Organisational Policy and Procedures
Challenging hate through workplace change
What’s the difference between stereotyping, prejudice and hate speech and does it matter?
Yes, it does matter. In the words of our Chief Human Rights Commissioner:
“It is a matter of life, death and human rights. Disrespectful words and actions give permission for discrimination, harassment and violence.”
We have plenty of examples in our history that prove it. In Aotearoa, stereotyping and hate speech have been part of the colonial wars against Māori. Likewise, integral to the white Australia policy and the killing of its aboriginal peoples. Most recently, prejudice was the justification for killing 50 Muslim people in Christchurch.
So what should we be doing about prejudice and stereotyping in a democracy where freedom of expression and opinion is so valued and necessary?
The big picture
There’s the law. It’s geared to stopping the harmful effects of prejudice and stereotypes e.g denial of opportunity, inciting others to hate. Paul Hunt, the Chief Human Rights Commissioner and the United Nations recommend that the laws relating to hate speech and racial hatred need improvement in New Zealand.
There’s also government policies and programmes. These aim to facilitate inclusion and promote diversity. Examples are the Refugee Re-settlement Strategy, Māori TV, population-based ministries and government-sponsored campaigns around issues like domestic violence and sexual harassment.
The everyday
Members of the Muslim community have publicly shared about the commonplace denigration of their religion and ethnicity. Their experience is not unique as a minority living in NZ. Our culture still seems to give voice and power to anglocentrism.
Our mahi at the Policy Place is workplace/organisational policies and procedures. So my question is – what can we do in our everyday work space to support change and transformation?
Organisational courage
Some obvious things – develop and implement organisational and workplace policies on diversity and inclusion, honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi, addressing harassment and bullying. But this can’t just be a compliance exercise, a tick box.
The policies must be truly embedded in the organisation, part of the organisational pulse. This takes training, ongoing team kōrero, education.
A systemic approach and commitment to ongoing learning and improvement are required.
So is courage. We need the courage to say “no” to the perpetration of stereotyping and prejudice, to question and challenge it in the everyday. We need the courage to say “yes”, “tino pai” to truly embracing diversity.
Balancing privacy with family, whānau involvement
It can seem hard to balance a strong rights orientation, especially the right to privacy, with a family, whānau inclusive approach.
This post looks at how your organisational policy and procedures can help.
Balancing privacy with family, whānau involvement
How can we respect a client’s right to privacy but engage meaningfully with their whānau? A conundrum recently noted by the Mental Health inquiry.
The right to privacy especially in the health and personal wellbeing area is regarded as sacrosanct. It is important to clients’ trust in social and health practitioners. It helps free people up to kōrero about the things they need to, and move on from whatever ails them.
But the problem with privacy is its individualistic focus. It can leave a person, the client, feeling lonely.
The right to privacy, tends to reinforce views of the client as an individual and separate being first, with their relationships coming second. It helps “protect” or separate the individual from their connections to the extent the client wants this. Whether family, whānau, hapū are involved or connected in with the client, depends on the client’s choice and their activation.
As noted by the Mental Health Inquiry and many other reports, this approach can mean that family and whānau are left out in the cold about what’s going on with their person and how they can meaningfully support them. It is unhelpful to the healing process in both the short and longer term.
Organisational policy and procedures
So how can organisational policy help organisations balance the right to privacy with involving family and whānau in work with clients?
The evidence is clear: people want to connect, they need to (eg see Connection – the key to Healing and Resilience; Te Ōhāki: Whakawhanaungatanga Self-disclosure and information sharing is integral to this.
Organisational policies and procedures (eg referral, entry and planning policies) can help with requirements for:
- early engagement and kōrero with the client about who they connect with and how, their whakapapa and turangawaewae
- regular hui and other opportunities for mutual information sharing between client and family
- opportunities for positive client, family, whānau, hapū interactions
- whānau, hapū engagement and feedback in reviews and evaluations
- family, whānau, hapū engagement in exit planning
- when and how client information is shared by the organisation with others (eg with child protection matters).
So what about privacy? It’s still the client’s right but it’s not the starting point. The client’s rights to connectedness, whakawhanaungatanga, belonging and turangawaewae, are.
Contact the Policy Place if you want help with your organisational policies and procedures.
Renovation and policy review
If you like DIY renovating then policy review can be fun! The two jobs have a lot in common.
They can be more fun and effective when people are involved. Just like the room being renovated, the review process is improved by getting a diversity of views, feedback and data on what’s working, not working and needs to change.
Consider the broader context. When you paint a room, it needs to fit with the overall scheme of the house. Likewise, when reviewing your policy, consider your organisation’s kaupapa, vision and strategic plan.
Get updated about trends, what works best etc. When renovating a room or a policy, it’s a good idea to look at current trends, learn from new information and ideas.
Standards, laws, regulations and practice may well have changed since the last policy review and if relevant, should be addressed in the renovated policy.
Think about options for now and the future. You want to build in a good capacity for wear and tear when you’re renovating.
Likewise, changes you make from a policy review need to be workable and sustainable.
Identify options. Only decide on which one after scoping and planning for the practicalities eg the costs, the resources and actions needed to do the job properly and for any changes to endure.
Celebrate. Don’t we all love the feeling of satisfaction we get from a successful renovation? A celebration at the end is even better!
Or, from another perspective, it’s a great start to the next phase of implementing the policy.
See here if you want some ideas about effective implementation strategies.
Domestic Violence
Domestic violence has wide ranging impacts on the lives and opportunities of those it affects. From April this year, workplaces will be required to play their part in supporting domestic violence survivors. Are your policies and procedures going to be ready?
The Domestic Violence – Victims’ Protection Act 2018 commences on 1 April 2019. We are reviewing our members’ policies and procedures and will be updating them in readiness (look for our Policy release in March!).
The Act addresses the impact of domestic violence on a person who is in employment or to a child of the employee. It uses the domestic violence definition contained in the Domestic Violence Act which, in July 2019, will be replaced by a definition of family violence.
The Act entitles an employee to request a short term variation of employment terms to deal wtih the impact of domestic violence regardless of how long ago the domestic violence occurred and even if the domestic violence occurred before the person became an employee.
The Act also establishes entitlement to domestic violence leave up to 10 days.
There are a number of consequent obligations on employers.
A staff member affected by domestic violence must not be adversely treated by an employer for this reason. If adverse treatment occurs, the staff member will have a right to pursue a personal grievance.
Members already have family violence policies and procedures in place for staff and clients. The new legislation applies to the workplace.
We have assessed it will require only minimal change to staffing policies and procedures. Our existing policies support workplace awareness about family violence and responses to safety and support concerns. This will remain the focus but we will strengthen provision for leave and variation of employment terms to comply with the new legislation.
Contact us at the Policy Place for help with reviewing and updating your policies and procedures to comply with the new legislation and other upcoming changes.
Ngā mihi o te tau hōu
With the new year, there’s lots of legislative change coming your way. What do you need to get your policies and procedures up to scratch?
Yes, 2019 looks set to be a year of significant change for human services.
Big legislative change is due to commence and organisational policies, practices and procedures will need to be reviewed and updated.
Big changes that we, at thePolicyPlace, are gearing up for include:
Domestic/Family violence reforms:
The Domestic Violence – Victims’ Protection Act 2018 is commencing April 2019 and we will be updating our employment and staffing policies for our members.
The Family Violence Act 2017 is commencing July 2019. At this stage, we think this will require updating of client services and risk management policies and procedures.
Child and family/whānau services:
Oranga Tamariki (National Care Standards and Related Matters) Regulations 2018, relate to children and rangatahi in care. Policies and procedures for iwi social services, community social services and other agencies approved to provide care to tamariki and rangatahi (under s396 of the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989) will need to be reviewed and updated.
The care standards may also impact on agencies approved to provide community and other other services to children and young people who are in the custody or care of the Ministry of Children/Oranga Tamariki. We are watching this space closely as the Ministry starts to work their own way through their obligations in this new space so that we can update our members’s policies and procedures as necessary.
Children, Young Persons, and Their Families (Oranga amariki) Legislation Act 2017. The commencement of the majority of provisions in this Act warrants everyone working with tamariki, rangatahi and whānau to review their policies. Policies relating to staffing, professional development, diversity & inclusion and Te Tiriti o Waitangi, are just some of those that will need to be reviewed and possibly updated.
Contact the Policy Place for help with reviewing and updating your policies and procedures to support these changes.
In our next post…
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In our next post we will update you on the domestic violence changes that are due to take effect in April in workplaces across Aotearoa.