Changes made to the Code’s Quality Assurance Framework are in khaki.
These changes will take effect for ACFID members as of 31 December 2019, and are a result of the ACFID Review into Prevention of Sexual Exploitation & Abuse.
Changes to Quality Principle 5
Compliance Indicator 5.1.2
Members undertake due diligence and capacity assessments of organisations with whom they work in formal partnerships.
Verifier
A documented assessment process that includes:
- Alignment with Members’ values and objectives.
- Governance and legal registration.
- Financial systems.
- Reference checks of partners against prohibited entities listings.
- Capacity assessment for implementation of key safeguarding and risk policies (e.g. child protection and prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment).
Guidance
Undertaking due diligence and capacity assessments is a mechanism that enables Members to identify potential strengths and risks and inform their approach to working with partners. Some organisations may choose to combine due diligence and capacity assessment in one tool, or tackle these as separate processes. Due diligence would normally be undertaken prior to initiating an agreement with a partner, whereas an assessment of capacity can be undertaken at different stages of a partnership – including prior to an agreement, during project delivery, or if changes to the partnership occur. The findings of these assessments should guide a Member’s approach to working with its partners, identify any areas of strength and risk and include the development of a capacity-strengthening plan that is jointly agreed with its partners.
Child protection and the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment is a critical area of assessment to ensure our partners ‘do no harm’ either intentionally or unintentionally, and therefore should be explicitly included in any due diligence and capacity assessment tool.
You may also wish to download and read ACFID's guide to developing and managing partnerships for some of the key considerations in identifying and working with partners, as well as ACFID's partnership agreement template which provides and example of an MOU or other agreement that you could customise and use as appropriate to the partners that your organisation works with.
Compliance Indicator 5.2.1
Members negotiate shared goals and respective contributions with partners and those they collaborate with.
Verifier
Policy, statement or guidance document committing the Member to partnership and/or collaboration and the approaches it takes.
For formal partnerships, partnership agreement template or examples of partnership agreements that consistently describe:
- Value and contribution of each party.
- Shared goals, roles and responsibilities of all parties.
- Financial and non-financial resources and support offered by and required of each party.
- Dispute resolution process.
- Mutual accountabilities for reporting, sharing information and communication.
- Specific statements about child protection, prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment, and incident reporting.
Guidance
Documented agreements (or equivalent) provide a framework for discussion and allow both parties to make clear statements of areas of practice that are important to them for quality and compliance reasons. Discussing and negotiating these in a collaborative manner with partners can assist in relationship building and gaining a better understanding by each party. Child protection and the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment is a critical area of practice to ensure our partners ‘do no harm’ either intentionally or unintentionally, and therefore should be explicitly included in partnership agreements. A helpful guide to partnership and partnering principles can be found on The Partnering Initiative website, a link to which can be found in the Resources Section below. A good example of how one of ACFID's members have documented their approach to partnership is Oxfam's Partnership Principles, which can be found in the Resources Section below.