An introduction to
acso
Karenza Louis-Smith,
ACSO CEO
acso
is a leader in helping people with difficult problems and
we work to make our community safer by reducing crime. We work with people
at risk of getting into trouble with the law and we also help people move from
prison or court to support them in the community to help stop them from
re-offending.
Our chairman says we are like the “fence at the top of the cliff”, working with
people at risk of getting into trouble to divert them from crime. Similarly, we are
also like “the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff”, helping people move from
prison or court and supporting them in the community to stop them from
re-offending.
No other organisation is like us. No one else covers the whole spectrum from
prevention and diversion to rehabilitation of people in the criminal justice
system. Our holistic approach and “wrap around” service model is a critical part
of our success which creates better outcomes for clients and the community.
There are two major themes that are important to us and that
distinguish what we do and how we do it:
A critical priority for us is making sure that the community is safe.
Everything we do makes the community safer by reducing reoffending and the
risk of crime. We aspire to create a safe and inclusive community, freed of crime
and prison. Our goal is simple: to give people opportunities to rebuild their lives
and reintegrate successfully back into society. We work with people who have a
range of problems including addiction and mental illness, as well as people who
have an intellectual disability and those who have challenging behaviours.
We have developed ways of working that produce great outcomes
with people in the criminal justice system and with people who’s
lives are off track.
We don’t condone crime. We believe that people who do
bad things should go to jail, but we will work with people who want to change
their lives and stay out of prison and the criminal justice system.
Central to the effective delivery of services to clients, is the
relationship between staff and the clients of ACSO. Our code of conduct and
code of ethics sets out detailed guidelines for staff to follow. Below is a
summary of the key areas staff need to understand, follow and report on...
Being mature, positive, and appropriate role models.
We expect our staff to conduct themselves as mature, positive, and
appropriate role models for clients. Our staff must always maintain a
professional, respectful and appropriate relationship with all prospective,
current and past clients. They should deliver services to the best of their ability
irrespective of that client's nationality, race, creed, gender, sexuality, political
belief, disability, illness, medical status, previous criminal record and offending
behaviour.
Having professional relationships and boundaries.
Staff must not make or accept or maintain any sexual or intimate
contact or relationship with any referred, current or past clients. Where staff
make a significant personal contact with a known past client, details of this
contact must be passed on to the person responsible within ACSO as soon as
possible. Staff must not enter into any contractual or other relationship with a
client from which they will personally benefit.
“We help people transition from prison, assist them in the community, stop the
from re-offending and intervene to divert others from committing crime...”
Using open, honest, real communication.
Where our staff feel that a client is acting against his or her best
interest we expect that our staff will inform the client of that opinion and the
likely consequences. Staff should challenge and educate any discriminatory
client attitude towards nationality, race, creed, gender, sexuality, political belief,
disability, illness, medical status, previous criminal record and offending
behaviour of staff or other clients.
Understanding confidentiality.
Staff must ensure they follow the Privacy Principles set out by the
Privacy Amendment (Enhancing Privacy Protection) Act 2012, as well as ACSO's
Information Privacy Policy and Procedures. Staff are required to explain
confidentiality (and what it means) to clients of ACSO services. Staff are
required to understand current legislation and requirements for mandatory
reporting; for example, allegations of sexual abuse. At no time should staff
endeavour to hide offending behaviour or any evidence of it.
Our work helps to keep the community
safer because we effectively divert people from
crime. All of our programs are designed to
motivate people to change by inspiring
hope
and
motivation;
having
something to give others; having a
place within a social group; creating
an identity free from offending and
being believed in.
By doing this, we
work towards achieving our
vision of a safe and inclusive
community, freed of crime and
prison.
What we do is help people change their behaviour and create good lives.
This focus on behaviour change means that our sta must be capable,
qualified, skilled and experienced and understand how to both
support our clients and manage community risk.
