Introduction

The Board of AMAF is committed to protecting the privacy of personal information which the organisation collects, holds and administers. Personal information is information which directly or indirectly identifies a person.

Purpose
The purpose of this document is to provide a framework for AMAF in dealing with privacy considerations.

Policy
AMAF collects and administers a range of personal information for the purposes of fund raising and membership. The organisation is committed to protecting the privacy of personal information it collects, holds and administers.
AMAF recognises the essential right of individuals to have their information administered in ways which they would reasonably expect – protected on one hand, and made accessible to them on the other. These privacy values are reflected in and supported by our core values and philosophies.
AMAF is bound by laws which impose specific obligations when it comes to handling information. The organisation has adopted the following principles contained as minimum standards in relation to handling personal information.

AMAF will:
• Collect only information which the organisation requires for its primary function;
• Ensure that stakeholders are informed as to why we collect the information and how we administer the information gathered;
• Use and disclose personal information only for our primary functions or a directly related purpose, or for another purpose with the person’s consent;
• Store personal information securely, protecting it from unauthorised access; and
• Provide stakeholders with access to their own information, and the right to seek its correction.

Last Amended
26 September 2020

Authorisation
Board of Directors

Introduction
The Board of AMAF is committed to high standards of ethical conduct and accordingly places great importance on making clear any existing or potential conflict of interest.

Purpose
This policy has been developed to provide a framework for all Board Members in declaring conflicts of interest.

Definition
A conflict of interest situation arises when an AMAF member or volunteer has a private and personal
interest sufficient to appear to influence the objective exercise of his or her AMAF duties.

Policy
The Board places great importance on making clear any existing or potential conflicts of interest.
All such conflicts of interest shall be declared by the member concerned and documented in the
Board’s Conflicts of Interest Register. Thus, all responsible persons, members, volunteers and staff
are required to disclose perceived, potential and actual conflicts of interest in relation to all AMAF
activities and projects.
A Board member, staff or volunteer who believes another Board member, staff or volunteer has an
undeclared conflict of interest should specify in writing the basis of this potential conflict.
Where a Board member, staff or volunteer has a conflict of interest that Board member shall not initiate
or take part in any Board discussion on that topic (either in the meeting or with other Board members
before or after the Board meetings), unless expressly invited to do so by unanimous agreement by all
other members present.
Where a Board member, staff or volunteer has a conflict of interest that Board member, staff or
volunteer shall not vote on that matter.
Where a Board member, staff or volunteer has a conflict of interest, the relevant person will be required
to remove or rectify the conflict, both past and present, and report back to the Board. If this is not
possible, then the involvement of the Board member, staff or volunteer in AMAF activities will be need
to be considered.
The Board may supplement the statutory definition of conflict of interest if it so wishes, in which case
the same procedures shall apply.
Board members, staff or volunteers are not barred from engaging in business dealings with the
organisation, provided that these are negotiated at arm’s length without the participation of the Board
member concerned.
The Board is committed to open and fair procurement of goods and services

Last Amended
26 September 2020

– Board of Directors

The goal of this policy is:
To protect children from exploitation and abuse of all kinds in the delivery of AMAF’s aid program.

Objective:
To create and maintain protective environments for children in the delivery of AMAF’s aid program.
1. Scope
This policy applies to:
• AMAF members
• all contractor and civil society organisations funded by AMAF, including:
– individual contractors
– partners or organisations subcontracted by AMAF-funded contractors or civil society organisations
– personnel of AMAF-funded contractors and civil society organisations
– Australian Volunteers for International Development Program participants and partners

2 Guiding principles
The policy is guided by the following principles: Zero tolerance of child exploitation and abuse
AMAF does not tolerate child exploitation and abuse. Such action attracts criminal,
civil and disciplinary sanctions. AMAF works to reduce the risks of child exploitation and abuse associated with delivering aid activities and trains its staff on their obligations. AMAF will not knowingly engage—directly or indirectly—anyone who poses an unacceptable risk to children. AMAF will not fund any individual or organisation that does not meet AMAF’s child protection compliance standards in their operations and activities.

Recognition of the best interest of the child
Australia is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and AMAF is committed to upholding the rights and obligations under this convention. AMAF recognises that some children, such as those with disability and children living in areas impacted by disasters are particularly vulnerable.

Sharing responsibility for child protection
To effectively manage risks to children, AMAF requires the commitment, support and cooperation of contractors and civil society organisations. They must meet the terms of this policy and will be held accountable, through contracts, audits and spot checks, for complying with it. Risk management approach
While it is not possible to eliminate all risks of child exploitation and abuse, careful management can reduce the risks to children that may be associated with aid activities. These are identified during initial risk assessments and are managed for the duration of the aid activity.

Procedural fairness
AMAF uses fair and proper procedures when making decisions that affect a person’s rights or interests. Our partners are expected to adhere to this principle when responding to concerns or allegations of child exploitation and abuse.

3. Implementation within AMAF

Ensuring coordinated policy implementation
AMAF’s Child Protection Compliance Section is responsible for:
• responding to reports of child exploitation and abuse, and policy non-compliance
• conducting child protection audits and spot checks to monitor the child protection systems of contractors and civil society organisations
• monitoring internal and external compliance with the policy
• providing child protection training for AMAF volunteers

Increasing staff awareness of child protection obligations under the policy
• AMAF volunteers must:
– immediately report any concerns or allegations of child exploitation and abuse, and policy non-compliance, by anyone covered by the policy
– consider child protection as part of the initial risk assessment for aid activities and throughout the aid management cycle.

Internal recruitment and screening processes
AMAF’s internal recruitment processes include stringent screening measures to ensure that inappropriate people are not employed by the agency. These include criminal record checks and background checks on all successful candidates before they begin work.

Internal procedures for handling reports related to child exploitation and abuse
AMAF will develop internal procedures for handling reports related to child exploitation and abuse and notifies relevant law enforcement agencies as appropriate.

Ensuring risks to children are managed in humanitarian disaster responses
AMAF recognises that children living in areas impacted by disasters are particularly vulnerable. All organisations implementing AMAF’s humanitarian disaster response activities must comply with the policy’s child protection compliance standards Risks to children must always be considered when developing humanitarian disaster response activities.

Child Protection Code of Conduct
All AMAF volunteer staff must comply with AMAF’s Child Protection Code of Conduct which sets stringent standards for personal behaviour. AMAF volunteers are expected to use common sense and avoid actions or behaviours that could be construed as child exploitation and abuse in the course of their association with AMAF.

Communication of Child Safeguarding
All AMAF members and volunteers are regularly updated on this Child Protection Policy and Code of
Conduct. Volunteers and AMAF visitors to local projects are refreshed on the requirements before on the
ground involvement.

4. AMAF’s expectations of contractors and civil society organisations
Contractor and civil society organisations
Contractor and civil society organisations play an important role in protecting children. AMAF-funded contractors and civil society organisations are required to develop and implement an AMAF-compliant child protection policy.

Individual contractors
Individual contractors who are in contact with children are required to sign the funding organisation’s child protection code of conduct and ensure they comply with this during their employment. Individual contractors must obtain a criminal record check before they are contracted.

5. Child Abuse reporting process
AMAF considers the abuse and exploitation of children to be completely unacceptable. We will take all concerns and reports of child abuse seriously and act on these reports immediately.
It is mandatory for all AMAF staff and others to report concerns or allegations of child abuse. These concerns may relate to child or a staff member involved in the organisation or a concern about a child or person/s outside of the organisation’s programs. If you do have a concern you should immediately follow AMAF’s child abuse reporting procedures.

Who should report?
All AMAF staff and partners including people in the community and partner organisations.

What should be reported?
a. Any disclosure or allegation from a child/community member or staff regarding the safety/abuse exploitation of child
b. Any observation or concern and behaviour exhibited by an AMAF staff volunteer or relevant stakeholder that breaches AMAF code of conduct for working with children
c. Inappropriate use of the organisation’s photographic equipment or computers including evidence of child pornography
d. Start engaging in suspicious behaviour that could be associated with sexual exploitation or trafficking.

Who to report to?
a. Overseas: child-abuse reports should be made to the line manager country director.If this is possible reports can be made directly to the Australian-based child protection officer.
b. In Australia: child-abuse reports should be made to the President of AMAF. Reporting child abuse can either be made in the State police with the State child protection authorities. If there is an allegation or suspicion of child sexual abuse by a staff member or volunteer in the organisation, these matters will be reported to the State police. If there are concerns that a child is being sexually abused by some external to the organisation AMAF will contact the State police and/or child protection
c. Concerns about the welfare of the child in relation to neglect and/or emotional abuse will be reported to the child protection authorities in each state or territory.
d. Concerns about people engaging in child sex tourism, child sex trafficking and child pornography will be reported to the Australian Federal police.

Reporting of child abuse allegations overseas
Child-abuse reports should be made to the line manager country director. If this is not possible reports can be made directly to the Australian-based child protection officer. An initial assessment will be made based on the quality and reliability of the information and a decision will be made in consultation with the President
of AMAF, on what steps to take.

A local reporting procedure will guide the process based on whether the allegation constitutes a criminal offence in the country or whether it is a breach of the AMAF code of conduct and will be dealt with as a disciplinary matter.

The first step will be to gather all the relevant information and address any health and protection needs of the child. The matter may be directly referred to the local police and or authorities if the allegations are considered to be criminal offences.
If the incident has occurred outside of the program the matter will be referred to an external body or agency dealing with child protection matters in that country.

When to report?
Child-abuse concern should be raised immediately.

How should it be reported?
Verbally and completing the AMAF child abuse incident reporting sheet.

What will happen next?
Child protection officer in consultation with the country director would discuss the allegations and decide upon the next step. This will involve either
– interviewing the person/persons who made the allegations or other witnesses to gather more information with which to make a decision
– report to local police and or child protection authority
– report made to the Australian Federal police
– concern handled internally if it is not a criminal matter
– no further action taken

6. Procedures for dealing with suspected abuse by volunteers or AMAF-funded contractors

a. When dealing with issues concerning abuse by an adult in a position of trust, AMAF volunteers must remember that the welfare of the children participating in the program is paramount, but that we also have a responsibility to ensure that our staff and volunteers are treated fairly and with respect. This procedure is designed to meet both those objectives. The Board of Directors will ensure that every volunteer is fully aware of these procedures.

b. All reports made in good faith will be viewed as being made in the best interests of the child regardless of the outcomes of any investigation. AMAF would ensure that the interest of any one reporting child abuse in good faith is protected. Any employee or intentionally makes false and malicious allegations will face disciplinary action.

c. Children and community members with whom AMAF works will be provided with information about how to report any child protection concerns about AMAF volunteers.

b. The first requirement of these procedures is for the complainant to report his or her concerns to the Named Child Protection Officer.

AMAF Named Senior Officer is

Dr. Pon Ketheswaran, Chairman of the Board of Directors

If this person is unavailable or is the subject of the allegation, then the alternative person to contact is:

Dr. V. Mano Mohan, Director of the Board, AMAF

The contact details of the above Officers are listed in the AMAF website.

7. On receipt of a concern when an individual may have:
• behaved in a way that has harmed a child, or may have harmed a child
• possibly committed a criminal offence against or related to a child
• behaved in a way that indicates s/he may not be suitable to work with children

The Named Senior Officer will contact the Local Authority Designated Officer, i.e. Department of Human services, who will consider, with the Named Senior Officer, the most appropriate way forward. It is essential that nothing is done to investigate the concern before contacting the local authority as this can contaminate evidence if a police investigation is deemed appropriate.

8. If the concern does not meet the above criteria, but involves other inappropriate behaviour by the staff member / volunteer then this will be dealt with through the AMAF Disciplinary Procedure.

a. It is also important to ensure that both the child and the alleged perpetrator receive appropriate support through this procedure. For the child this should in the first instance be provided by their parents / carers who may need some support to do this. The member / volunteer should be encouraged to get support from a union representative, friend, or another identified member of staff / volunteer.

Reviewing the child protection policy regularly
This policy will be reviewed every three years, and lessons learnt will be incorporated into subsequent versions.

Download the Child Protection Code of Conduct form here

Last Amended
March 2021

Approved by
Board of Directors

Introduction
AMAF endorses diversity, supports equal rights, and does not advocate, support or practice discrimination based on race, religion, age, national origin, language, sex, sexual orientation, or mental or physical handicap, whether covered by applicable legislation or not, except where affirmative action may be required to redress individual or social handicaps of people from disadvantaged groups.

Purpose
This document sets out
• AMAF’s policy against such discrimination
• The governance structures, responsibilities and processes that have been established to give effect to that policy.

Policy
AMAF does not advocate, support or practice discrimination based on race, religion, age, national origin, language, sex, sexual orientation, or mental or physical handicap, except where affirmative action may be required to redress individual or social handicaps. AMAF will make all reasonable accommodations to allow people who experience difficulties in their dealings with the organisation to benefit equally from its work. AMAF strives to maintain gender equality and would actively promote election of women into its board.
– Board of Directors

Last Amended
26 September 2020

Introduction
The Board of AMAF is committed to ensuring that fundraising activities are carried out in an ethical manner. This policy applies to the Board, casual, permanent and contract staff and volunteers.

Purpose
The purpose of this document is to identify AMAF’s position on fundraising practice and to document the standards expected in raising funds from the community.

Policy
AMAF’s guiding communication and fundraising principle is a simple one – we will only use techniques that we would be happy to be used on ourselves
In doing so, AMAF will adhere to the following standards:

• Communication and Fundraising activities carried out by AMAF will comply with all relevant laws.

• Any communications to the public made in the course of carrying out a fundraising activity shall be truthful and non-deceptive.

• Any communications to the public will comply with ethical communication framework as outlined below.

• Timely, relevant and accurate information will be shared with stakeholders in a transparent manner that allows feedback.

• All monies raised via fundraising activities will be for the stated purpose of the appeal and will comply with the AMAF’s stated mission and purpose.

• All personal information collected by AMAF is confidential and is not for sale or to be given away or disclosed to any third party without consent.

• Nobody directly or indirectly employed by or volunteering for AMAF shall accept commissions, bonuses or payments for fundraising activities on behalf of the organisation.

• No general solicitations shall be undertaken by telephone or door-to-door.

• Fundraising activities should not be undertaken if they may be detrimental to the good name or community standing of AMAF.

• Financial contributions will only be accepted from companies, organisations and individuals the Board considers ethical. Companies and organisations specifically excluded from making financial contributions to AMAF include religious organizations, gambling, tobacco and alcohol sector companies. • AMAF will not make statements about other ACFID Members with the intention of creating a reputational or other advantage to themselves.

• AMAF will strive to ensure that the collection of information, images and stories does not harm people or the environment.

• AMAF will strive to ensure free, prior and informed consent and acknowledges people’s right to information.

Fund raising code

1. Prior to undertaking a Fundraising Activity for AMAF a Fundraiser must not:
a) Guarantee fundraising results or promise compensation for failure to achieve fundraising results to AMAF
b) Misrepresent past fundraising achievements by the Fundraiser to AMAF
c) Fail to disclose to AMAF any cost of fundraising that they are aware of.

d) After obtaining a Donation, a Fundraiser or AMAF must not change the conditions of the donation without first communicating with the donor any changes to the donation.
e) A Fundraiser must not commit AMAF to fundraising expenditure unless AMAF has approved such expenditure.

2. A Fundraiser must:
a) Fully and accurately disclose to AMAF all Donations received and all costs incurred by a Donation program under the Fundraiser’s control, including where possible a proportion of overhead costs
b) Encourage such disclosure by Organisation affiliated entities (for example state divisions, chapters, branches and auxiliaries).

3. A Fundraiser must comply with the FIA Principles and Standards of Fundraising Practice.

4. Dignity and privacy of Beneficiaries
Fundraisers must not threaten the dignity and privacy of a Beneficiary of AMAF. For the purposes of this section a threat to the dignity and privacy of a Beneficiary includes, but is not limited to:
a) A Fundraiser passing a comment unnecessarily or negatively on the impairment, dependency or disability of a Beneficiary;
b) A Fundraiser using language which suggests that the client is to be pitied or feared;
c) A Fundraiser using children on Promotional Materials to raise funds for adult services, giving the impression that the clients are childlike;
d) A Fundraiser stating or implying a falsehood regarding a Beneficiary; and
e) A Fundraiser depicting a Beneficiary’s image or identity in Promotional Materials without that Beneficiary’s written permission.
A Fundraiser may use a term in relation to a Beneficiary where that term:
a) Is technically correct;
b) Is used only for the purposes of describing an impairment or disability that affects a person
c) Does not identify a particular Beneficiary without their express and written permission.

5. Confidential Information
5.1 A Fundraiser must not disclose to any member of the public AMAF’s
a) Financial information (other than that disclosed in an annual report)
b) Security access codes or passwords into electronic data processing systems
c) List of Beneficiaries without the prior written permission of AMAF

5.2 Despite anything else in this Principle, where a Donor has expressly denied permission to AMAF to do so, a Fundraiser must not disclose the identity of that Donor to any member of the public.

5.3 A Fundraiser must surrender any list, record or document belonging to an AMAF other than material freely available to the public, when the relationship between the Fundraiser and AMAF comes to an end.

6. Identification of AMAF
6.1 Wherever identification of AMAF is required by this Principle a Fundraiser must provide our:
a) Full name;
b) Corporate registration number (ABN)
c) Full business address; and
d) Logo

7. Promotional Materials: Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct

7.1 A Fundraiser must ensure that any Promotional Material used:
a) Is factually accurate, truthful and not likely to deceive or mislead any person
b) Identifies AMAF and its contact details for which the Promotional Material will be distributed;
c) Identifies the objective of AMAF
d) Complies with the relevant provisions of Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) and State or Territory equivalent legislation, (in particular those sections relating to misleading and deceptive conduct and false and misleading representations)
e) Complies with the relevant Commonwealth, State or Territory legislation; and
f) Is approved by AMAF board of Directors
.
7.2 Where a Fundraiser discloses a cost of fundraising in Promotional Materials that cost must be factually accurate.

7.3 A Fundraiser must make the current annual report of AMAF (that they represent) freely available upon a reasonable request.

7.4 Promotional Materials must not include images which are derogatory of a person, group of people or any organisation, discriminatory, pornographic or unduly violent.

7.5 Promotional Materials should not be sent knowingly to children under the age of 18 unless they have been requested in connection with a specific Fundraising Activity.

7.6 Despite anything else in this section Promotional Materials may be part of a positive campaign by a Fundraiser to build public awareness, understanding and support for the objectives of AMAF.

8. Partners 

AMAF will engage with Partners to commit them to ensuring that the Partners’ communication and fundraising activities are carried out ethically and transparently, in standards that are similar to those stated in this Policy. Where this is not possible, then AMAF would reconsider the relationship with the Partner.

9. Public Disclosure and Transparency

In making decisions about what information is made public and when, AMAF management will be guided by this Policy and other AMAF Policies, and stakeholders’ expectations for transparency. Specifically, AMAF is committed to sharing information on AMAF’s past, present and future projects including project descriptions, objectives and impacts (for past projects). Information on fund raising activities will also be shared with the public as well as contact details of specific AMAF project volunteers and management. AMAF will use its website to disseminate information to the public, as well as other medium, including Radio such as Tamil Radio stations, flyers, sponsored events, contacts via doctor and medical and non-medical professional networks, and via charities working with the similar objectives to AMAF’s. AMAF will not publicly share any personal details including photos of people, arising from development and non-development AMAF activities, except with the permission of the people concerned. AMAF will not publicly share details about AMAF volunteers except project related as stated above. AMAF will not share the minutes of internal meetings.

Ethical communication framework
AMAF will use the following framework and criteria in making decisions and confronting ethical dilemmas and grey areas about the images, messages, and stories that it uses in communications with the public, whether using a story, image or message to raise awareness or seek funds.
All AMAF members and volunteers are expected to:

• reflect on the vision and mission of AMAF to understand the values behind the organisation
• understand the intent and detail of the policies of AMAF such as the Privacy Policy and Child Protection Policy
• identify risk associated with any intended communications and their mitigations, including risks to specific groups or individuals, risk to members, volunteers, partners and third parties, risk to AMAF’s reputation, previous complaints
• consult with stakeholders, partners, beneficiaries and local communities
• ensure that consent to communication is voluntary and based on correct information being provided to the consenter and the consenter has a clear understanding of the information
• ensure that the privacy and public exposure of any contributor to communication stories is protected, such as concealing their identify, as required, and that their information is properly stored
• be aware of unconscious biases that impact the collection of content for communication and be careful to be not ‘over-invested’ in collecting and communication of project information.

This Communication and Fund-Raising Policy meets the requirements of the ACFID Fundraising Charter and compliance with the Charter, will be reported to AMAF’s governing body.

– Board of Directors

Amended
30 April 2021

Policy Statement
Aid and development refer to activities undertaken in order to reduce poverty and address global justice issues via direct engagement through community projects, emergency management, community education, advocacy, volunteer sending, provision of technical and professional services and resources, environmental protection and restoration, and promotion and protection of human rights.

Policy

Development Plan (4.1.1/4.1.2)
An organisational development plan will be developed annually in line with the vision and mission of AMAF. The annual plan will be the list of projects that AMAF will undertake in the year. Each project chosen will seek to advance AMAF’s vision. AMAF will amend the plan during the year, as required to cater for unforeseen events and developments such as natural disasters and pandemics.

Development Projects – Planning and Selection (4.2/4.3.1)
AMAF uses a number of methods for identifying projects to be implemented annually. These include
the following:

• Analysing and understanding the contexts in which AMAF works
• Identification of and regular communication with stakeholders. Stakeholders are mainly
  identified via contact with Sri Lankan and overseas health professionals who work in the field
  in the North and East of Sri Lanka.
• Contact with local NGOs and local organisations identify vulnerable people, poor and
  displaced people and their health needs and views. Local people include village heads (grama
  sevaka), village development society representatives, government agents, representatives of
  MOH (Medical officer of Health).
• Direct contact with disabled people including those impacted by the recent war to identify
  their health needs and requests.
• Direct contact with displaced people and those living in remote areas, particularly women, to
  identify their health needs and requests.
• Contextual analysis is used with the intention of identifying the root causes of poverty and inequity, and shape AMAF’s responses so that we respond holistically to a range of structural, social, cultural or other causes of poverty or inequality
• Members of the Tamil diaspora outside Sri Lanka, including those in Australia, who also have
  a keen understanding of the development health needs of specific locations, are consulted by
  AMAF to identify stakeholders. Indirectly, Sri Lankan and Australian Tamil media is closely
  monitored by AMAF to determine if there are pressing health needs and emerging issues.
• Canvassing the opinions of AMAF members who are mainly medical professionals with
  expertise in particular areas of health
• Obtaining external consultation where necessary to evaluate project proposals.
• Field visited to Sri Lanka to gauge an understanding of the context on the ground before. committing to large projects, including obtaining feedback from beneficiaries. These visits can also identify health needs and stakeholders that were previously missed.

The criteria used by AMAF in selecting projects is as follows:

• whether the proposed project aligns with the organisations’ purpose and values.
• whether partners and stakeholders were clearly identified. This would include local
  governmental and non-governmental agencies as well as local community organisations
• whether there was adequate participation, including consultation with and contributions from
  partners, stakeholders and sections of society including vulnerable groups (women, caste
  based, disabled people, parents of children beneficiaries) to also identify if there is potential
  for unintended harm to be done;
• the quality and findings of contextual and stakeholder analysis directly by AMAF staff visits,
  or via correspondence by AMAF staff or indirectly via other organisations & experts;
• whether the analysis clearly articulates the development challenge that has been identified,
  the root causes and how the project will meet this challenge;
• the role of partners and primary stakeholders in implementation and post-implementation,
  including sustainability;
• whether potential environmental impacts if any have been analysed, including both positive
  and negative impacts. AMAF is committed to environmental sustainability and improved
  environmental outcomes in development, and will support projects that lead to these
  outcomes;
• issues and themes including human rights, gender, social inclusion and participation of
  vulnerable and marginalised groups (eg caste, disable people);
• safeguarding issues including child protection etc;
• whether the risks involved in the project to AMAF and local staff have been clearly identified
  and can be managed;
• governance or management of the project and partners.

Development Projects – Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (4.3.2 and 4.4.1)
AMAF is committed to monitoring and evaluating the implementation of its development projects and absorbing the lessons learnt. AMAF as a procedure asks beneficiaries to provide progress reports, surveys and completion reports which can include written reports, videos, and photos via the local organisations with whom AMAF works. AMAF undertakes regular communication with key stakeholders, partners, NGOs in North East Sri Lanka and receive verbal feedback about ongoing projects.
AMAF members undertake field visits, where previous and current projects are visited, and locals are engaged to obtain feedback about the projects. AMAF also uses network of volunteers, medical colleagues and members of NGOs who help us monitor the projects and provide independent reports. While AMAF seeks the basic information on the progress of the project stated outcomes, AMAF also seeks to collect information on the broader social aspects. This includes information that allows the assessment of the participation of primary stakeholders; assessment of progress addressing the needs, rights and inclusion of vulnerable and marginalisation people; the assessment of progress in promoting gender equality and empowerment of people with disabilities; the assessment of whether the intended outcomes of the project in relation to women, children, people with a disability and vulnerable people were achieved.
Information and reports gathered from the above sources are fed back to AMAF management and directors in Australia and the information is analysed to allow proper monitoring of the project by AMAF management, who also determine how smoothly the project is progressing. If any issues are identified with project expenditure, timeframe, quality and delivery, or broader social aspects, AMAF will make an inquiry to the relevant parties. If the status explanations are satisfactory, then AMAF will continue to monitor the progress closely. If AMAF finds the explanation inadequate, then possible action could include:

• Temporary suspension of further funding until the issue is resolved.
• Request an independent expert to analyse the situation and help them to resolve the issues.
• Bring in more support to make the project a success.

If the above remediation does not succeed, AMAF will wind up the project.
As part of project learning, AMAF will document all the issues, both positive and negatives, including root causes of failures and successes, as well as lessons learnt, and AMAF will use this information to update AMAF board members and other active members to learn from the past.
Project results and post project analysis (root causes and lessons learnt) are also disseminated to the local stakeholders and beneficiaries directly via people on the ground, as well as using tools such as the AMAF website. Visits by external medical experts to local areas and the conducting of discussions and workshops will disseminate both project related information and analysis as above, as well as general health information.
The tools used by AMAF, such as Progress Reports, can be modified from time to time to improve the monitoring, evaluation and learning process.

Partners (5.1 to 5.3)
AMAF is committed to working with other organisations and individuals in mutually respective ways.

AMAF identifies potential partners based on the specific health needs of the people of North and East
of Sri Lanka via personal member contacts, Tamil diaspora referrals, and monitoring of health
programs and issues in Sri Lanka. AMAF assesses and selects partners based on shared interests
and alignment with AMAF vision, equity, mutual respect, accountability and transparency, impacting
government regulations, capacity to deliver as well as capacity to safeguard vulnerable groups from
exploitation. These assessments are performed by AMAF staff who are in regular contact with
potential partners.

AMAF and its partners have regular dialogue when coming together to plan and implement healthcare
projects in North East Sri Lanka. AMAF members are identified to take responsibility on behalf of
AMAF. These members need to establish steady working partnerships.

AMAF will initially work with partners to jointly determine what the intended outcomes of the
collaboration are and how the collaboration will work in practice.

Where formal partnerships are entered into, then AMAF will strive to ensure that any agreement or
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) cover basic expectations such as the shared goals; the defined
contribution of each party; responsibilities of each side; contributions of each side covering both
financial and non-financial; mutual reporting and sharing of information including incident reporting ;
commitment to prevent sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.

AMAF is committed to working with partners to improve their processes and capacity as part of project
delivery as well as outside specific projects. This is done by AMAF staff visiting Sri Lanka on a regular
basis to provide training, mentoring, guidance, policy development and recommendations on
improvements. It is also done by constant communication with partner staff during project
implementation.

AMAF will periodically review the effectiveness of partnerships, preferably done jointly with the partner,
to determine if pre-agreed outcomes have been met on a timely basis.

Participation (2.1 to 2.5)
Participation is a key requirement in analysing the viability of and selecting projects. Below are
stakeholders with whom AMAF engages in any project,

Primary Stakeholders
AMAF is committed to advancing the participation and contribution of primary stakeholders.

• AMAF obtains project proposals directly from stakeholders whose priorities and needs
  are considered foremost.
• AMAF’s project proposal form asks potential beneficiaries or their representatives to
  state how the project will meet the specific needs of the area’s population.
• AMAF sends representatives each year to the regions where aid is delivered and hold
  direct meetings with local representatives. The meeting is held at the community level
  e.g. meetings in villages, hospital development board as well at the executive level i.e.
  Medical Director of a hospital.
• On-going discussions and meetings with primary stakeholders are held throughout
  the duration of projects and activities

Women
AMAF is committed to the development of women and employs a rights-based approach
by promoting local ownership of development processes through an emphasis on
participation, inclusivity and accountability. Promoting gender equality and empowering
women is essential for combating violence against women, which is both a symptom and
cause of gender inequality and discrimination.
AMAF recognises that investments in gender equality yield some of the highest returns of all
development investments, including in reducing maternal mortality and in better educated and
healthier children. Women’s health and socioeconomic status, even before a child is born, is
directly linked to a child’s prospects for survival and their outcomes in life. Discrimination
against women is therefore also detrimental to the next generation.
AMAF incorporates a gender equality approach within all stages of program management:
selection, planning, design, participation, monitoring and analysis.

AMAF will factor in gender concerns into the assessment of programs/projects for funding. This will include actively engaging women by identifying barriers and obstacles to, and risks arising from, women’s involvement and decision making in the project, and strategies to overcome them. Specific strategies such as champions for women participation, building leadership skills and confidence for projects’ women participants, women convenient meeting times, and safe transport, will be adopted and tailored depending on the context, communities and scope of the project. This also involved taking into account how women will meaningfully participate in the implementation phases and project review process.
Within internal operations, AMAF will strive to ensure the following are maintained: female volunteers are specifically sought and encouraged from medical and nonmedical communities to join AMAF activities; AMAF meetings are not held at auspicious religious or other days / times when female volunteers are unlikely to attend; female AMAF volunteers are given equal time as male volunteers to speak during meetings and their proposals, suggestions and concerns tabled and actioned; AMAF administrative and operations tasks are shared equally so that female volunteers do not receive an unequal share of the tasks to be carried out; female AMAF volunteers are given equal opportunity as male volunteers to lead and manage projects and fund raising activities both in Australia and overseas; all volunteers are regularly briefed on the need to support gender equality and women’s empowerment in programming and/or organizational objectives.

People with a disability
AMAF will strive to include people with disabilities and related support groups at the project
design stage to ensure the needs of both men and women with a disability are met and barriers
to, and risks arising from, their participation have been identified and can be overcome.
AMAF’s project appraisal assesses the extent by which a project is disability inclusive and
highlights areas that may need to be worked on during the project. AMAF also monitors the
disability inclusiveness of projects, including disable persons engagement & employment,
during implementation and during monitoring visits. When potential problems are detected,
strategies are discussed and agreed upon with the local partner and beneficiaries to mitigate
these problems.

AMAF’s project appraisal assesses the extent by which a project is disability inclusive and highlights areas that may need to be worked on during the project. AMAF also monitors the disability inclusiveness of projects, including disable persons engagement & employment, during implementation and during monitoring visits. When potential problems are detected, strategies are discussed and agreed upon with the local partner and beneficiaries to mitigate these problems.

Children
Given the nature of AMAF’s projects and activities, work that prioritises children is a small
component of overall project programming. In such projects, participation by children and
their parents / guardians is sought.

Monitoring
Given the close involvement of AMAF management with stakeholders in all projects &
activities, including women, children and disabled stakeholders or potential stakeholders, the
monitoring of adequate participation in AMAF projects by any of the above sets of
stakeholders, is carried out informally by AMAF management. As part of project & activity
planning, execution and conclusion, AMAF management and staff will continue to discuss and
raise any concerns regarding the adequacy of the above stakeholders’ participation.

Responsible Sourcing (8.1.3)
In carrying out its development projects, AMAF will strive to procure and source in an ethical manner,
as much as possible in Sri Lanka and Australia, particularly with respect to the availability of suppliers
of medical equipment.

Internal Operations for Development Activities (3.3.2)
The internal operations of AMAF are designed to support AMAF’s development activities in the most cost effective and sustainable manner. AMAF is committed to minimising the environmental impact of our internal operations in Australia and overseas in the following ways: Firstly, overseas travel relating to development projects are subject to oversight measures, such as rigorous justification for the travel, justification for why local person cannot handle the matter requiring travel, justification why parties cannot communicate using Zoom. Secondly AMAF is keen to not expand its operational footprint in Australia or overseas by acquiring or renting premises, unless in exceptional or emergency cases. Thirdly, AMAF seeks to perform most external and internal administrative and operational processes using paperless methods and procedures to avoid paper waste.

Dissemination of Development Activities Information (4.4.1)
AMAF will seek to disseminate via different media, relevant project related information and outcomes that will be useful to stakeholders.

Annex 1:

Download here

Authorisation
Board of Directors

Created
26 September 2020

Last Updated
30 April 2021

Introduction

This document describes the Emergency Management Policy of AMAF which sets out how AMAF upholds international humanitarian protection principles and standards while undertaking emergency management.

Application

This Policy applies to all employees, officers, director, representatives and volunteers of AMAF.

Objective

This Policy has been established to ensure AMAF upholds international humanitarian protection principles and standards when preparing and responding to an emergency or disaster situation.

Policy statement

AMAF upholds the principles formulated in the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness and Accra Agenda for Action when undertaking emergency management. We aim to work with stakeholders based on these principles.
The 5 principles and implications of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness 2005 are:

1. Ownership ‐ Developing countries set their own strategies for poverty reduction, improve their institutions and tackle corruption.
2. Alignment ‐ Donor countries/organisations align behind these objectives and use local systems.
3. Harmonization ‐ Donor countries/organisations coordinate, simplify procedures and share information to avoid duplication.
4. Results ‐ Developing countries/organisations and donors shift focus to development results, and results are measured.
5. Mutual Accountability ‐ Donors and partners are accountable for development results.

The Accra Agenda for Action builds on these commitments by laying out four further development principles:

1. Predictability – Donors will provide three to five‐year forward information on their planned aid to partner countries.
2. Country systems – Partner country systems will be used to deliver aid as the first option, rather than donor systems.
3. Conditionality – Donors will switch from reliance on prescriptive conditions about how and when aid money is spent to conditions based on the partner country’s own development objectives.
4. Untying aid– Donors will relax restrictions that prevent developing countries from buying the goods and services they need from whomever and wherever they can get the best quality at the lowest price.

AMAF is committed to the principles of humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality as defined
in the Core Humanitarian Standard, committed to recognising and working towards application of the
Core Humanitarian Standard and committed to promoting the role and leadership of local people.

– Board of Directors

Ameneded

26 September 2020

Introduction
Not-for-profit organisations are as liable to fraud as commercial organisations, and effective prevention strategies need to be put in place and monitored.

Purpose
The purpose of this policy is
1. To ensure that all parties are aware of their responsibilities for identifying exposures to fraudulent activities and for establishing controls and procedures for preventing such fraudulent activity and/or detecting such fraudulent activity when it occurs.
2. To provide guidance to staff/volunteers/contractors as to action which should be taken where they suspect any fraudulent activity.
3. To provide a clear statement to staff/volunteers/contractors forbidding any illegal activity, including fraud for the benefit of the organisation.
4. To provide assurance that any and all suspected fraudulent activity will be fully investigated.

This policy is a sub-set of the overall AMAF Risk Management Policy.

Policy
AMAF will not tolerate fraud in any aspect of its operations.
AMAF will investigate any suspected acts of fraud, misappropriation or other similar irregularity. An objective and impartial investigation, as deemed necessary will be conducted regardless of the position, title, length of service or relationship with the organisation of any party who might be the subject of such investigation.
Any fraud shall constitute grounds for dismissal. Any serious case of fraud, whether suspected or proven, shall be reported to the police. Any person reporting a fraud, or a suspected fraud, shall suffer no penalty in their employment.
Where appropriate complaints will be directed to the chair of the board of directors. Board may decide to appoint an independent investigator ie from ACFID if the matter involves either the board member or the chairperson him/her self.

Complaints can also be made to a generic email address that will be monitored.

– Board of Directors

Amended
15 April 2021

Introduction
This document describes the Human Resources Policy of AMAF which sets out our approach and commitment to staff and volunteers. The AMAF is a volunteer based organisation.
Application
This Policy applies to all employees, officers, director, representatives and volunteers of AMAF. This
policy should be read in conjunction with the Code of Conduct, Volunteer Management Policy, Staff
Induction Policy and the Complaint Handling Policy.

Objective

This Policy has been established to ensure AMAF:

• Has the opportunity to attract the best available staff and volunteers for all vacant positions
• Facilitates the smooth transition of new employees, volunteers and contractors into the organisation and their roles.
• Maintains obligations to ensure no employee or volunteer at any level should subject any other employee,volunteer, customer or visitor to any form of sexual harassment, abuse or harm.
• Is an equal opportunity employer and will provide equality in employment for all people employed or seeking employment

Definitions 

New employees refer to both recruits to the company (including contractors, casuals, volunteers and
temporary staff), and staff transfers and promotions.

Harassment – a person unlawfully harasses another person if he or she makes that other person
(another member or volunteer or member of the public) feel offended, humiliated or intimidated
because of one of the protected attributes listed above. It may involve inappropriate actions,
behaviour, comments or physical contact that is objectionable or causes offence.

Sexual harassment – means any unwelcome sexual advance, unwelcome request for sexual favours, or
other unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature which makes a person feel offended, humiliated or
intimidated, and where that reaction is reasonable in the circumstances.

Bullying – is repeated, unreasonable behaviour directed toward a member/volunteer, or group of
members/volunteers, that creates a risk to health and safety. “Unreasonable behaviour” means
behaviour that a reasonable person, having regard to all the circumstances, would expect to victimise,
humiliate, undermine or threaten another person. “Behaviour” includes actions of individuals or a
group and may involve using a system of work as a means of victimising, humiliating, undermining,
punishing or threatening. “Risk to health and safety” includes risk to the mental or physical health of
the employee.

Staff Recruitment
– AMAF is committed to providing high quality programs and services to our community. To support the achievement of this objective we recognise the importance of employing the most suitable applicant for all vacant positions.
– AMAF will ensure it has the best opportunity to attract the best available staff by broadly advertising all volunteer vacancies.
– AMAF will take all appropriate precautions to ensure that applicants may be safely entrusted with the duties of their position.
– AMAF will internally advertise all vacant positions to current staff and volunteers to encourage career advancement and increase participation.
– AMAF is an equal opportunity employer, and is committed to providing a work environment that is free from harassment and discrimination.
– All recruitment and selection procedures and decisions will reflect AMAF’s commitment to providing equal opportunity by assessing all potential candidates according to their skills, knowledge, qualifications and capabilities. No regard will be given to factors such as age, gender, marital status, race, religion, physical impairment or political opinions.

Workplace
AMAF is committed to equality and providing a workplace free of discrimination, harassment, sexual
harassment, bullying and victimisation. Where a member or volunteer has a grievance in relation to
these matters, this can be raised directly to the management of AMAF or to specific members of the
management as appropriate, for action to be taken. Action could include disciplinary procedures
against the alleged offender, including suspension from AMAF.

Learning and Development
Members and volunteers are encouraged to develop their skills and experiences on the job as they
take part in specific projects’ development and execution. Formal training is provided on a case by
case basis.

Health and Safety
AMAF does not have its own or lease premises in Australia. Members and volunteers health and safety
in Sri Lanka are a primary risk consideration in the decision to send them to Sri Lanka. They will never
be placed in situations where there is a danger to their health or safety

Travel Arrangement
AMAF ensures that there is travel insurance for members and volunteers travelling to Sri Lanka on
AMAF projects. Members and volunteers are briefed on risks, Do’s and Don’ts, before any project
trips to Sri Lanka and a debrief conducted on their return. Members and volunteers are expected to
stay in secure locations while on field / project visits in Sri Lanka.

Amended
26 September 2020

Introduction
AMAF places human rights at the centre of its work in Australia and overseas. AMAF is concerned to
protect beneficiaries and staff, which includes employees, directors and volunteers, from sexual
exploitation and abuse.

Definitions
Sexual exploitation to mean any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential
power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or
politically from the sexual exploitation of another.
Sexual abuse to mean the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force
or under unequal or coercive conditions.
Sexual harassment: Unwanted physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct of a sexual nature that can
include indecent remarks or sexual demands.
Transactional sex is defined as the exchange of money, goods, employment or services for sex.

Policy
AMAF prohibits any form of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.

AMAF prohibits the purchase of sexual services and transactional sex.

All AMAF staff, volunteers, contractors and partners are expected to comply with this Policy including
preventing and responding appropriately to concerns of sexual exploitation or abuse.

AMAF has a zero tolerance toward sexual exploitation and abuse and takes seriously all concerns and
complaints about sexual exploitation and abuse involving AMAF staff and volunteers.

AMAF will maintain an environment in which beneficiaries, volunteers, staff, contractors and partners
know expected behaviours and how to raise concerns.

AMAF management can be notified, via email or phone, of any concerns regarding AMAF’s staff,
volunteers or partners in relation to this Policy. Victims’ and survivors’ safety and wellbeing will be
paramount to reporting, including reporting to local authorities, and their information treated
confidentially.

AMAF will initiate an investigation of complaints that indicate a possible violation of this policy and
take appropriate disciplinary action.

– Board of directors

Created
26 September 2020

Introduction
Sound risk management is an important aspect of managing the operations of any organisation,
including not-for-profit organisations like AMAF. Funds and resources entrusted to an organisation
should be properly controlled and managed.

Purpose
The purpose of this policy is set out how AMAF manages risk, particularly financial risk to the
organisation. This Policy is linked to and should be read in conjunction with other AMAF policies
such as Fraud Risk Management policy and Ethical Fund-Raising Policy. The policy applies to all
members and volunteers.
The policy also sets out to ensure that:

• There is control & management of funds received by AMAF
• Funds collected are used to benefit the community and the purpose for which it was
  collected, and
• Any fraud, corruption, bribery, terrorism financing and money laundering is prevented.

The policy applies to staff, volunteers, and partners.

Policy
AMAF continuously monitors its operating environment and the situation in Sri Lanka, Australia and globally to identify risks impacting projects / programs, non-development activity, stakeholder and partner safety and behaviour, vulnerable people protection, the protection of local environments, AMAF reputation locally and in Australia.

AMAF management has the ultimate responsibility to identify and control risks on behalf of the AMAF and to discuss periodically the major risks with the Board. Other members and volunteers will update management as and when risks are identified. This discussion will include the likelihood of the risk occurring and the impact on AMAF as well as mitigation strategies to prevent or reduce the risk.

Risks and their management will also be included in ongoing discussions during program planning and evaluation and on an ongoing basis with staff and volunteers, and will be included in orientation sessions pre-program departures, and in training for new members and volunteers.

Financial risk management is covered in more detail in this Policy.

Financial wrongdoing assessments
AMAF will periodically assess financial wrongdoing using the following criteria

• Where funds flow into and out of AMAF and the opportunities for them to be misdirected
  (include consideration of physical cash and cheques as well as online funds): This requires
  AMAF to follow the flow of a dollar from donor, through your organisation, out to partners,
  suppliers, contractors, affiliates and to beneficiaries. At each step the question is asked
  ‘how do we know that this dollar is being used as intended and in line with our
  objectives?’,
• Where confidential financial information (such as bank account details and credit card
  numbers) is obtained and held in your organisation
• Where donations are restricted and what sorts of restrictions are accepted
• The practical details of implementing AMAF programs
• What financial wrongdoing incidents has AMAF (or our affiliates or partners) experienced
  in the last five years that we can learn from and aim to prevent?
• What are the strategies that we already have in place to prevent financial wrongdoing and
  their effectiveness?

Financial risk management – control of funds and resources.

Accounting System

• The accounting records are maintained on accounting software which is capable of
  producing accurate & reliable financial records & transactions
• The accounting system is appropriate to our operational, legal & structural requirements
• Annual Financial Statements audited by a qualified & approved external auditor

Managing Funds

• All payments relating to projects must be approved by the Board at the Board meeting
• Payments are made based on invoices & project proposals approved
• All cheques need to be signed by 2 Directors
• Donors are specifically requested to donate in the form of cheque, credit card or direct debit
  and to avoid any cash donations

Financial Controls

• Receipts are issued for all receipt of donor contributions
• Sales of tickets for cultural events are reconciled and agreed to income
• Financial reports are prepared and submitted at each Board of Directors meeting
• Annual Financial Reports that comply with the accounting standards, are ACFID Code-compliant and are audited by a qualified accountant
• An abridged version of the Audit Report, which is approved by the auditor, is included in the
  Annual Report with a note that the actual Audit Report can be produced on request
• Copies of the Audited Financial statement & Annual Report are forwarded to ACFID & ACNC

Financial Management

• Project proposals are received from those who receive funds and monitor the projects
  overseas. The Board must approve the proposal before any funds are remitted.
• The project coordinators must provide AMAF with
  • Continuous progress reports
  • Confirmation of successful installation of medical equipment, and
  • Photographs and / or video of projects undertaken (where applicable)
• Risk assessment of major projects are undertaken to ensure that they will be completed on
  time and will benefit the community (ultimate user)
• When a member of AMAF visits Sri Lanka at their personal cost, he / she attempts to visit to
  evaluate and verify the projects undertaken by AMAF
• Wherever possible, AMAF pays the supplier directly and the supplier undertakes to install
  any medical equipment and gives a warranty for the equipment (50% deposit & balance 50%
  on completion)
• Any reimbursement of expenses should be accompanied by invoices and be associated with
  fundraising activities undertaken by AMAF

Organisational Managment

• A project update is presented and discussed at every meeting of the Board of Directors
• The bank balances, including receipts and payments, are presented and discussed at each
  Board meeting
• AMAF has developed various policies to be compliant with ACFID’s requirements:

Related Party Transactions

• No Directors, members, volunteers or project coordinators should have any personal interest
  in any projects undertaken; if there is conflict of interest, the projects are not approved
• No loans are provided to members, Directors or related family members

Corruption, Fraud & Bribery

• No salaries, commissions or any financial incentives are paid to any Directors, members,
  volunteers or project coordinators (All members & Directors of AMAF are volunteers)
• Bribery / Corruption of any official or person to complete or facilitate a project or for any
  other reason is strictly prohibited and AMAF has a zero-tolerance policy
• More policy requirements are covered in Fraud Risk Management Policy.

Policy

• Individuals and organisations receiving funds from AMAF will be checked against the
  Criminal Code list of terrorist organisations and the DFAT consolidated list of individuals and
  entities subject to targeted financial sanctions. Links are below
  • https://www.dfat.gov.au/internationalrelations/security/sanctions/Pages/consolidated-list
  • https://www.nationalsecurity.gov.au/Listedterroristorganisations/Pages/default.aspx

Complaints

Complaints relating to financial risk management or related matters can be made to a generic email address that will be monitored.

Definitions

• Bribery – the offering, promising, giving, accepting or soliciting of an advantage as an inducement for an action which is illegal, unethical or a breach of trust. Inducements can take the form of gifts, loans, fees, rewards or other advantages.
• Corruption – the abuse of entrusted power for private gain.
• Counter-terrorism – the practice, techniques and strategy used to combat or prevent terrorism.
• Financial Wrongdoing – behaviour that is illegal or immoral with regards to financial transactions. Includes bribery, corruption, fraud, money-laundering, terrorism financing and violation of sanctions imposed by the Australian government.
• Fraud – Dishonestly obtaining a benefit, or causing a loss, by deception or other means.
• Money Laundering – the process of concealing the origin, ownership or destination of illegally or dishonestly obtained money and hiding it within legitimate economic activities to make them appear legal.
• Terrorism Financing – intentionally providing or collecting funds and being reckless as to whether those funds would be used to facilitate or engage in a terrorist act.

– Board of directors

Created
15 April 2021

AMAF relies heavily on the unpaid work of volunteers and values their contribution highly.

Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to ensure that volunteers working within the organisation participate in a manner that is safe, significant, fulfilling and ap¬preciated.
Policy
..All volunteers shall be treated with respect and with gratitude for their contribution
..Volunteers shall be employed at the discretion of the management of the foundation.
..Volunteers shall carry out duties assigned by the management of the foundation.
..All volunteers shall be as far as possible protected from harm and shall be relieved of liability for acts performed in the discharge of their volun¬teer functions
Responsibilities
1 It is the responsibility of the Chairman/ Chairwoman of AMAF to appoint a Volunteer Coordinator
2 The Volunteer Coordinator shall be responsible for AMAF’s recruitment, training and supervision of volunteers. The Volunteer Coordinator shall report to the Chairman
3 The Volunteer Coordinator shall assign supervisors to volunteers and shall monitor the work of the supervisor
4 The appointed supervisor shall ensure that each volunteer is trained and capable of fulfilling their functions adequately
5 The Chairman shall report to the board regularly on AMAF’s volunteer program

Procedures

Recruitment – All volunteers are subject to the screening, approval and probationary procedures set out in the appropriate section of the foundation’s Policy Manual.
..Recruitment of volunteers shall take into account AMAF’s commitment to cultural diversity and anti-discrimination
Induction – All volunteers shall be offered appropriate information and training to discharge their functions and successful completion of this training shall be a condition of carrying out these functions
Supervision – All volunteers shall receive appropriate supervision in the exercise of their functions
Reimbursement – All volunteers shall be reimbursed for all approved expenditure incurred in the exercise of their functions
Dispute resolution – All volunteers shall be entitled to appeal to the procedures set out in AMAF’s Complaint Handling Policy
Supervision – All volunteers shall receive appropriate supervision in the exercise of their functions

– Board of directors

Last Amended
26 September 2020

Introduction

Australian Medical Aid Foundation thereafter referred to as AMAF is committed to inducting all new employees, volunteers and contractors into the organisation, in order to ensure that they have a smooth integration into their role and become operationally competent. Induction programs which are well planned, conducted and evaluated will enable new employees to learn about the organisation, its culture and the requirements of their role.

Purpose

The purpose of this document is to ensure that new employees, volunteers and contractors have a smooth transition into the organisation and their roles.

Definitions

New employees refers to both recruits to the company (including contractors, casuals, volunteers and temporary staff), and staff transfers and promotions.

Policy

This Policy applies to employees responsible for conducting Inductions within AMAF. All employees (including contractors, casuals, volunteers and temporary staff) will be inducted into the AMAF in a manner as described in the procedures accompany this policy document.

Authorisation
Board of Directors

Last Amended
26 September 2020

Introduction
This document describes the Complaint Handling Policy of AMAF which has been implemented to ensure compliance
with the laws and regulations relating to complaint handling.
Application
This Policy applies to all employees, officers, director, representatives and volunteers of AMAF.
Control Objective
This Policy’s objective is to minimize damage to our reputation and reduce the risk of litigation by handling complaints from our beneficiaries, donors or general public in a timely, effective and consistent manner.
Person Responsible
The compliance officer appointed by the board is hereby designated as responsible for the application of this policy, and to review this policy on a regular basis to ensure that it continue to comply with industry laws, regulations, guidelines and best practices. The compliance officer is also responsible to communicate this firm’s policy to all employees, officers, director, representatives and volunteers of AMAF.
Definitions
A complaint shall be deemed to be a grievance made against AMAF or against an AMAF member, volunteer, AMAF‐ funded contractors, project partners and beneficiaries, where the organisation has allegedly failed to meet an expectation and a response or remedy is expected. This includes complaints against our work and our members. The process to make a complaint will be easily accessible for all stakeholders. It will be highly visible on our website. We will accept complaints in the form of a written statement via our website, email, or post. We will also accept a verbal statement over the phone or in person. Our website, email, postal address and phone number are printed on all our publications and on our website. A complaint should include at least one of the three following elements:

• Complaint about AMAF member, volunteer, AMAF‐funded contractors, project partners and beneficiaries or about a AMAF project or activity;
• Potential or actual damages suffered by the client or community;
• Request of corrective measures

For greater certainty, errors that the firm accepted to correct are not considered as complaints unless repetition or recurrence causes grievance to a client. A Complaint Log is a Database to track key elements of the complaint process and category in order to identify potential trends or concerns and to produce reports.

Avenues for complainant to reach AMAF  – We are able to receive complaints orally in person or by telephone and in writing by post, email or online via our website. The following are the contact details. By mail ‐ The Chairman, Board of Directors, P O Box 226, Glen Iris Victoria 3146. Telephone‐ 61 0433088725. Email – ausmedaid@gmail.com. Where complaints are made orally we will ensure our write up of the complaint contains all the information the complainant wishes to provide.

AMAF Website will contain a section for registering complaints through internal mechanism i.e. email address, phone number and external source i.e. ACFID code of compliance committee. Annual Reports and newsletters will also contain references to this complaint process. If complainant(s) are concerned about AMAF’s compliance with the ACFID Code of Conduct, they can make a complaint to ACFID directly: http://www.acfid.asn.au/code‐of‐conduct/complaints
Complaints may be made by a friend or advocate of the complainant on their behalf. Where appropriate, for projects and programs implemented overseas, we will establish complaint committees comprising representatives from partner organisations and members of communities we are serving. Where appropriate we may utilise complaint/suggestion boxes. We recognise that in some circumstances complainants may wish to remain anonymous. Because such complaints can alert us to problems that need fixing we will accept them though clearly it may not be possible to provide a remedy to an individual.
Complaint Log
1. For all complaints the policy of AMAF is to:
(a) Handle complaints from customers or prospects in a timely, effective, fair and consistent manner.
(b) To record complaints centrally in the complaints log.
(c) To report complaints to the affiliated organisation whose personnel is involved
Acknowledgement Letter
When the firm receives a complaint, an acknowledgment letter must be sent to the client within 5 business days.
This letter must include the following elements:
· Name of the person responsible for handling the client’s complaint;
· Key elements of AMAF’s Complaint Policy; and
· Expected delay of the outcome.
Our timeframes.
We will aim to resolve complaints as quickly as possible and within 30 days unless there are exceptional
circumstances. If a complaint is not resolved within 30 days we will inform the complainant of progress and keep
them informed of progress every two weeks.
Structure of a Complaint Log
1. All complaints must immediately be reported to the compliance officer.
2. All complaints must be logged in the Complaint Log. The Complaint Log must, at least, include the following
information:
· Date of complaint;
· Complainant’s name;
· Nature of the complaint and the circumstances;
· Name of the person who is the subject of the complaint;
· The product or the services which are subject of the complaint; and
· The date and conclusions of the decision rendered in connection with the complaint.
3. Complaints in the Complaint Log must be maintained for a period of 7 years, following the resolution date.
Change of Procedures and Disciplinary Measures

The compliance officer must monitor the complaint log and ensure that appropriate disciplinary measures are taken if necessary and provide recommendations for change in the company’s procedures if appropriate.

– Board of Directors

Last Amended
26 September 2020

Policy Statement: Non-developmental Activities

Aid and development refer to activities undertaken in order to reduce poverty and address global justice issues via direct engagement through community projects, emergency management, community education, advocacy, volunteer sending, provision of technical and professional services and resources, environmental protection and restoration, and promotion and protection of human rights. AMAF refrains from the application of its resources, including staff or volunteers using its name and/or paid time:

• To be involved in party political activities;
• Facilitating or supporting a specific political party, candidate or party political organisation in a local, regional or general/national election
• Facilitating or supporting a particular politician or faction to gain power within a government or political structure. As a non-faith based organisation with secular principles, AMAF or its volunteers should not involve in activities undertaken with the intention of converting individuals or groups from one faith and/or denominational affiliation to another.
• This policy also extends to AMAF’s partner organisations and associated implementing organisations. AMAF verifies that prospective partners do not have an evangelical or partisan politics orientation when involved in AMAF supported projects and activities.
• The partner agreement Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) or equivalent will include clear definitions of aid and development activity and non-development activity.

– Board of Directors

Last Amended
26 September 2020

Fund Raising Procedures

Responsibilities
The Board of AMAF is responsible for the implementation and review of this policy.
All Board members, casual, permanent and contract staff and volunteers are responsible for adhering to this policy.

Procedures
A Fundraising Sub-Committee will be formed to oversee the major fundraising tasks. The Fundraising Sub-Committee will report regularly to the Board, including tabling of meeting minutes at Board meetings.
All fundraising activities must have the prior approval of the Board, as recorded in Board meeting minutes.
A statement estimating income and expenses will be prepared prior to the commencement of any new fundraising activity that may present a financial risk to AMAF. Fundraising activities should not be undertaken if they will expose the organisation to significant financial risk.

Related Documents
• Board Fundraising Policy
• Investment Policy
• Code of Ethics

Authorisation
Board of Directors

Last Amended
26 September 2020