Incident Management

Quirky Kid is committed to ensuring that incidents which occur in relation to the provision of services are managed consistently and effectively and that workers can identify, manage, report and resolve incidents, promptly and adequately.

Purpose

The purpose of this document is to define how incidents are reported, identified, organised and managed. Quirky Kid collects and reviews data on incidents in order to inform improvement activities. We review our incident management system and processes to ensure that they are:

(a) Appropriate to the size of the organisation and the classes of supports it provides, (b) Well documented; (c) Readily accessible to all workers employed or engaged by the organisation and (d) Reflective and adaptive, with an intent to prevent incidents.

Definitions and application

This policy applies to Quirky Kid clients, particularly NDIS clients.
It takes into account the National Disability Insurance Scheme (Incident Management and Reportable Incidents) Rules 2018
The Australian Psychological Society (APS) Ethics Code
Incidents: are acts, omissions, events or circumstances that occur or could occur during or in relation to the provision of supports, or the alteration or withdrawal of supports, that cause harm, either physically or emotionally, to a worker, client, or another stakeholder. Incidents also include acts, omissions, events or circumstances that have caused or could cause damage to property, the environment, material or cause public alarm.
Reportable Incidents: refer to incidents, or alleged incidents, of severity that must be reported to an external agency. This includes but is not is limited to: The death of a client; Serious injury; Abuse or neglect; Sexual misconduct; Unauthorised restrictive practices;
Workers are staff, contractors and volunteers employed or engaged by Quirky Kid

Policy

Quirky Kid has a duty to provide a safe workplace for its staff and volunteers, a safe environment for its clients, and a reliable development path for the organisation. Quirky Kid will put procedures in place that will as far as possible ensure that incidents are reported and appropriately managed.

Induction and staff training

All workers must be familiar with the organisation’s incident management system, understand the organisation’s definition of a Reportable Incident, and understand the procedures they must follow for reporting all incidents to the organisation and an external body (if required).

Connect promotes a culture of open reporting and ensures that all workers understand that they are supported to report any incident or alleged incident and that there will be no negative consequences for doing so.

Incident identification

If a worker observes an incident, or a client or member of the public notifies a worker about an incident that does or could cause permanent or temporary detriment to a client, worker or other stakeholders, then the worker must report the incident to the Practice Manager.

Workers and clients will be protected against any adverse actions as a result of reporting or alleging that an incident has occurred.

Immediate response

Where possible, an incident will first be addressed by the organisation’s personnel responsible and qualified to effectively manage the incident as it takes place. First respondents understand that they must contact emergency services if the situation warrants.

Notification procedures

Staff must report incidents to various agencies and persons based on the following priority system:

For serious incidents, workers must first contact emergency services
Workers must report all incidents internally to Operations Manager.
If it is determined that the incident is serious the Operations Manager is responsible for notifying
1. families, guardians and advocates of the client.
2. If an incident is a Reportable Incident, the Principal Psychologist will notify the relevant external body within the expected timeframe of the external body.

Supporting clients

Throughout the incident management process, from initial response through to review, clients will be supported by the organisation through means of:

Reassurance if the client reported the incident;
Trauma and counselling services where required;
Changes to regular supports if necessary;
Clear, ongoing communication regarding the progress and outcomes of the investigation.
Clients will be involved in the management and resolution of the incident where appropriate.

Assessment and investigation

The Practice Manager is responsible for creating an initial assessment of any incident, to determine the severity of an incident and to establish the need for, and scope of, an investigation. If an incident is a Reportable Incident, an internal investigation will take place.

All investigations will be undertaken and conducted in accordance with the principles of natural justice and procedural fairness.

Incidents involving criminal allegations will be reported to law enforcement, who will receive the full support of the organisation in their investigations. Whenever an investigation into an incident is conducted, it should establish:

The cause of an incident
The effect of an incident
Any organisational processes that contributed to or did not function in preventing an incident
Changes the organisation can make in order to prevent further incidents from occurring

Information related to incident investigations, including records of phone conversations, emails, documents and, where possible, records of face to face interviews will be recorded and kept in strict confidence.

Incident resolution

Based on the Practice Manager’s assessment, the organisation may undertake remedial action proportionate to the severity of the incident, including but not limited to:

Providing an apology
Disciplinary action
Financial compensation

The organisation will inform and involve clients, family and advocates in the process of incident management and resolution.

Clients and/or participants will be contacted during the Incident assessment and receive a brief report outlining the findings and actions undertaken.

Incident register and review

The organisation keeps an accurate register of all incidents that occur in relation to the provision of services. Each entry in the register contains:

A description of the incident
A determination of whether or not the incident is a Reportable Incident
Where possible, time, date and location
Names of all the people involved, including witnesses
Details of the incident assessment
Actions are taken in regard to the incident

The organisation will review this information every three years to understand trends, address systemic issues and inform improvement activities.

Records will be added to clients respective files and kept according to with specific legislations but not less than 7 years.