must also about
reporting and recording case
management information as required.
Your organisation should ensure that
you are familiar with the law,
regulations and duty of care and code
of ethics requirements.
Respect
As a worker you must be
respectful when dealing
with all of sorts of people
in community.
This means respecting their differences and being
polite and honest. Make sure that you don’t give the
wrong information to people. Any situations you are
not sure about should be talked over with your
supervisor.
Maintain confidentiality in accordance with organisation requirements
You will be collecting information
about families when you are working
with them, and it is important that this
information is accurate and true. You
should be careful to just write down
what is needed and not write any
personal thoughts you have about the
family - remember that clients must be
given access to their files and case
notes if they request it.
Files and written information about
clients should be accessed only by staff
who are allowed to see it.
To ensure the safety of data held in
computers:
• Computers can be password
protected
• Virus checks and protection should
be put in place
• There should be regular backing-up
of information
• Systems can be regularly cleaned out
of unused of unneeded files
The Privacy Act
You can only collect client information that is directly relevant to RSAS. This
information can only be used in the workplace for RSAS services and reports. You can’t
keep or do other things with any information you collect without the client’s
permission.
The Privacy Act says information can be transferred to others if the client (or their
authorised representative) gives written permission. It can also be transferred if it can
be shown the information might endanger the client or other people.
Although your organisation should advise you of what records can be kept it is your
responsibility to ensure that you understand the law and apply it in your work.
If you believe there has been a confidentiality breach you will need to it with your
supervisor.
Disclosure
A client’s personal information should only be
discussed in the RSAS office. It should not be
discussed with other clients, with friends or
even co-workers who are not working on the
RSAS program. It should not be discussed in
ways or in a place where the discussion can be
heard by other people. If you are not sure about
this talk to your supervisor.
Name 3 things you do to make
sure you keep the information
you have about clients
confidential
Provide your answer in the
Assessment Document for this unit.
Report difficulties in carrying out duties to
appropriate person/supervisor
Sometimes you might have difficulties doing your job. Things might include:
•
•
•
•
You are not sure how to fill out any
required paperwork or documents
You are not sure about the best way
to go about working with a client
Another stuff member has not done
their job and this affects your work
A client is aggressive or abusive and
you are not sure how to deal with
them
Difficulties should be reported to your supervisor; by reporting difficulties you help to identify areas for
improvement and makes sure the RSAS program offers a good service.
All organisations should encourage continuous improvement – that is, looking for ways to make the service better
within community. So all client problems and concerns must also be reported, assessed and acted upon.