Organisational Arrangemens for Third Sector Services
This page provides guidance and links around the organisational arrangements that you need to enter in the database. It covers policies that everyone is required to have and the governance requirements for different types of organisation.
Guidance and links on Policies
Types of Organisations
- Constitued Comunity Groups
- Charitable Organisations
- Companies Limited by Guarantee
- Co-operatives / Mutuals
- Social Business Enterprise / Commuity Interest Company
Links to other Database help pages
This covers any service regarding an individual
* Modesty and privacy in personal care - ensuring that people receive care or treatment in a dignified way
* Confidentiality of treatment and personal information - ensuring that personal files and records and financial information are kept confidential, and only shared with the consent of the person concerned.
* Privacy of personal space - staff should gain permission to enter and demonstrate respect for personal belongings and boundaries.
For more information and practice guidelines see SCIE
http://www.scie.org.uk/publications/practiceguides/practiceguide09/privacy/index.asp
There are 'Dignity Champions' in respect to older people services - more can be read on the knowledge community at CSIP
http://www.dignityincare.org.uk/about.php?grp=47
Age Concern also have information at
http://www.ageconcern.org.uk/AgeConcern/dignity.asp
There is specific guidance in respect to housing support via a report ' Dignity in Housing' Nov 2006 at
http://www.integratedcarenetwork.gov.uk/housing/index.cfm?pid=520&catalogueContentID=1636
The Housing LIN is the national/ regional forum for senior staff from social services and housing departments, housing providers in the voluntary and private sector, Primary Care Trusts staff, commissioners, consultants, researchers and other stakeholders in relation to promoting new ideas and supporting change in the delivery of housing, care and support services for older and vulnerable people.
The membership is organised into the 9 regional networks and can be found at
http://www.integratedcarenetwork.gov.uk/housing/index.cfm?pid=169
Membership is free and individual. There is also 'Dignity in Care online guide'. The Social Care Institute for Excellence Practice guide 09: Dignity in care (November 2006) SCIE have produced this practice guide to support their wider Dignity in Care initiative. The guide has been designed for people who want to make a difference and improve standards of dignity in care. It provides information for service users on what they can expect from health and social care services, and a wealth of resources and practical guidance to help service providers and practitioners in developing their practice, with the aim of ensuring that all people who receive health and social care services are treated with dignity and respect.
http://integratedcarenetwork.csip.org.uk/housing/index.cfm?pid=556&catalogueContentID=1732
In simple terms having such a policy can be a simple statement of how and when you gather information about your service user's opinions of your service. This can be captured as an ongoing process when meeting with your clients, or as a sample of your clients over a given time frame. It could be verbal, paper or electronic - depending on how the individual would most like to respond.
It is important that when you first start working with an individual to give a person an explanation of the service they can expect from you in a media they (or their supporter/family/advocate etc) can understand. You should include information about how you will capture their feedback to your service.
This same feedback can be vital evidence to feedback to your commissioners/funders to the difference your service is making to peoples lives.
VOSCUR publish a 'rough guide' to getting client feedback at
http://www.voscur.org/system/files/customer+feedback_0.pdf
Your local CVS will also be able to offer guidance.
The term ‘induction' is generally used to describe the whole process whereby new employees (or employees taking on a new role) adjust or acclimatise to their jobs and working environment via a structured process that is defined by a staff induction policy.
The length and nature of the induction process depends on the complexity of the job/size of organisation and the background of the new employee. One size does not fit all - a standardised induction course is unlikely to satisfy anyone, and as such there is little point trying to adopt a standardised policy unless it is from one that has a similar role within an organisation of similar size and focus - even then there will be key attitudinal and ethical differences.
Every organisation, large or small, should have a well-considered induction programme that will provide all the information that new employees and others need, and are able to assimilate, without being overwhelming or diverting them from the essential process of integration into a team - it also needs to be commensurate with the size and scope of your organisation.
CIPD (The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) revised their guidance in January 2008 concerning the elements needing to be present in a staff induction policy, and it is recommended to look at their fact sheet in full at
http://www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/recruitmen/induction/induction.htm
This guidance takes you through
- What is induction for?
- Who needs an induction?
- What are the potential problems if you don't have an effective process?
- The role of HR
- The basis of an induction policy
- What to avoid?
- An example of an induction checklist -this is very useful to build a policy from.
- Changing trends in induction
Your local Infrastructure support body/Council for Voluntary Services will be able to support you with draft policies that are commensurate to the size/scope of your organisation if you want to adapt an ‘off the shelf version'.
‘Skills for Care', the strategic development body for the adult social care workforce in England, has also launched a set of Common Induction Standards that are a useful toolkit, you can download all the guidance from;
http://www.skillsforcare.org.uk
Having a personal safety policy is vital to ensure the safety of all the people who work for, or volunteer within your organisation. It is essentially about making sure that people are safe when they are conducting the business of your organisation.
It is impossible to offer a ‘one size fits all' template. Each policy will vary depending on the nature and scope of your organisations work. The acknowledged best site for information is the Suzy Lamplugh trust, and there are a huge amount of resources that are available from;
http://www.suzylamplugh.org/content.asp?PageID=1086
There are many examples of personal safety policies that can be found on the internet by simply searching 'personal safety policy' but the danger is that they will not fit the needs of the people you are trying to safeguard as they are templates from different services and organisations.
Public liability insurance is needed if members of the public or customers come to your premises or you go to theirs, it is very difficult to conceive of any type of third sector service where this does not potentially occur. Business link offer good advice;
http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail?type=RESOURCES&itemId=1074301656
What the insurance covers?
This type of insurance covers any awards of damages given to a member of the public because of an injury or damage to their property caused by you or your business. It also covers any related legal fees, costs and expenses as well as costs of hospital treatment (including ambulance costs) that the NHS may claim from you.
Most people who will fund or commission your services will want you to demonstrate that you have an adequate amount of public liability insurance. If you are commissioned to provide services then the service level agreement/contract will usually specify the amount of cover needed. How much it will cost you will depend on the type of business you run, your turnover and the number of employees you have.
Where can you get advice?
Your local Council for Voluntary services will be able to offer you advice and also provide you with specialist insurers. If you choose to deal directly with an insurer, it's worthwhile checking that they are a member of the Association of British Insurers (ABI).
Employer's liability insurance
The Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969 ensures that you have at least a minimum level of Insurance cover against any such claims. Employers Liability Insurance will enable you to meet the cost of compensation for your employees' injuries or illness whether they are caused on or off site. The minimum insured is normally £5m and usually £10m or more depending on your numbers of workforce. The HSE have provided a briefing paper on Employers liability insurance;
http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/hse39.pdf
Business link also have a good section re liability insurance
http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/layer?topicId=1074299774
The NCVO also has good common sense advice about reviewing or renewing your need for insurances at;
http://www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/askncvo/index.asp?id=492&terms=liability%20insurance
There is a large, complex body of statutory regulation concerning health and safety in the workplace. Health and safety law is administered by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), a statutory body whose functions are to:
- Inspect organisations and enforce compliance with legal requirements regarding health and safety;
- Provide advice on health and safety matters to the employers.
The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) offers a good introduction at;
http://www.ncvo-vol.org.uk/askncvo/index.asp?id=216
The HSE publishes numerous information booklets, available by post and fax, along with numerous updates - it is good practice to consult the HSE's website regularly in relation to workplace health and safety issues.
As a third sector organisation, the NCVO recommend that there is a minimum focus on the main legislation - At the very least, voluntary organisations should comply with regulations on:
- Enforcing systems and practices
- First aid
- Manual work
- Fire safety
- Use of computers and other office equipment
- Working Time Directive and associated regulations
- Directors' responsibilities
- Appointment of union or staff safety representatives and committees
- Reporting of injuries and accidents
There is also a common law duty on employers to take such steps as are reasonably necessary to ensure the safety of their employees. Such steps relate to providing a safe place of work, safe means of access, a safe system of work, safe equipment and materials, competent fellow workers and protection from risk of injury.
Model policies can be downloaded from many sources including
http://www.lvsc.org.uk/Templates/information.asp?NodeID=90188
There are a number of toolkits and templates available to support you to develop staff training policies and needs. The UK workforce hub has a detailed report and resource directory.
A training/learning needs analysis (TNA) is a review of learning and development needs for staff, volunteers and trustees within in your organisation. It considers the skills, knowledge and behaviours that your people need, and how to develop them effectively. It includes;
1. What is Training/Learning Needs Analysis
2. Organisational level
3. Team level
4. Individual level
5. Trustees and Volunteers
6. Methods of Meeting Learning Needs
7. Prioritising Learning Needs
8. Evaluation of Training
9. Your Learning and Development Plan
10. Resources - advice, support and consultancy
11. Resources - Toolkits
12. Resources - Websites
13. Resources - Books
And it also includes Appendices and blank templates for:
Diagnostic Template
S.W.O.T. Analysis Template
Competence-based TNA Analysis
Personal Development Plan Template
Learning & Development Plan Template
You can find all this at;
http://www.ukworkforcehub.org.uk
There is an alternative training needs analysis that is freely available from VOSCUR (an infrastructure organisation in Bristol) and can be found at;
http://www.voscur.org/training/learning#audits
The freedom of information act placed a responsibility on public organisations to provide individuals with access to information they may keep regarding you. There are exceptions to the act, and many organisations may find they do not legally have to comply with this act - yet this act was designed to work alongside the 1998 data protection act as well. The human rights act can also cross cut these other two acts. The charity commission provide sensible guidance, and even if you do not know the acts in detail, they suggest there are ‘golden rules' that as a Third sector organisation you should always consider;
1. Treat everyone as you would wish to be treated: fairly, politely and without discrimination.
2. Be open in all your work, while respecting justifiable confidentiality. Only ask for personal information if you really need it and do not disclose it to others without good reason.
3. Make sure all decisions (especially those that deny someone something) can be seen to be fair and reasonable:
- Ensure everyone involved has had an opportunity to state their case;
- Explain clearly why the decision has been taken; and
- Explain how the decision can be reviewed.
Never express opinions about people - orally or on paper, on computer or elsewhere - that cannot be substantiated by the facts.
http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/supportingcharities/ogs/g058a001.asp
Again, your local CVS should be able to offer you the help you need in accordance with the size and legal structure of your organisation.
The 1998 data protection act will almost certainly apply to your organisation. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) produced a simple training check list for small medium sized companies - and this is often used by voluntary sector organisations. This can be found at;
The Information Commissioner's Office issued guidance on sharing personal information between authorities or agencies on 24 May 2007. Although intended primarily for local authorities, the guidance is applicable to voluntary organisations as well. Among the basic principles are that organisations should identify the benefits and risks, take reasonable steps to safeguard personal information, consider whether consent is needed, be transparent about what is being shared and why, and ensure information is up to date and accurate.
Criminal Records Bureau checks (CRB)
From 1 October 2007, most organisations working with children or providing care services to vulnerable adults and seeking charity registration must provide the Charity Commission with a signed declaration that Criminal Record Bureau checks have been carried out for their proposed trustees. This rescinds a previous requirement to provide the Commission with evidence of the checks. The Charity Commission feel that a trustee of a charity could be working outside their ‘duty of care' if they fail to CRB check anyone who would be working with a potentially vulnerable adult, or child. See;
The majority of opinion is that Charity trustee's should also undergo a CRB check if their role is with potentially vulnerable adults or children.
http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/registration/crb.asp
What is ‘whistle blowing'?
Put simply; whistle blowing occurs when an employee or worker provides certain types of information, usually to the employer or a regulator, which has come to their attention through work. The whistleblower is usually not directly, personally affected by the danger or illegality. Whistle blowing occurs when a worker raises a concern about danger or illegality that affects others, for example members of the public. So basically the individual will have claimed to have acted in the public good. It applies where a worker has a reasonable belief that their disclosure tends to show one or more of the following offences or breaches:
- A criminal offence;
- The breach of a legal obligation;
- A miscarriage of justice;
- A danger to the health and safety of any individual;
- Damage to the environment; or
- Deliberate covering up of information tending to show any of the above.
Public Concern at Work is considered to be the greatest resource re whistle blowing, and lots of simple information can be found at
The key act in relation to this is the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (PIDA) which applies to almost all workers and employees who ordinarily work in Great Britain.
The CIPD give guidance regarding what you should consider regarding a policy at;
http://www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/empreltns/whistleblw/whistle.htm
There is a toolkit available from the governance hub regarding developing an equal opportunities policy that will suit your individual organisation. (It is free to organisations that are members of the national association of councils for voluntary services and associates - your local CVS will have access to this - again you can gain access if you are a member of your local CVS)
http://www.governancehub.org.uk/resources/The%20Board%20In%20Control/BC-Equality%20@%20Diversity/527
You can however access a good resource freely from the governance hub called ‘the good employers policy and procedure toolkit' this toolkit provides instructions for implementing workplace policies and procedures. The toolkit is aimed at meeting legal requirements but will also take you further, helping you achieve best practice in a range of policy areas including health and safety, equal opportunities and staff and volunteer management. Download from ;
http://www.governancehub.org.uk/resources/The%20Board%20In%20Control/BC-Compliance/577
There are numerous best practice equal opportunities and diversity policies that can be accessed via the volunteering site, Goldstar at;
http://www.goldstar.org.uk/toolkits_other.html
In May 2007 the Department of health produced ‘Independence, choice and risk: a guide to best practice in supported decision making'. This guidance is intended to help those involved in helping individuals to retain greater control of their lives.
It aims to support the principle of empowerment through managing choice and risk transparently in order to enable fair appraisal of the decision process, should it become necessary.
It can be used to promote choice, while managing risk proportionately and realistically. It should have a two-fold use - in multi-disciplinary teams to foster a common approach to risk and, in organisations as the basis for corporate policies, as well as in contractual and other agreements. The aim should be to have a common approach to risk among all parties concerned in delivering health and social care, which will promote the sharing of responsibility for risk in a transparent and constructive way.
The proposals suggested in this document do not replace any existing risk guidance, including those risk management processes contained within the Care Programme Approach, Multi-agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA) or on safeguarding vulnerable adults. Nor do they conflict with professional codes or clinical practice guidelines; rather, it provides a common approach to risk in for use across health and social care systems, including the Third Sector.
http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_074773
CSIP also have a number of resources at
http://www.socialcare.csip.org.uk/index.cfm?pid=82
There is a specific toolkit regarding volunteering that has been developed via volunteering England. This is a good general reference for generic risk management and can be found at
http://www.volunteering.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/2B108CBD-0BBD-4DB3-A4D2-D987B885D1F3/0/Risk_toolkit.pdf
A place where policies are discussed
This can be as simple as having an agenda item on a team meeting - or/and via staff supervision. It is useful to include policies and procedures as part of the induction process for new staff as well - a simple list of the policies where the new starter can initial that they have read and understood the content would be ample. Having a new or redrafted policy initialled and dated would also be useful in organisations with few staff/volunteers. If there are more staff members then it may be more appropriate to cover the content and potential impact via team meetings/supervision.
Many organisations now prefer to have an 'Equality and Diversity Policy' rather than just an equal opportunities policy. The
issue of diversity is vital to a healthy organisation, and the advantages of having a workforce made up from a diverse cross section of society include;
- Having a larger pool of potential candidates for job positions.
- Having a wider range of resources, skills and ideas among employees.
- Improving staff retention, leading to lower recruitment and training costs.
- Avoiding claims of unfair treatment or discrimination.
- Building a reputation as a diverse business.
- Building a competitive edge in recruitment and retention.
A simple and good guide 'Supporting Diversity and Equality: A 'Good Practice' Guide for Voluntary and Community Organisations' is available from the workforec hub. The guide will assist organisations by offering examples of ways of thinking and behaving which will inform good practice , thus enabling organisations to extend fair treatment to the individuals and groups they deliver services to
http://www.ukworkforcehub.org.uk/DisplayPage.asp?pageid=9197#supporting
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