National Accreditation Scheme (NAS)

Overview of Phase 3 and the NAS Portal

27 August 2020

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands across Australia. We pay deep respect to Elders past, present and emerging and any Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander persons who are joining this meeting today. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first people of Australia and that sovereignty has not been ceded.

Acknowledgement of Country

Meg Houston – Sector Capacity Building CoordinatorCommunity Legal Centres Australia

With Ingrid from CLCNSW, Natalie, Jo and Richard from The Federation, Carly from Community Legal Centres Queensland and Trish from Community Legal WA

• Please remain on mute• Use the chat function to raise questions• We’ll respond to questions after the presentation• The webinar is being recorded but we will stop recording at question time• Feedback survey• AHA slide! Please find the link on the zoom chat to join.

Introduction and housekeepingPresenters:

03Any questions?

+ Phase 3 Framework

+ Self-assessment process

+ Reviewer assessment process

+ Improvement Plan reporting

Webinar Overview

01Overview of the NAS

02Demonstration of the new NAS portal

The National Accreditation Scheme (the NAS) is a sector-led accreditation and certification process that supports and recognises good practice in the delivery of community legal services.It provides a quality assurance process that gives Centres, funding bodies and clients confidence that Centres are operating to good practice and industry standards.Centred around 17 Standards and Requirements – processes and systems.Supports Boards, Managers and staff.The NAS promotes a culture of on-going continuous quality improvement.Partnership with CLCs Australia and the 8 State and Territory peaks. Launched 2010 – Phase 1 (2011-2015) Phase 2 (2016 ongoing) Phase 3 (2020 onwards).

What is the NAS?

Overview of the NAS

NAS Phase 3 Review Working Group 2018 – 2019; recommendations on changes; consultation; implementation.

NAS Guidelines and Appendices on CLCs Australia website.

The main aim for the NAS in Phase 3 is to deliver a more nuancedScheme that is responsive to organisational development and sector maturity, acknowledges achievements and high performance, builds on compliance and helps legal centres to take greater ownership of continuous quality improvement, and supports early intervention strategies whenlegal centres experience organisational change.

Phase 3 Framework

• 17 Standards and related Requirements (see Appendix 1) covering governance and organisational management, service delivery, client focus

• Become familiar with them!• Requirements are either Primary or Secondary (Primary must be met at the time

of assessment – there is no longer a 'grace period')• Requirements relating to guiding policies are Primary• Changes to Standards and Requirements:

o Risk management Standard Requirement 1 – now Primaryo Publications and Media Standard – now 'Communications'o Legal practice Standards – updated language to 'Discrete and Ongoing

Services'o Accessibility Standard – now 'Accessibility, Inclusion and Diversity' and

includes the NPA priority client groups

NAS Standards and Requirements

• Signed at the start of the assessment process.• The Agreement can be signed online by both parties.• The Application for Assessment Form is only needed for new Centres.• As a prerequisite to beginning Phase 3, Centres which have been

through Phase 2 must have completed their Phase 2 Improvement Plan.

CLC Agreement

Self-assessment process

Self-assessment exercise, draft an Improvement Plan, provide evidence

• Either completed in a workbook or through an online survey on the NAS Portal. Online survey results sent to Centre and Reviewer.

• Aligns with Phase 3 Standards and Requirements.

• Streamlined number of questions and 'Yes, No, Could Improve or Need Help' responses.

• Open text boxes provide opportunities for greater reflection, to note improvement actions and to raise issues / questions to discuss with your Reviewer.

Self-assessment exercise

• Centres are encouraged to develop their own Improvement Plan during the self-assessment process.

• Download and complete the template Improvement Plan from the NAS Portal. • Upload the draft Improvement Plan to the NAS Portal so the Reviewer can

review it (along with the completed self-assessment workbook, where used).

Developing an Improvement Plan

Provide evidence

• A Core Documents listidentifies the key documents Centres should have in place and provide as evidence.

• Upload evidence to ‘My Documents’ on the NAS Portal.

• Evidence is assessed by the Reviewer who may ask for additional information.

Reviewer assessment process

Onsite or remote

Circumstances have changed and how Reviewers complete the assessment process will differ.1. Remote process developed since COVID-19 pandemic.2. Centre is onboarded on the NAS Portal.3. Self-assessment undertaken by the Centre.4. Agree the date of the Reviewer assessment, develop and confirm the schedule.5. Remote or physical site visit (dependent on Reviewer’s and Centre’s decision)6. Mix of interviews, observations, additional document review, tour of premises.7. Centre’s draft Improvement Plan reviewed with the Reviewer.8. Optional anonymous survey:

a. for all staff and volunteersb. for all governing body members

Physical or remote site visits

• Preliminary Assessment prepared by Reviewer. Centre has opportunity to comment.

• Reviewer takes account of responses from optional surveys where completed.• Reviewer raises any issues and shares findings with PII Rep, who work together

to assist the Centre.• Centre’s draft Improvement Plan confirmed by Reviewer.• The Improvement Plan only needs to be signed by the Governing Body where

the Centre is a new member.• Assessment documents saved in NAS Portal.

Accreditation Assessment Documents

Certification Decision

Certification is for a 3-year period

Phase 3 Improvement Plan reporting

For certified Centres

• Reporting is more targeted, based on Centre’s performance.• Frequency of reporting agreed upon certification: could be annual, mid-cycle, or

more intensive.• Potential for progress meetings, either face-to-face or online, and support

meetings where the Centre experiences changes or issues.• CLCs Australia along with all peaks are working more closely to deliver capacity

building opportunities linked to the NAS Standards.

Improvement Plan Reporting

Reporting through the NAS Portal • Centre uploads their

Improvement Plan report and evidence to the NAS Portal (also applies to Centres completing Phase 2).

• Reviewer saves their feedback on the NAS Portal (also applies to Centres completing Phase 2).

Overview of the NAS Portal

• AHA slide!• Customised for CLCs - replaces the previously-used SPP system.• Developed by CLCs Australia in consultation with all peak bodies and the NAS

Working Group to provide information on the NAS and support Centres through the process.

• A repository for all NAS-related information and resources, like template/example policies.

• Facilitates evidence sharing, progress reporting, storage of assessment documents and the self-assessment processes.

• Gradually onboarding centres so that the CLCs Australia ICT Team can manage the process within its capacity. If your Centre doesn’t yet have access, this webinar recording will be available for you to review again when your Centre has been onboarded.

Why a new Portal?

Key Features• SharePoint based

platform

• Structured around the assessment process for ease of use

• Will support customisation over time

• Different levels of access for CLCs Australia, Centres and Reviewers.• CLCs Australia manages all permissions for the site, to ensure that requirements

of strict confidentiality are maintained.• No Centre will have access to another Centre’s information or documents - you

can’t access any other folders.• Reviewers will only have access to Centres for whom they are the Reviewer.• The new Portal has a range of functionality that we will demonstrate (online self-

assessment, evidence, progress reporting).

Access, confidentiality and functionality

• Majority of Centres have good documentation already in place, but we know there is always room to improve!

• We have included a resource section on the NAS Portal, which we hope will grow and improve over time.

• Keen to support information and knowledge sharing between Centres, so if you have resources you would be willing to share on the Portal, please let your Reviewer know.

Resources

Demonstration of the NAS Portal

For access to the NAS Portal, please contact your Reviewer.

Any questions?

For any further questions contact Meg Houston at meg.houston@clcs.org.au or your Reviewer.

AHA slide!

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