Policy Statements

Enable Ability Pty Ltd. is committed to demonstrating holistic and strengths-based approaches to service delivery that strives to ensure that each participant feels respected, supported and included in their community, and at Enable Ability Pty Ltd.

Enable Ability Pty Ltd. is committed to social inclusion and community participation in the delivery and expansion of services to participants who are disadvantaged and work in partnership with the community, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, culturally and linguistically diverse groups, people with different sexual-orientations and those with disabilities.

Enable Ability Pty Ltd. is committed to strong and lasting partnerships to minimise disadvantage amongst these groups.

Enable Ability Pty Ltd. will uphold and promote the legal and human rights of all people.

Enable Ability Pty Ltd. will treat all people with courtesy, dignity and recognise their human rights to self-determination and privacy.

Enable Ability Pty Ltd. will follow the principles and promotion of inclusion. Staff are trained to follow these principles and promotion strategies.

Enable Ability Pty Ltd. takes a strengths-based, person centred, holistic approach to care where the client or their advocate is primary to any decisions being made. Will ensure that your care and support are managed with respect and consultation. When you are in contact with our organisation, we will:

• Treat you with respect at all times
• Treat you fairly and without discrimination
• Inform you of your rights and responsibilities
• Protect your personal information and only use it for the right reasons
• Involve you in decisions about the services you access and support you to have a say
• Support you to connect with other services if needed
• Tell you how to provide us with feedback on our service and how to make a complaint
• Ensure your safety and undertake practices that prevent injury to you and others.

The Code of Ethics and Conduct Policy requires the organisation’s personnel to commit to:

• Act with integrity,
• Act honestly always.
• Be transparent when making decisions or giving advice.
• Ensure all actions can withstand scrutiny.
• Respect and courtesy
• Respect the individual’s rights to freedom of expression, self-determination, and decision-making in accordance with laws and conventions.
• Act fairly and equitably.
• Respect others, their values and their rights.
• Respect privacy and confidentiality.
• Create a safe work environment that is free of abuse, violence, discrimination, harassment or victimisation.
• Promptly take steps to raise and act on concerns about matters that may impact the quality and safety supports and services provided to our participants.
• Take all reasonable steps to prevent and respond to all forms of violence against and exploiting neglect and abuse of. people with disability
• Take all reasonable steps to prevent and respond to sexual misconduct.
• When dealing with one another, management, participants and service users, external stakeholders and other agency representatives, staff members will be respectful, honest and courteous.
• Staff members will give accurate information and prompt attention and observe fairness and equity in their dealings with others.

Enable Ability Pty Ltd. is committed to ensuring that actions and decisions taken at all levels in the organisation are informed, objective and fair. A conflict of interest may affect the way a person acts, decisions they make and / or the way they vote on group decisions.

Enable Ability Pty Ltd. will act proactively to manage perceived and actual conflicts of interest through development and maintenance of organisational policies. This will ensure organisational/ethical values do not impede participant’s right to choose and control.

Conflicts of interest must be identified, and action taken to ensure that personal or individual interests do not impact on the organisation’s services, activities or decisions.

All management, staff, and contractors are always required to act in the interests of the organisation, and to notify the organisation when this conflicts with other interests or commitments.

Declaration and management of conflicts of interest are specifically required for management members as part of their legal responsibilities as management members.

Policy

This policy requires all employees and management:

• Act impartially and without prejudice
• Declare any potential or actual conflict of interest, and
• Do not accept gifts or benefits that would influence a decision.

This will include situations in which:

• Close personal friends or family members are involved, such as decisions about employment, discipline or dismissal, service allocation or awarding of contracts.
• An individual or their close friends or family members may make a financial gain or gain some other form of advantage.
• An individual is involved with another organisation or offers services that are in a competitive relationship with our organisation and therefore may have access to commercially sensitive information, plans and / or financial information.
• An individual is bound by prior agreements or allegiances to other individuals or agencies that require them to act in the interests of that person or agency or to take a Position on an issue.

Enable Ability Pty Ltd. is actively working to identify, address and monitor potential risks to promote a safe environment for participants, staff and visitors and to maintain effective and viable business operations.

It is the responsibility of the Director to carry out risk management analyses for the organisation and to take appropriate measures.

Policy

Enable Ability Pty Ltd.; recognises the importance of managing risk and ensure that all stakeholders are aware of their own roles in identifying, analysing, evaluating, treating, monitoring and communicating risk in a systematic risk management approach.

Enable Ability Pty Ltd. understands the organisation may be at risk when:

• They do not have a well-functioning governance structure;
• Management plans, policies and processes are inadequate;
• Team member roles and responsibilities are unclear;
• They do not require participants to sign consent forms or waivers;
• Equipment and facilities are not safe for intended use;
• They have not implemented a comprehensive Risk Management Plan;
• Insurance is inadequate or inappropriate; or
• Operations are not regularly evaluated.

Enable Ability Pty Ltd. recognises the right of participants to feel safe and to live in an environment where they are protected from assault, neglect, exploitation or any other form of abuse.

Enable Ability Pty Ltd. will encourage and support any person who has witnessed abuse of a service user or, who suspects that abuse has occurred, to make a report and be confident of doing so without fear of retribution.

Enable Ability Pty Ltd. acknowledges that prevention is the best protection from abuse and neglect and recognises its duty of care obligations to implement prevention strategies that include suitable recruitment and screening protocols for identifying potential risks.

Enable Ability Pty Ltd. recognises that prevention strategies should include the employment of skilled staff who respect the rights of participants and who are aware of current legislation and policies pertaining to abuse and neglect. Such staff will assist participants and their families or guardians to access complaints mechanisms and to raise any concerns they have about service provision.

Where abuse, harm or neglect has occurred, Enable Ability Pty Ltd. will respond quickly, considerately and effectively to protect the service user from any further harm, ensuring all reporting is in line with standards.

To provide support to participants to be safe within any environment.

Policy

This policy aims to:

• Take a preventative, proactive and participatory approach to participant safety;
• Foster a culture of openness that supports all persons to safely disclose risks of harm to participants
• Respect diversity in cultures and/or child-rearing practices while keeping participant safety paramount;
• Provide written guidance on appropriate conduct and behaviour towards participants;
• Engage only the most suitable people to work with participants and have high quality staff and volunteer supervision and professional development;
• Ensure participants know who to talk with if they are worried or are feeling unsafe, and that they are comfortable and encouraged to raise such issues;
• Report suspected abuse, neglect or mistreatment promptly to the appropriate authorities (refer to Working with Children Policy and Procedures for process);
• Record any details and outcomes of reviews and investigations of allegations and incidents use information to prevent future occurrences.
• Ensure that participants are aware that they have the right to live in a safe environment;
• Share information appropriately and lawfully with other organisations where the safety and wellbeing of participant is at risk; and
• Value the input of and communicate regularly with families, advocates or representatives.
• Enable Ability Pty Ltd. staff are identified as support worker through wearing uniforms or carrying identification.
• Ensures the support environment is safe for the participant.
• Review other providers and services to identify and treat risks, ensure safe environments, and prevent and manage injuries (Risk Management, Work Health and Safety policies)

Enable Ability Pty Ltd. recognises the importance of managing a quality system. This policy will give an overview of the systems refer to the policy for the details of the process. The detail of each policy listed. Quality Management System in to support service delivery and ensure that the service meets the requirements under NDIS.

Enable Ability Pty Ltd. Quality Management System includes:

• Auditing and reviewing legislation that directly affects service provision (Legislative Compliance Policy);
• Auditing and reviewing policies and procedures to meet National Disability Insurance Standards and Guidelines (Legislative Compliance)
• Using data gained from complaints and feedback to improve services and procedures (Complaints and Feedback Policy);
• Managing the continuous improvement system to determine areas of improvement including input from
  • Complaints and Feedback Policy and Procedure
  • Risk Management Policy and Procedure
  • Incident Reporting Policy and Procedure
  • Continuous Improvement Policy and Procedure
• Reporting all relevant improvements from Continuous Improvement Register to the management and into Corporate Governance processes to inform management of the service;
• Risks highlighted through the Risk Management Policy will be used to reduce hazards and improve practices;
• Human resources to include training staff in providing quality support to meet the individual needs of participants including:
  • Employment Register – qualifications, checks, registers
• Participants are to access to quality services and be able to have input via Complaints and Feedback;
• Service delivery to meet best-practice standards, evidence-based, person-centred support plans designed for the individual participant. Review of policies and procedures combined with feedback strategies allow for a quality management of services.