3.6 Making and Amending Forms and Procedures |
POLICY
We expect staff to follow procedures as laid down in the Procedures manual at all times unless there are exceptional circumstances. Failure to do so may result in disciplinary action and possible discharge.
However it is accepted that certain procedures may change or be inadequate for given situations, and in that case the following procedures outline what must be done to initiate new or amended procedures.
Contents
1. New or Updated Procedures
1.1 Drawing up New Procedures
New procedures will only be drawn up by or with the agreement of the Senior Management. An appropriate person with relevant experience may be asked to draw up the first draft of a procedure.
New policies or procedures will usually be distributed to the Management team for comments and suggestions.
1.2 Amending existing Procedures
These will only be made by or with the agreement of the Senior Management. However any member of staff is welcome at any time to suggest amendments or additions they consider necessary.
Amendments will usually be distributed to the Management team for comments and suggestions.
1.3 Distribution Process
Each home/location will be given an updated copy of the Procedures Manual on CD at the beginning of each month, whether or not there have been amendments. This should be kept in a designated place in the office, as it is the most up-to-date copy of our Procedures available at any given time. All staff should be aware of where to find this CD. If the monthly copy goes missing, new copies can be obtained from HQ.
Staff will be briefed on any amendments or additions in the regular Company Briefs.
1.4 Getting to know the Procedures
During the induction period and training, new staff will be introduced to certain procedures in depth. They should be encouraged to read the rest of the procedure manual during this period and keep up to date of any changes/additions in the future.
1.5 Exceptional Circumstances and how to deal with them
In exceptional circumstances staff may need to vary or act immediately in the absence of a procedure where, for example, there is a significant risk or injury or damage to property.
In these circumstances the onus is upon staff in the situation to decide what actions to take but only if there is nothing else they could do in line with approved procedures.
As soon as possible after taking such action staff must inform a manager giving the reasons why such action was necessary.
Failure to do so may result in disciplinary proceedings.
Once informed the manager should inform his or her manager, who should consult a Director if the breach was of a serious nature and/or a change in policy or procedure may be necessary.
2. New and Amended Forms
2.1 Initiating and Making New forms
All new forms have to go through the correct procedure as outlined below before being put into general use throughout the company. No forms should be in use that have not been through this procedure.
Individuals/homes can develop new forms if they feel it necessary and useful. Draft forms should then be seen by all other homes for comments and if it is agreed that the form could be put into general use, then it should be sent to HQ for filing and distribution. Only after this process may the form be implemented. In special cases a form may be for use by one home only with the agreement of HQ.
2.2 Amending Existing Forms
These will only be made by or with the agreement of the Senior Management. However any member of staff is welcome at any time to suggest amendments or additions they consider necessary.
Amendments will usually be distributed to the Management team for comments and suggestions.
2.3 Using Forms
Where possible, forms (and how to use them) should be mentioned in the appropriate procedure. Any forms mentioned in procedures will be underlined e.g. Incident Reports. Thought should therefore be given to whether a procedure needs amending or creating if an existing form is changed or a new form created. Staff should be aware of where they can find out about how to use a form if they are not sure.
2.4 Distributing Forms
Once a new form has been agreed, it will be added to the list of forms, named and dated. It will then made available for use.
Amendments to existing forms will be made to the master copy which will then be re-dated.
A copy of the new or amended form will be sent out to all Homes on disk or by email in the monthly form and procedures update. This file will be copied into the existing designated Forms folder at each home and overwrite the existing file. All paper copies of forms (if kept) should be updated as necessary.
An updated list of all current forms will also be distributed at this time.
Home staff should then be made aware of the new/amended form and its use when briefed about any monthly updates.
End