Policy Purpose
The Code of Conduct sets out the expectations in the way team members conduct themselves at Connexus and in the way they deliver Connexus’ values and vision:
Connexus will not tolerate any action or behaviour that does not comply with Connexus’ Code of Conduct. Serious or repeated breaches of the Code of Conduct may result in disciplinary action or termination of employment.
Policy Scope
The Code of Conduct applies to all team members, interns, trainees, volunteers, suppliers, and contractors who provide support to Connexus clients, work within residential homes and/or corporate facilities. It also applies to team members engaged in work-related activities with another provider (such as agency team members) and in the community.
Standard of Conduct
The Code of Conduct outlines Connexus’ expectations for behaviour that are encouraged and valued by every team member. All team members, volunteers, trainees, and contractors are responsible for the safety and well-being of children, youth, and adults with disabilities who engage with Connexus. All paid and unpaid team members are expected to act in accordance with this Code of Conduct in their physical and online interactions with children, young people, adults with disabilities and members of the community.
Unacceptable Behaviours
Unacceptable behaviour refers to actions or conduct by an employee that violate the core values of Connexus Support. Such behaviour will be promptly addressed by the Human Resources department and may result in disciplinary measures, up to and including termination of employment. Such actions include:
- Any behaviours deemed to be bullying, harassment, or assault that is of a physical, verbal, or sexual nature and/or any behaviour that impacts on the health, wellbeing, or safety of another person (Inappropriate Behaviours).
- Conduct that breaches the dignity and respect clause of an employee’s contract or agreement, including but not limited to; not respecting a person’s culture or identity.
- Theft of personal or company property (including medications) and damage to property.
- Any actions that would account to neglecting care of duties, including but not limited to; sleeping whilst on duty, leaving early or arriving late without proper authorisation, the use of a phone for non-work-related activities that is not authorised.
- Failure to comply with a lawful and reasonable direction by someone who has authority to give direction
- Possess any unauthorised weapon(s) or article(s) intended for use as such, whether for offensive or defensive purposes. Possession, sale, or use of drugs, alcohol or other substances in the workplace or suffering the aftereffects of drugs, alcohol, or other substances in the workplace
- Engaging in sexual or romantic relationships with residents, clients/customers, or engage in personal communication outside of work- related matters including social media or other online forums.
Further information on Inappropriate behaviours in response to actions and reporting of breaches can be obtained within Connexus’ Bullying, Discrimination and Harassment policy
Conflict of Interest
Conflict of interest refers to any actual or perceived personal interest conflicts with their responsibility to act in the best interest of Connexus Support. Personal interests include direct interests, as well as those of family, friends, and other organisations that a person may be involved with or have an interest in. These include;
- Engaging in any outside work that would compromise your duties to Connexus or risk in damaging Connexus reputation
- Improper use of the resources of Conexus including for private gain or the gain of a third party
- Accepting gifts or money or benefits from residents without the prior authorisation of management and in line with any applicable policies
- Making biased or unfair decisions based on personal interests, including, but not limited to, rostering arrangements and/or offering jobs to friends or family members
- Steal or fraudulently misappropriate or obtain money/goods from Connexus, other stakeholders, clients, volunteers, or contractor
Further information can be found in Connexus’ Conflict of Interest policy.
Reporting and Privacy
Connexus is committed to ensuring that all financial records, people records, and systems are accurate. Falsifying data and documents given to external parties, including regulatory bodies, is unacceptable.
This includes:
- Retain, disclose or securely disposing of any information, or documentation concerning Connexus’ businesses, current or former stakeholders or resident, customer or clients or the content of Connexus’ contracts or procedures, without the express written permission of Senior Management, unless required to do so by law
- Failing to report under mandatory reporting guidelines and in situations where team, resident, clients and customers health, safety and wellbeing may be at risk
- Talking to media or other parties who may publish information about Connexus without the prior approval of senior management
Connexus’ Commitment to the Safety of Children, Young People, and Adults with Disability
Connexus’ guiding principles, including the Child Safety Framework, the Safeguarding Framework, and the Connexus Code of Conduct (which includes the Child Safe Code of Conduct), will underpin the actions and decisions of Connexus staff. Connexus staff and representatives are expected to support and demonstrate these principles in the way we treat each other and in the way we conduct ourselves.
Connexus is committed to:
- The safety of children, young people, and adults with disabilities and ensuring our actions and decisions relating to children, young people and adults with disability support these guiding principles. We want children, young people, and adults with disability to be safe, happy, and empowered – it is our moral and legal responsibility
- Ensuring all necessary steps are taken to realise the rights of children, young people, and adults with disability
- Actively safeguarding all children, young people, and adults with disabilities that we interact with from harm. Actively safeguarding from harm all children, young people, and adults with disabilities that we interact with.
- Ensuring Connexus staff and representatives support the prevention and early intervention of abuse and exploitation of children, young people, and adults with disability by setting boundaries for personal interactions with children, young people, and adults with disability, identifying risks early, and implementing measures to remove and reduce these risks as Connexus has zero tolerance for abuse and exploitation of children, young people, and adults with disability
- Encouraging reports of suspected abuse of children, young people, and adults with disability, including from children and peers themselves, and treating these reports seriously and consistently with our procedures
- Providing a culturally safe environment for children, young people and adults with disabilities who experience diversity in its many forms; including those who are First Nations People; those who are from a culturally and/or linguistically diverse background; and/or those who identify as LGBQTI+.
- Communicating the Child Safety Framework, the Safeguarding Framework, and the Connexus Code of Conduct (which includes the Child Safe Code of Conduct) publicly.
- Communicating Connexus’ safety frameworks in multiple formats to assist in understanding by children, young people, and adults with disabilities. Connexus is committed to quality and continuous improvement.
- Implementing the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations and will work to meet and exceed the requirements of the National Child Safe Standards and the NDIS Practice Standards.
- Ensuring that Connexus staff and the families, carers and guardians of any children, young people, and adults with disability who engage with Connexus are aware of the Framework and its key provisions.
Child Safety Conduct
Protecting children is everyone’s responsibility: parents, communities, governments, and business all have a role to play. This includes Connexus and its representatives. We all have a role to play in making a child’s ongoing safety and wellbeing a priority. When a person forms a reasonable belief that a child or young person has been harmed or is at risk of harm, they are morally bound to take action to protect the safety and wellbeing of that child or young person. In addition to moral obligations, Connexus staff with the power to remove a substantial risk that a child will become the victim of a sexual offence by a person associated with Connexus, must act to remove, or reduce that risk. Failure to do so is a criminal offence. Connexus owes a legal duty to take all reasonable care to prevent the abuse of a child by a person associated with Connexus while the person is under the care, supervision, or authority of Connexus.
How we act
To ensure Connexus fulfills its mission and promises, all staff must:
- Act in accordance with Connexus’ Child Safety Framework and wellbeing policies and procedures always.
- Behave respectfully, courteously, and ethically towards children and their families and towards other staff.
- Listen and respond to the views and concerns of children, particularly if they communicate (verbally or non-verbally) that they do not feel safe or well.
- Listen and respond to the views and concerns of children, particularly if they communicate (verbally or non-verbally) that they do not feel safe or well.
- Promote the human rights, safety, and wellbeing of all children in Connexus.
- Demonstrate appropriate personal and professional boundaries when working with children.
- Demonstrate appropriate personal and professional boundaries when working with children.
- Consider and respect the diverse backgrounds and needs of children.
- Create an environment that promotes and enables children’s participation and is welcoming, culturally safe and inclusive for all children and their families.
- Involve children in making decisions about activities, policies and processes that concern them wherever possible.
- Contribute, where appropriate, to Connexus’ policies, discussions, learning and reviews about child safety and wellbeing.
- Identify and mitigate risks to children’s safety and wellbeing as required by Connexus’ risk assessment and management policy or process.
- Respond to any concerns or complaints of child harm or abuse promptly and in line with Connexus’ policy and procedure for receiving and responding to complaints.
- Report all suspected or disclosed child harm or abuse as required by legislation and/or by Connexus’ policy and procedure on internal and external reporting.
- Report all suspected or disclosed child harm or abuse as required by legislation and/or by Connexus’ policy and procedure on internal and external reporting.
- Comply with Connexus’ policies and procedures on communicating with children.
- Comply with the Children, Youth and Families Act (2005) and Connexus’ policies and procedures on record keeping and information sharing.
Staff must not, under any circumstances:
- Engage in any unlawful activity with, or in relation to, a child.
- Engage in any activity that is likely to harm a child physically, sexually, or emotionally.
- Unlawfully discriminate against any child or their family members.
- Be alone with a child unnecessarily.
- Have communication with a child unnecessarily via visits, texts, or other social media forums.
- Have communication with a child unnecessarily via visits, texts, or other social media forums.
- Arrange personal contact, including online contact, with children supported by Connexus outside of work.
- Disclose personal or sensitive information about a child, including images of a child, unless the child and their parent or legal guardian consent or unless I am required to do so by Connexus’ policy and procedure on reporting.
- Use inappropriate language in the presence of children or show or provide children with access to inappropriate images or material.
- Work with children while under the influence of alcohol or prohibited drugs.
- Ignore or disregard any suspected or disclosed child harm or abuse.
If I think this Code of Conduct has been breached by another person in Connexus, I will:
- Act to prioritise the best interests of children, young people, and people with disabilities.
- Act promptly to ensure that children, young people, and people with disabilities are safe.
- Promptly report any concerns to my manager, Connexus’ directors, Health and Safety Representative, or team leader in Connexus.
- Follow Connexus’ policies and procedures for receiving and responding to complaints and concerns.
- Comply with legislative requirements on reporting if relevant, and with Connexus’ policy and procedure on internal and external reporting
Reporting Process
In an emergency or where it is believed that there is an immediate risk to the person’s safety, emergency services should be immediately contacted on 000. The team should also report to their manager and complete an internal incident report immediately. Communications will be treated according to privacy and disclosure procedures.
Misconduct
- Misconduct allegations are the most serious of complaints made and may result in the Disciplinary policy and procedure being implemented by Connexus management.
- Connexus may decide to stand down a team member while an investigation takes place. This means that you would be instructed not to come to work while the investigation is carried out, but you would be available for the purposes of the investigation.
- If you are stood down, you are not permitted to have contact with other team members. This does not imply that Connexus believes you to be guilty. It is a precaution to protect the integrity of the investigation.
- Where a breach of the Code of Conduct has been found, disciplinary action including up to termination of employment or agreement may apply.
More information on the process can be found in the Connexus Support Grievance Policy.
Declaration
I hereby declare:
- I have read, understood, and agree to abide by the Connexus Code of Conduct.
- I agree to abide by the DFFH Code of Conduct for Disability Workers.
- I agree to abide by the NDIS Code of Conduct.
Signature: __________________ Printed Name: _______________________________
Position: ___________________ Date Signed: _______________________________