​Compliance with the Code
Members must be compliant with all applicable aspects of the Code. To achieve compliance, Members will need to understand and apply the two key components of the Code:
- The ACFID Code of Conduct: the 9 Principles and 31 Commitments that lay out the standard of practice to which ACFID Members commit.
- The Quality Assurance Framework: a separate but linked document that details the Compliance Indicators, Verifiers and Good Practice Indicators for each of the Principles and Commitments of the Code.
Compliance with the Commitments is assessed against the Compliance Indicators as detailed in the Quality Assurance Framework (QAF). Each of the Compliance Indicators has one or more compliance Verifiers. Verifiers are the description of evidence that would substantiate compliance with the Indicator. To demonstrate compliance, Members will have the Verifiers in place, commensurate with the size and nature of their work.
Satisfaction of all Compliance Indicators is necessary to achieve compliance with the Code. To be compliant with the Code, ACFID Members will have the required policies, processes, guidelines and documentation in place appropriate to the size and nature of the organisation and its work. They will also ensure that their policies, processes and guidelines are implemented and subject to regular review.
Responsibility for compliance with the Code rests primarily with ACFID Members who self-assess against the Compliance Indicators. The governing body of each ACFID Member has primary responsibility for verifying compliance with all Compliance Indicators. ACFID undertakes relatively limited external verification in line with this principle of self-regulation.
The Code applies to ACFID Members and their international development and humanitarian programs. As signatories to the Code, ACFID Members certify that all parts of their organisation that are associated with international development and humanitarian initiatives operate in a manner that is compliant with the Code. It should be noted, however, that Code commitments relating to financial reporting apply to the entire legal entity of the ACFID Member.
Members are expected to use all reasonable efforts to support their implementing partners to operate in a manner consistent with the Code of Conduct when delivering aspects of a Member-supported initiative. There are some requirements which Members are required to ensure they have appropriate mechanisms to assess, manage and mitigate the risks relevant to child safeguarding, separation of development and non-development activity, financial wrongdoing and complaints handling. These requirements are clearly articulated in the relevant Compliance Indicators and Verifiers.