Legal and Ethical Frameworks Relevant to Community Services Work
There are various frameworks relevant to community services. The first is common law, which is a framework based on the fact that current court cases are judged based on the principles of previous cases. If the current case is new and has never been addressed before, then the court grants the judges an authority and duty to find a solution (Arjoon, 2005). However, in so doing, the judges are expected to consider the impacts of their decision on both parties as either one of the parties will have to lose. This is where the duty of care is also experienced. This is a framework where an individual is given the legal obligation of showcasing reasonable care when engaging in acts that can be foreseen as harmful to others.
The standards and guidelines are a set of rules which have been prepared and presented to the public to act as guidance on what is acceptable or not, and also to stipulate how an individual is expected to conduct him or herself. Codes of Ethics are documents which outline the mission and values of a given organization and how the members are expected to handle various problems. Compliance protocol is a framework based on the Anti-Money Laundering laws that require financial institutions to identify the person that their customer is sending money to, as well as who the client is receiving money from (Arjoon, 2005). Statute law policies are rules created by the legislative bodies with an intention of commanding or prohibiting something. Regulations are directives which are created and maintained by the authorities. Lastly, residential care is a framework whereby the elderly are entitled to living in a care home where they can be cared for by professions rather than staying home alone.
These frameworks apply in the workplace as they guide the employees and their employers, ensuring that a balanced relationship is experienced. With the rules and regulations, organizations will be able to act in a reasonable way.
Managing Compliance and Ethical Practice
Policies and procedures can be used to effectively manage compliance and ethical practice as they will stipulate what the employees of the organization are expected to do always when in varying situations. The organization policy must always be followed through; otherwise a strict penalty awaits the one who breaks the rules and regulations presented (Arjoon, 2005). Policies tend to manage compliance and ethical practice in the organization and outside as employees are always expected to reflect the same kind of behavior both in and outside of the company. The policies and procedures will describe how the employees are meant to interact with one another, and how they should interact with customers.
Functions and Operating Procedures
The health and community service sector regulatory authorities have various functions. For instance, the Human Rights Commission has a function of ensuring that all individual’s rights are respected (Arjoon, 2005). As such, it seeks to protect individuals from being denied their human rights. The Australian Aged care has a function of protecting the elderly from suffering and neglect. It ensures that they are all given the access to care homes for the elder. Quality agencies are those which have a function of ensuring that high quality services are offered to the community. Therefore, it seeks to monitor activities engaged by organizations, to check whether or not it is of the required standard.
Reference
Arjoon, S. (2005). Corporate Governance: An Ethical Perspective. Journal Of Business Ethics, 61(4), 343-352. doi:10.1007/s10551-005-7888-5
