Standard 1 policy

 

 

Safeguarding policy

 

Policy statement

 

ARMAR HEALTHCARE is committed to promoting and protecting individual rights and maximising the choice and control of people with disability in decisions about their lives. This policy outlines the role of safeguarding supports and mechanisms to ensure the safety of people with disability and the quality of services.

 

ARMAR HEALTHCARE is dedicated to providing an environment where people with disability to whom it provides services are protected from abuse, neglect or harm and where staff work according to our organisational values.

 

This policy supports ARMAR HEALTHCARE to apply the National Standards for Disability Services, in particular Standard 1: Rights. This policy guides staff to support people to exercise their rights and exercise choice and control over their services. After July 2020, this policy will support ARMAR HEALTHCARE ] to apply the NDIS Quality and Safeguarding Practice Standards for Rights and Responsibilities, Provider Governance and Operational Management and Provision of Supports.

 

Scope

 

All staff, whether paid employees, contractors, volunteers or business partners, are responsible for working within the policy and reporting when safeguarding is not adequate. This policy is owned by the Board.

 

ARMAR HEALTHCARE ’s policy on eliminating restrictive practices applies at the same time as this policy and anytime safeguards are developed.

 

 

 

Principles

 

  • Safeguarding improves safety and wellbeing, while imposing the least possible restriction on an individual and their choices.
  • Safeguards are responsive to the individual’s circumstance and are relevant to the risk within these circumstances. These factors may change over time.
  • Every person should be supported to develop their individual skills and capacity and be involved in determining their own safeguards.
  • People who need and want support to make decisions will be supported to exercise choice.
  • Safeguards can be informal or formal and work at an individual and/or organisational level.
  • A persons’ money or other property is only used with their consent and for the purposes they
  • Supports are provided based on the least intrusive options that meet the person’s needs and help achieve desired outcomes.

 

 Key actions

 

A defined structure is implemented by the governing body to meet a governing body’s financial, legislative, regulatory and contractual responsibilities, and to monitor and respond to quality and safeguarding matters associated with delivering supports to participants.

 

Where a person has specific needs, which require monitoring and/or daily support, workers are appropriately trained and understand the person’s needs and preferences.

 

Reasonable adjustments to the support delivery environment are made and monitored to ensure it is fit for purpose and each person’s health, privacy, dignity, quality of life and independence is supported.

 

Risks to the organisation, including risks to a person’s financial and work health and safety risks, and risks associated with provision of supports are identified, analysed, prioritised and treated.

 

Where supports are provided in the participant’s home, work is undertaken with the person to ensure a safe support delivery environment.

 

Where relevant, work is undertaken with other providers and services to identify and treat risks, ensure safe environments, and prevent and manage injuries.

 

Participants are not given financial advice or information other than that which would reasonably be required under the person’s plan.

 Records clearly identify the medication and dosage required by each person, including all information required to correctly identify the participant and to safely administer the medication.

 

Each person is given information about the use of an advocate and access to an advocate is facilitated where allegations of violence, abuse, neglect, exploitation or discrimination have been made.

 

Allegations and incidents of violence, abuse, neglect, exploitation or discrimination, are acted upon, each participant affected is supported and assisted, records are made of any details and outcomes of reviews and investigations (where applicable) and action is taken to prevent similar incidents occurring again.

 

Definitions

 

Safeguarding - actions designed to protects the rights of people to be safe from the risk of harm, abuse and neglect, while maximising the choice and control they have over their lives.

 

Related policy and procedures

Eliminating restrictive practices policy, procedures and practices

Choice and control policy

 

Related legislation and policy

  • Disability Services Act 1986
  • Code of Practice for the Elimination of Restrictive Practice (revised 2019)
  • National Standards for Disability Services
  • National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013
  • National Disability Insurance Scheme Rules
  • NDIS Quality and Safeguarding Practice Standards 2018
  • United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

 

 

Approvals

Date of approval: [13/01/23]

Date of review: [13/01/24]

Signature of management: