Protecting Those in Our Care
One of the continuing trends in our society is the declining trust many of us place in institutions that were once held in high regard. Some of this diminished trust results from revelations of corruption or negligence, and some from the perception that many institutions have an excessive focus on short term profits at the expense of the interests of their broader constituencies.
So, society seems to place less and less faith in our politicians, our corporate leaders and other institutions such as banks, the police force and churches.
Unfortunately, care organisations are not immune from this problem. Over recent months, we have heard revelations of shocking sexual and physical abuse of the frail aged in nursing homes, and of payments made to the victims of abuse that occurred in group homes for children whilst run by prominent and well-regarded welfare organisations.
As a result, there is growing government regulation of many of the activities of agencies like Baptcare. Recent examples of this include the Federal Government’s creation of a new Office for Aged Care Compliance with onerous complaints-investigation procedures, compulsory reporting of suspected incidents of sexual and serious physical assault and strengthened State Government police checking and certification requirements for those working with children.
Some of these developments are necessary and are to be applauded as mechanisms to better protect the frail and vulnerable. However, no human system is totally reliable or infallible, and at Baptcare we strive to create other forms of protection for those in our care.
One way we try to do this is through promoting a strong values-based culture in our workforce; where we actively seek to employ staff members who model our values of respect, commitment, integrity, coordination, accountability and justice, where we reinforce a zero-tolerance approach to inappropriate behaviour and where any staff member who has valid concerns or suspicions can voice them without fear of reprisal.
All care organisations ultimately rely on the character and quality of their staff to protect the vulnerable.
We can never be complacent. However, we strive with the utmost vigour to implement both tangible and intangible means of protecting those in our care.
Thank you
Jeff Davey
Chief Executive
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