COURSE OVERVIEW:

Case management, along with all of the other human services professions, is framed by International, Commonwealth and State legislation. These laws provide the foundation for what organisations and individuals who work for them can and cannot do.

Case managers can work in a variety of settings that provide a wide range of services. This means that there is a large range of legislation that can impact upon case management. While you will not be expected to become an expert in every facet of Australian law, as a case manager you will be expected to be aware of and comply with all legislation that is applicable to your work area and role.

Ethics are beliefs, standards, and motivations for behaviours that are valued by you as an individual or valued by a group. While you will have your own ethical framework, all organisations and employers will have expectations regarding the way you are to carry out the tasks and duties inherent to your role.

A Code of Conduct often sits alongside a Code of Ethics. These documents are typically complementary in nature, and will inform one another. The Code of Conduct informs the actions and behaviour of an organisation and its staff, whereas the Code of Ethics informs the values. Many organisations write their own Code of Conduct which means they are all slightly different and generally reflect the values that the organisation believes to be most important.

While it is important for case managers to be familiar with legal and ethical considerations, most community service organisations will have specific policies, procedures, and protocols in place to assist with ensuring compliance with relevant legislation. Organisational policies, procedures, and protocols can provide case managers with a set of clear guidelines for how the organisation operates and how work should be completed so that it is lawful and complies with all organisational values and practices.

Compliance is the process of ensuring that a community service organisation’s policies and procedures are compliant with the minimum standards set out by relevant government departments. Although community service organisations can include both government and non-government organisations, in many cases they are government-funded. All government-funded organisations are required to adhere to government standards and are held accountable for ensuring that funding is spent appropriately and high quality service provision is maintained.

Failure to adhere to relevant state and federal laws and standards does not only present risks to your clients and workers; it can also have serious consequences for the organisation and leave it vulnerable to lawsuits, audits, fines, penalties, or even dissolution/suspension of organisational activities.

In this course you will learn how to effectively perform your role, as a case manager, while fulfilling your legal and ethical duties and responsibilities. This knowledge will enable you to become a more competent and confident case manager and help you ensure the legal and ethical compliance of your organisation.

In the first section of this course you will be introduced to the legal foundations of case management practice. You will learn about some of the key legislation and legal considerations relevant to case management practice, as well as standards of practice which guide case management. This information will provide you with a foundational framework for understanding case management and informing your case management practice.

The second section explores the ethical framework surrounding case management practice, including ethical responsibilities of case managers and some of the ethical dilemmas you may encounter in your work practices. You will gain insight into how codes of conduct and codes of ethics inform case management practice as well as learn about ethical thinking and how these can help guide decision making.

The third section will introduce you to some of the common policies and procedures relevant to case management. You will learn about how these policies and procedures are developed, as well as how they help to ensure legal and ethical compliance in case management practice.

The last section will focus on compliance. You will learn about the standards and requirements for demonstrating compliance in case management, as well as accreditation, certification, and licencing responsibilities. You will also learn about the process of monitoring compliance, as well as the consequences of non-compliance, and how to go about rectifying issues of non-compliance.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

By the end of this course, you will be able to understand:

·       Australia’s legal framework (a brief introduction)

·       The key legislation that influences case management practice

·       The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

·       The Anti-discrimination Legislation

·       The Privacy Legislation

·       The confidentiality principles and practices      

·       The informed consent

·       The Child Protection Legislation

·       The mandatory reporting

·       The Workplace Health and Safety Legislation

·       The Industrial Relations Legislation

·       The other key legislation in case management

·       The other considerations in case management practice

·       The principles and practices of duty of care

·       The dignity of risk

·       The restrictive and forbidden practices in case management

·       The practice standards in case management

·       The ethical responsibilities and framework for case management

·       The difference between Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct

·       The key considerations for ethical practice

·       The practitioner/client boundaries

·       The importance of continuing professional development

·       The ethical decision making and the community

·       The modelling ethical behaviour

·       What is included in a well-written policy?

·       The specific policies and procedures common in case management

·       The key factors that should be considered when designing a Records Management policy and procedure for use in a case management organisation

·       The critical considerations when designing a Client Protection policies and procedures

·       The key factors that should be considered when designing a Children in the Workplace policy for use in a case management organisation

·       The Workplace Health and Safety policies and procedures

·       The complaints procedures

·       How to distribute and update policies and procedures?

·       How to refer legal and ethical issues and seek legal advice?

·       What is compliance?

·       The sources of information and advice on compliance

·       The auditing, accreditation, certification and licensing

·       The mandatory training and checks

·       How to monitor compliance?

·       What happens when an organisation is not compliant?

·       The risks and consequences of non-compliance

·       What happens if an issue of non-compliance is identified?

·       The insurance requirements

COURSE DURATION:

The typical duration of this course is approximately 3-4 hours to complete. Your enrolment is Valid for 12 Months. Start anytime and study at your own pace.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

You must have access to a computer or any mobile device with Adobe Acrobat Reader (free PDF Viewer) installed, to complete this course.

COURSE DELIVERY:

Purchase and download course content.

ASSESSMENT:

A simple 10-question true or false quiz with Unlimited Submission Attempts.

CERTIFICATION:

Upon course completion, you will receive a customised digital “Certificate of Completion”.