Why ‘Generic’ Policies and Procedures Will Not Cut It
If you have, or are considering, purchasing standardised policies and procedures for your organisation, it is unlikely you will pass government certification (audit). Here are three reasons why:
The ‘cookie cutter’ approach
Policies and procedures must reflect the individuality of the organisation’s they govern; and every organisation is fundamentally different, whether it be the types of services you offer, the way you offer them or even where you offer them. These documents form the fundamental basis of how you operate and for your staff to be able to follow them they need to be tailored and relevant to how you actually operate.
Government legislative changes
State and Federal governments continually review and update legislation to serve an ever-changing Australian society. In 2018 alone, the Victorian State Government has passed at least four major legislation changes (related to disability services). Each of these changes have considerably impacted the State Government’s minimum requirements with respect to NDIS policies and procedures.
Responsibilities
It’s not enough to set out a policy and process. Your Policies and Procedures must clearly set out lines of reporting and who is responsible for what action in any given circumstance. This is incredibly important when dealing with high risk matters such as critical incidents. It also needs to be clear for any client or other stakeholder reading them, who in the organisation they can contact regarding particular matters.
While not many organisations look forward to an audit, they play a crucial role for the regulating body (the Government) – providing transparency on how a business operates, ensuring they are delivering services appropriately and ethically; and, the service provider – to guide their operations and help them identify gaps so they can improve their service delivery in accordance with a broader understanding of ‘best practice’.
In industries like aged care and disability services (the NDIS), providers are dealing with vulnerable people. Audits ensure that you, the service provider, are best equipped to deliver your services, mitigate risks, and improve your services to help you thrive.
Our team invests many hours keeping up-to-date with the state and government legislation that has the potential to impact your organisation. We continue to work alongside auditing bodies to further understand provider compliance requirements and importantly, make sure your documentation is well-received by auditors and meets all compliance expectations.
We know it can be time consuming and costly investing in tailored policies and procedures to govern your organisation. However, also consider the cost and delay of having to pay for them twice because the first ones weren’t adequate…
To find out more about your compliance requirements and getting support in your business, join amerginhub free!