Community Care Common Standards

Standard 1: Effective Management

The service provider demonstrates effective management processes based on a continuous improvement approach to service management, planning and delivery.

Expected Outcome 1.1: Corporate Governance

The service provider has implemented corporate governance processes that are accountable to stakeholders.

Expected Outcome 1.2: Regulatory Compliance

The service provider has systems in place to identify and ensure compliance with funded program guidelines, relevant legislation, regulatory requirements and professional standards.

Expected Outcome 1.3: Information Management Systems

The service provider has effective information management systems in place.

Expected Outcome 1.4: Community Understanding and Engagement

The service provider understands and engages with the community in which it operates and reflects this in service planning and development.

Expected Outcome 1.5: Continuous Improvement

The service provider actively pursues and demonstrates continuous improvement in all aspects of service management and delivery.

Expected Outcome 1.6: Risk Management

The service provider is actively working to identify and address potential risk, to ensure the safety of service users, staff and the organisation.

Expected Outcome 1.7: Human Resource Management

The service provider manages human resources to ensure that adequate numbers are appropriately skilled and trained staff/volunteers are available for the safe delivery of care and services to service users.

Expected Outcome 1.8: Physical Resources

The service provider manages physical resources to ensure the safe delivery of care and services to service users and organisation personnel.

Standard 2: Appropriate Access and Service Delivery

Each service user (and prospective service user) has access to services and service users receive appropriated services that are planned, delivered and evaluated in partnership with themselves and/or their representative.

Expected Outcome 2.1: Service Access

Each service user’s access to services is based on consultation with the service user (and/or their representative), equity, consideration of available resources and program eligibility.

Expected Outcome 2.2: Assessment

Each service user participates in an assessment appropriate to the complexity of their needs and with consideration of their cultural and linguistic diversity.

Expected Outcome 2.3: Care Plan Development and Delivery

Each service user and/or their representative, participates in the development of a care/service plan that is based on assessment needs and is provided with the care and/or services described in their plan.

Expected Outcome 2.4: Service User Reassessment

Each service user’s needs are monitored and regularly reassessed taking into account any relevant program guidelines and in accordance with the complexity of the service user’s needs. Each service user’s care/service plans are reviewed in consultation with them.

Expected Outcome 2.5: Service User Referral

The service provider refers service users (and/or their representative) to other providers as appropriate.

Standard 3: Service User Rights and Responsibilities

Each service user (and/or their representative) is provided with information to assist them to make service choices and has the right (and responsibility) to be consulted and respected.
Service users (and/or their representative) have access to complaints and advocacy information and processes and their privacy and confidentiality and right to independence is respected.

Expected Outcome 3.1: Information Provision

Each service user, or prospective service user, is provided with information (initially on an ongoing basis) in a format appropriate to their needs to assist them to make service choices and gain an understanding of the services available to them and their rights and responsibilities.

Expected Outcome 3.2: Privacy and Confidentiality

Each service user’s right to privacy, dignity and confidentiality is respected including in the collection, use and disclosure of personal information.

Expected Outcome 3.3: Complaints and Service User Feedback

Complaints and service user feedback are dealt with fairly, promptly, confidentially and without retribution.

Expected Outcome 3.4: Advocacy

Each service user’s (and/or their representative’s) choice of advocate is respected by the service user (and/or their representative) to access an advocate.

Schedule 1 Principles and Applications of principles

(NSW Disability Services Act 1993)

1 Principles

Persons with disabilities have the same basic human rights as other members of Australian society.

They also have the rights needed to ensure that their specific needs are met. Their rights, which
apply irrespective of the nature, origin, type or degree of disability, include the following:

persons with disabilities are individuals who have the inherent right to respect for their human
worth and dignity,
persons with disabilities have the right to live in and be part of the community,
persons with disabilities have the right to realise their individual capacities for physical, social, emotional and intellectual development,
persons with disabilities have the same rights as other members of Australian society to services which will support their attaining a reasonable quality of life,
persons with disabilities have the right to choose their own lifestyle and to have access to information, provided in a manner appropriate to their disability and cultural background, necessary to allow informed choice,
persons with disabilities have the same right as other members of Australian society to participate in the decisions which affect their lives,
persons with disabilities receiving services have the same right as other members of Australian society to receive those services in a manner which results in the least restriction of their rights and opportunities,
persons with disabilities have the right to pursue any grievance in relation to services without fear of the services being discontinued or recrimination from service providers,
persons with disabilities have the right to protection from neglect, abuse and exploitation.

2 Application of principles

Services and programs of services must apply the principles set out in clause 1. In particular,
they must be designed and administered so as to achieve the following:

to have as their focus the achievement of positive outcomes for persons with disabilities, such as increased independence, employment opportunities and integration into the community,
to contribute to ensuring that the conditions of everyday life of persons with disabilities are the same as, or as close as possible to, norms and patterns which are valued in the general community,
to form part of local co-ordinated service systems and other services generally available to members of the community, wherever possible,
to meet the individual needs and goals of the persons with disabilities receiving services,
to meet the needs of persons with disabilities who experience an additional disadvantage as a result of their gender, ethnic origin or Aboriginality,
to promote recognition of the competence of, and enhance the image of, persons with disabilities,
to promote the participation of persons with disabilities in the life of the local community through maximum physical and social integration in that community,

For more information see:

http://www.dadhc.nsw.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/898B1EC7-FFED-4F87-83F0-
E7C25D504C61/668/Standardsinaction_93582882.pdf

to ensure that no single organisation providing services exercises control over all or most aspects of the life of a person with disabilities,
to ensure that organisations providing services (whether specifically to persons with disabilities or generally to members of the community) are accountable to persons with disabilities who use them, the advocates of those persons, the State and the community generally for the provision of information from which the quality of those services can be judged,
to provide opportunities for persons with disabilities to reach goals and enjoy lifestyles which are valued by the community generally and are appropriate to their chronological age,
to ensure that persons with disabilities participate in the decisions that affect their lives,
to ensure that persons with disabilities have access to advocacy support where necessary to ensure adequate participation in decision-making about the services they receive,
to recognise the importance of preserving the family relationships and the cultural and linguistic environments of persons with disabilities,
to ensure that appropriate avenues exist for persons with disabilities to raise and have resolved any grievances about services, and to ensure that a person raising any such grievance does not suffer any reprisal,
to provide persons with disabilities with, and encourage them to make use of, avenues for participating in the planning and operation of services and programs which they receive and to provide opportunities for consultation in relation to the development of major policy and program changes,
to respect the rights of persons with disabilities to privacy and confidentiality.