The Code of Practice forms the basis for how agencies become accredited to provide statutory out-of-home care and adoption services.
Accreditation criteria
In NSW, accreditation to provide statutory out-of-home care and adoption services is based on the Code of Practice.
The Code of Practice applies to both statutory out-of-home care and adoption services. This allows agencies to be accredited to provide both service types.
Why do we have a Code of Practice?
The Code of Practice sets out the minimum requirements of agencies providing statutory out-of-home care and adoption services must meet to become accredited in NSW.
The Code of Practice incorporates legal responsibilities statutory of out-of-home care and adoption service providers, contained in the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998, the Adoption Act 2000, the Children’s Guardian Act 2019 and various regulations.
The Code of Practice is also underpinned by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Charter of Rights for Children and Young People in Out-of-Home Care in NSW. These state that children and young people have the right to:
- be safe and protected from harm
- live a full life and develop healthily
- participate in decisions that affect them
- a healthy living environment
- receive an education
- receive quality health care
- maintain relationships with family and people of significance
- maintain connections to community, culture, language and spirituality
- information about issues that concern them
- privacy
- engage in leisure activities and spend time with their peers, and
- services that assist them to achieve their full potential.
Accreditation assessment for new agencies
We will review indirect and direct evidence against the practice requirements in the Code of Practice.
Indirect evidence we may consider includes policies, procedures, systems to support practice.
Direct evidence we may consider includes how the leadership and frontline staff are using their systems to effectively support children and young people in practice.
Resources
Browse our range of guides and templates to help your agency meet your accreditation requirements.
