Standards for Continuous Improvement

If you want to examine your organisation to determine where you need to improve, it helps to have a framework to compare yourself against. This is where standards come in. There are many sets of standards, covering a range of topics: some are for voluntary adoption by organisations, and others are required by legislation or contracts with government funding bodies.

In the ACT, many ACT government-funded organisations are required to use the ACT Government's general standards self-assessment tool: "Raising the Standard". ACTCOSS is funded to provide support to ACT community organisations who use this tool, providing training opportunities and one-on-one consultancy to help organisations to become familiar with the process. Please check our Seminars webpage for the next available training opportunity, or Contact Us to find out more or arrange a one-on-one consultancy with your organisation.

Many organisations find that using standards links to other organisational processes like strategic planning, policy and procedure development, and risk management.

Raising the Standard

"Raising the Standard" is a manual designed to assist community service organisations achieve continuous improvement in the quality of their work with clients and communities and in management. The manual was developed through a year-long process by collaboration between ACT government agencies and community sector organisations.

"Raising the Standard" is available in Word format for free download, and can also be obtained in hard copy from the ACT Department of Disability, Housing and Community Services. It is divided into five sections, as follows:

• Introduction (Word document: 127KB), including a short overview of the manual and acknowledgements
• Section 1: Good Practice Standards for Community Service Organisations (Word document: 237KB), which sets out each of the standards and the features of good practice that accompany them
• Section 2: Self-Assessment and Quality Planning Guide (Word document: 220KB), which provides an overview of how you might use the standards in your organisation
• Section 3: Tools to Support Self-Assessment and Quality Planning (Word document: 216KB), gives information about how to use monitoring and quality assessment tools when using the standards
• Section 4: Self-Assessment Workbook (Word document: 503KB), provides a page-by-page workbook which you can use to work through the standards and record your progress
• Section 5: Quality Improvement Plan Workbook (Word document: 148KB), provides a workbook that can be used to plan your quality improvement activities and record your achievements

Cultural Awareness Self-Assessment Toolkit: Good practice standards for culturally appropriate community services

The Cultural Awareness Self-Assessment Toolkit (CASAT) is a set of good practice standards developed to assist community service organisations improve the quality of their services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients and communities and to improve the organisation’s knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture.

Download the Cultural Awareness Self-Assessment Toolkit PDF (876KB) or Word document (128KB).

Useful Web Resources

There are any number of alternative sets of standards that can be used by community organisations for continuous improvement.

• Australian Standards are produced by Standards Australia and can be bought online through SAI Global
• The National Disability Service Standards webpage provides downloadable copies of the national standards
• You can download the National Mental Health Standards (pdf download: 195KB) from the Mental Health Council of Australia website

This website does not constitute legal advice. ACTCOSS does not warrant or guarantee the currency, accuracy or completeness of information contained on this website. For further information, read our disclaimer.