Introduction

At Hireup, the safety and wellbeing of our community is important to us. We have  a dedicated Trust and Safety Team who focus on building systems that are effective at preventing incidents, issues and injuries. While we work hard to ensure that incidents are prevented, we also understand that sometimes things don't go to plan, so we have built a Detection, Investigation and Response team.

You can report an incident  by accessing our online incident report form.

Alternatively you can:

• Phone (02) 9113 5933 (8.00am - 5.30pm Monday to Friday)
• Email hello@hireup.com.au and include “incident report” in the subject. 
• Based on the Hireup model of support services, calling emergency services on 000 in an emergency situation is the quickest way to get appropriate on-location assistance. Our system is designed to ensure that no time is lost in this process. Hireup’s on-call roster monitors incident reports 24/7 and responds accordingly. 

This statement applies to Hireup, our clients and support workers.

Principles

• Hireup is committed to responding and resolving incidents in a timely manner
• Hireup will act fairly and equitably in investigating and resolving an incident
• Hireup will accurately document the response process that is undertaken
• Hireup will operate within our core values to ensure Choice and Control and Dignity of risk are contributing factors in the incident response process
• Hireup will communicate with key stakeholders internally and externally throughout the process
• Hireup applies open disclosure principles when responding to and investigating incidents
• Hireup will consider the communication requirements of all stakeholders involved in an incident or emergency and tailor our communication accordingly.  If a matter is reported to Hireup, we may be obligated to take further action.

Reporting an incident

At Hireup, an incident is any event or circumstance that causes or has the potential to cause physical or psychological injury, ill health, damage to property or any other loss. The term near-miss refers to an incident that resulted in no injury, ill health or loss occurring, but still had the potential to cause it.  Community reporting is an essential pillar of Hireup’s safety systems, Hireup relies on the community to report incidents, near misses and concerns to equip support workers to understand risks that may be present. You can notify Hireup of an incident or near miss by using one of the following ways:

• Using our online incident report form
• Phone (02) 9113 5933 (8:00am 5:30pm Monday to Friday)
• Report a Complaint 
• Email hello@hireup.com.au and include “incident report” in the subject.

If you report an incident or near miss over the phone, Hireup may request you to provide a written statement with facts and information regarding the incident.

Incidents should be reported as soon as possible and at the very latest within 24 hours of the incident occurring. 

It’s important to note that all Hireup support workers are mandatory reporters.

What happens after a report is made?

Incidents will be subject to a triage process which assesses the type and severity of the incident. Hireup uses a risk based approach when investigating and responding to incidents. Hireup will also internally escalate incidents as required. 

The incident will be assigned to a member of the Hireup Detection, Investigation and Response team and they will document each step of the process that they undertake. 

Hireup will consider the preferences of the Support Worker and Clients preferences for contacting other parties within the incident response process. However, in matters of safety and mandatory reporting situations Hireup may be obliged to contact all parties involved. Hireup will work with the reporter to contact other parties in situations that may impact support relationships.

Depending on the severity of the incident, follow-up may range from a referral to another team to an extensive investigation into the matter. 

Hireup’s investigation may include: 

• Initial risk assessment and risk mitigation determining the severity of the incident and ensuring any immediate risks of harm are mitigated. 
• Referring the incident to other teams within Hireup to conduct the follow-up such as the Behaviour Support Team 
• Investigation into the incident. This may include: 
  • Interviewing the named parties to the incident 
  • Interviewing any witnesses 
  • Gathering further evidence 
  • Analysis of information provided including support plans 
  • Analysis of Hireup’s systems and information provided including policies and procedures or previous communications with parties 
  • Risk assessing including understanding whether existing controls were effective and determining what further controls are required 
  • Determining and communicating the outcome to the appropriate parties 
  • Analysing our trust and safety systems and processes to identify areas for improvement
  • Mandatory reporting to the NDIS Quality and Safety Commission and other regulatory bodies (see below). 
  • No action, in the event that the reported matter is deemed not a Hireup matter. 

Not all incidents require all investigative components and appropriate follow-up is determined by the Detection, Investigation and Response team’s internal triage process.

Hireup may also be required to complete external reporting for incidents. At times we may request that the reporter fulfil external reporting obligations. 

Resolution and Remediation 

Each incident will be resolved in line with Hireup policies and procedures, NDIS guidelines and legal obligations. Hireup will work to ensure that the resolution is fair and proportionate to the incident. While the outcome of an investigation may not always align with your personal expectations, we will ensure that the matter has been thoroughly addressed and resolved with fairness and integrity. The resolution and remediation may include:

• Mediation between relevant parties 
• Provide additional coaching or education 
• Referral to Relationship Management for additional support 
• Support Worker Performance Management - see Support Worker Performance Management policy 
• Collaborative risk assessment to be completed 
• Account restrictions or conditions of service to be imposed 
• Suspension or termination of a user account*
• Requests for additional information or documentation e.g. Client Support Plan 
• Referring the matter to an external party or reporting body for ongoing follow-up or management 

Once the investigation has been finalised, Hireup will communicate the outcome to you to the extent that it is appropriate for us to do so; this may be via email or phone call. Due to privacy and confidentiality there will be limits to what we can disclose. Upon the resolution of an incident we will seek your feedback via a shortform survey. 

* Hireup will ensure that continuity of service is considered prior to suspending or terminating the account of a client.

Note that some incidents are required for documentation or compliance purposes only and may not require a formal resolution. 

Reportable Incidents/Issues

Hireup will meet all of the legislative and regulatory requirements and obligations for reporting notifiable incidents to the relevant authorities.