The essential responsibilities of a community group under the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992 are to:

• identify and remedy any hazards
• provide and maintain emergency supplies and equipment
• ensure evacuation and emergency procedures are made available to employees and users of the premises.

Sample health and safety policy and procedures

Rationale:

The Community Centre and employed staff need to take all practicable steps to ensure the safety of everyone on the premises.

Purposes:

1. To provide and maintain a safe working environment.
2. To ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, any hazards are corrected, repaired, removed or made inaccessible.

Procedures:

1. The co-ordinator regularly performs a hazard check in the building, ideally monthly.
2. Employees and Community Centre users are to notify the co-ordinator/committee immediately of any hazard they notice so that action can be taken to eliminate or reduce the hazard.
3. Any hazards not dealt with immediately are reported and discussed at the earliest monthly committee meeting and steps taken to eliminate, isolate or minimise the hazard.
4. Emergency evacuation plans are clearly displayed in the Community Centre and the emergency and evacuation policy is adhered to.

Sample complaints policy and procedures

Rationale:

The ABC Community Centre recognises the importance of having a policy and set of procedures relating to any complaints that are made against it or people working for it.

Purpose:

To have a fair policy and set of procedures for situations where complaints cannot be resolved between the parties themselves.

Procedures:

These procedures are to be worked through step by step. At the completion of each step, if both parties are satisfied, the procedures can be ended. If parties are not satisfied, continue to the next step. At any point of intervention, all parties have the right to have their supervisors and/or advocate and/or whanau/family support present. The complaint will remain confidential to the parties involved. This grievance procedure will be exercised in a way that will ensure any person/organisation complaining has the opportunity to be heard and treated fairly.

Step 1.

Approach the person/organisation directly about the problem.

Step 2. If not satisfied:

Give a written description of the grievance to the chairperson of the ABC Community Centre's committee. The chairperson will notify the person/organisation making the complaint that the complaint has been received. This written grievance is a private document and will be seen only by the committee, the independent mediator and the person/organisation the complaint is directed at.

Step 3.

The committee will read and discuss the complaint at their next meeting.

Step 4.

The person/organisation complained about will be notified of the complaint and will be given an opportunity to read the written complaint and respond to the committee. If the committee is unable to resolve the complaint at this stage, it will move to Step 5.

Step 5.

The committee will bring in an independent mediator to enable both the person/organisation making the complaint and the person/organisation the complaint is against, to be heard. The person/organisation making the complaint will be given two dates to choose from, and the meeting will take place within two weeks of the committee meeting.

Step 6.

If mediation is not successful, three members of the committee, including the chairperson, will meet with both parties together with an independent mediator as facilitator. From this meeting the three committee members will make a final decision and direct any action to take place. This meeting will happen within two weeks of the previous meeting. Again, the person/organisation making the complaint will be able to have two dates to choose from for the meeting.

Step 7.

The three members will report the decision to the committee, the person/organisation making the complaint and the person/organisation complained against within one week of the previous meeting.

Sample volunteer policy and procedures

Policy:

The XYZ Group Trust recognises the valuable contribution to the service made by volunteers and actively encourages their participation, which:

• enables volunteers to contribute to their community
• provides the opportunity for work experience and the development of new skills in volunteers
• enhances the range of services available through the XYZ Group Trust
• allows for wider community participation in the service.

Volunteers will not be used to replace paid workers in the service.

Procedures:

Job Descriptions for Volunteers: As with paid staff, all volunteers will be provided with a job description for their job. Up-to-date job descriptions for volunteer positions are included below.

Agreement of Employment for Volunteers: All volunteers must sign a Volunteer Agreement before commencing work.

Code of Ethics: Volunteers are expected to conform to the XYZ Group Trust's Code of Ethics.

Volunteer Recruitment Process: The process used for the recruitment of volunteers is as follows:

1. Requests for volunteers will be widely advertised in the region and amongst the cultural group/s of the consumers as required.
2. Interested volunteers should complete an Application for a Volunteer Position. (A copy should be included).
3. The XYZ Group Trust will arrange an interview with the volunteer which will cover the following areas:
   • name, address, telephone number
   • other languages
   • area(s) of interest
   • experience
   • current driver's licence, insurance and vehicle registration if volunteer driver health record (in case of emergency)
   • times available
   • commitment
   • policy for reimbursement for expenses
   • names and contact details of two referees
   • police clearance.
4. The XYZ Group Trust will inform the volunteer as soon as possible of the decision.
5. If the volunteer's application is rejected, they should be given the reasons why.
6. If the application is accepted, the volunteer should be given a copy of the Volunteer Worker's Agreement, the relevant job description and an induction package.
7. Sufficient time should be allowed for the volunteer to read the information and ask questions before signing the Agreement.
8. The co-ordinator will match the volunteer with appropriate consumer(s), where possible, taking into account the consumer's wishes and their language spoken, culture and interests.

• Kawanatanga - the First Article gives the Crown the principle of governance or the right to make laws and to govern in accordance with its constitutional process on the condition that appropriate priority is given to the interests of Maori as set out in this Article.
  
  What does it mean?
  Responsibility to consider the interests of Maori in the decision-making process.

• Rangatiratanga - the Second Article guarantees iwi the principle of self-management or Maori control and enjoyment of those resources and taonga they wish to retain.
  
  What does it mean?
  Responsibility to actively protect Maori rights to rangatiratanga in your actions and decisions.

• The principle of equality (Article 3) - guarantees legal equality between Maori and all other New Zealand citizens essentially ensuring equal access to resources and participation in systems and processes.
  
  What does it mean?
  Responsibility to ensure Maori have equal access to your service and in your decision-making processes.

• The principle of co-operation - the Treaty establishes New Zealand as a bicultural country and values cultural differences while encouraging the development of a common purpose and co-operation.
  
  What does it mean?
  Responsibility to actively consult and ideally to work in partnership with Maori, to create shared understandings and work together for common goals.

• The principle of redress - the Crown has accepted the responsibility of providing a process for the resolution of grievances arising from the Treaty through the Waitangi Tribunal and Maori Land Court.
  
  What does it mean?
  Responsibility to provide opportunity for redress of past injustices through current actions, in particular, by ensuring no further injustice occurs.