Workplace procedures often outline how to do things to make sure the rights of a client are upheld. They are important because they are often based on legislation. Select these procedures to learn more about the government rules that are there to protect clients and to keep the workplace safe. Use the left menu to choose another topic.

Duty of care

Duty of care is a legal term. It means you have a responsibility to act with care towards others and the public. If you don’t act with care and caution your actions would be considered negligent (careless).

Under the law if you were negligent in your job you could be charged.

Privacy and confidentiality

The Privacy Act 1988 explains the rules about the protection of personal information.

This rule gives people the right to know:

• the purpose for which their personal information is being collected
• whether they must give their personal information
• who else will be able to see their personal information
• how they can see their records
• how their information will be stored
• that what they tell you will be kept confidential.

See Mandatory Reporting to learn about situations where you must report information to other people.

Mandatory reporting

This rule is about when a worker must report certain things they are told by a client. It is there to protect children in cases of suspected child abuse.

In the course of your work if you are told something that leads you to think a child is at risk of abuse, there are procedures that you must follow to report this.

The rules for confidentiality are different in this case.

Treatment protocols

These procedures tell you step by step how to do certain tasks in the workplace. They describe how to do a task to limit the risk of infection or a workplace accident.

Workplace Health and Safety (WHS)

Every workplace must have procedures about workplace health and safety. It’s the law. They describe how to eliminate risks and reduce workplace accidents.

Community protocols

Your workplace may have particular procedures and ways of doing things to follow Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander community protocols.

Different communities may have different protocols.

Client rights

Workplace procedures often outline how to do things to make sure the rights of a client are upheld. Clients rights include being able to:

• get quality health care
• have choices
• consent or refuse treatment
• have others present.

Discrimination

A workplace will develop procedures to make sure that all patients are treated fairly and equally.

Special Needs

A workplace will have procedures to make sure that people with special needs are provided with the same care as everyone else. Special needs guidelines might include:

• communication support
• disability access
• interpreter services.