Human Rights Position Statement
Our Purpose and Intent We endeavour to enhance the lives of all individuals with whom we connect, as we transform lives by expressing the love of Christ. We recognise that we have a critical role to play in promoting and respecting human rights, and identifying and addressing any human rights issues in our workforce and supply chain. We commit to the betterment of the lives of the community we serve and all our stakeholders by adhering to ethical policies that respect human rights and oppose exploitation.
The purpose of this statement is to: •
Confirm our intention to respond to the growing focus on the human rights of all our stakeholders, including our customers, our workforce and in our supply chain
•
Ensure human rights principles are incorporated in all that we do
•
Reinforce our commitment to protecting the human rights of the vulnerable people in our care
•
Work towards reducing and eliminating actual and potential exploitation and slavery in our workforce and supply chain
Our Guiding Principles Our commitment is guided by Biblical principles and the principles of the following:
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
International Labour Organisation’s Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work
Universal Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights
Universal Nations Sustainable Development Goals
We acknowledge these sources identify the human rights of individuals. We respect and support these human rights by embedding the following principles into our frameworks, policies and procedures: Fair Labour Practices including the right to work (including training and education), fair remuneration, safe and healthy working conditions, collective bargaining, equal opportunities in career advancement, and rest and leisure from work;
The right to physical and mental health, education, privacy and security
Freedom from slavery (including modern slavery as defined in the Australian Modern Slavery Act 2018) and from unjust discrimination in thought, conscience and religion.
Opportunities Our sector is critical to the fabric of our society. Our commitment to human rights will contribute to safe and quality care and secure and sustainable supply chains. We see an opportunity to apply human rights principles to the Aged Care Quality Standards, particularly Standard 1 (Dignity and Choice). Our sector is growing rapidly, presenting many opportunities for employment and influence for good. We work with many service providers and vendors, including in the following sectors: medical devices and surgical equipment, cleaning, clothing, hospitality, food, technology, facilities maintenance and contracting. We believe we have a significant opportunity to collaborate across the sector and work constructively with key service providers and vendors, to apply our human rights approach and improve workplace practices in the aged care supply chain.
Our Stakeholders We will respect our customers, their families and friends and promote the human rights of those in our care. We will strive to create a positive impact on the community and model personcentred care. We will endeavour to collaborate with industry bodies, other aged care providers, unions, government, regulators and other stakeholders to uphold human rights principles across the sector. We will respect the human rights of our workforce, including volunteers and contractors. We will promote a culture of respect for human rights and embrace diversity and inclusion. We expect the workforce, including employees, volunteers, contractors and union representatives to act lawfully and respectfully toward each other and with our customers. We expect our vendors and partners to share our commitment to human rights and to hold others down the supply chain to the same standards. We will endeavour to work with our vendors and partners to incorporate this approach into their business practices. We are committed to not participating in any business activities that could be complicit in human rights abuses. We expect all our vendors and partners to be accountable to the same high standards of this statement.
Actions to Support our Position Statement We will:
Communicate the statement internally and externally
Engage with and seek feedback from key stakeholders
Establish an internal framework for implementing this position statement
Review and align operational policies and procedures with the intent of this statement
Review and align culture with the intent of this statement
Incorporate human rights principles in risk assessment processes
Meet legislative requirements (including modern slavery laws)
Review and report on implementation of this statement
Awareness We will communicate our policy to our stakeholders at the start of our relationships with them and at the renewal of agreements. We will work with, educate and train our stakeholders to act consistently with the intent of this statement.
Governance Framework Our Board will demonstrate its commitment to human rights through strong governance and leadership. Our Senior Management will resource and implement appropriate policies, procedures and actions to facilitate this, and report progress and outcomes to our Board.
Review and Update We will review and update this statement as required and not less than every 3 years.
1300 275 227 ask@baptistcare.org.au baptistcare.org.au BaptistCare Level 2, 22 Brookhollow Avenue PO Box 7626 Norwest NSW 2153
BaptistCare NSW & ACT ABN 90 000 049 525