National Standards
The National Community Housing Standards Manual is the starting point for setting standards in service delivery in the community housing sector Australia wide. This section contains a brief overview of the National Community Housing Standards.
Background
The standards were initially developed in 1998 as part of a project of the National Community Housing Forum, funded by the Australian Government, that sought to develop:
- common national standards for community housing
- a system to assess organisations on the basis of the standards, and
- a structure to accredit community housing providers on the basis of the standards.
In August 2002, RPR Consulting was engaged by the National Community Housing Forum to carry out a review of the first edition of the standards as well as the national accreditation system that had been in place since 1999. The review sought the views of stakeholders in all states and territories. The second edition of the National Community Housing Standards Manual, published in May 2003, reflects the changes suggested through the consultations.
Format of the standards
The Standards Manual is divided into seven sections, each devoted to a key area of service provision. Standards are broad statements of what is expected of an organisation. There are between three and six standards for each section of the Manual. Click on each section below to view the relevant Standards.
- Section 1: Tenancy Management
- Section 2: Asset Management
- Section 3: Tenant Rights and Participation
- Section 4: Working with the Community
- Section 5: Governance and Organisational Management
- Section 6: Management Systems
- Section 7: Human Resource Management
Signposts of good practice
Under each standard, there are a number of signposts that are intended to give organisations some guidance about how to achieve the standard, without being exhaustive or prescriptive. Organisations might do some of these things, but might also be doing a range of different things that equally demonstrate that they meet the standard. The list of signposts for each standard is grouped under three different headings:
- documentation that can support good practice
- processes that can support good practice, and
- measuring outcomes to support good practice.
This is to remind people of the range of elements that contribute to achieving the standard. Evaluation should be based on how things are actually done and what is achieved, not just on what is written in policies or procedures manuals.
Further explanation and examples
These are designed to assist organisations in understanding what good practice might involve. Where there is legislation covering a signpost, this is usually mentioned in further explanations.
The standards aim to cover the wide range of organisations providing community housing. Most of the standards apply to all organisations irrespective of size, location or type. Where the standard or related signpost does not apply to tenant-run cooperatives, this has been specifically noted.
Using the standards to improve service delivery
The standards were developed within a quality improvement framework. Quality improvement is an approach to organisational development that relies on people within the organisation being committed to constantly looking for better ways to do things. The overall aim is improved outcomes for clients and communities. The standards can be used by community housing organisations as a tool for quality improvement. This might include:
- writing policies or procedures
- training members of the organisation in good practice, and
- evaluating parts or all of the organisation's work.
It is not expected that every organisation will be able to meet every standard immediately. Most organisations will find that their work, in at least some areas, is already meeting the standards. However, certain aspects of every organisation's work will need improvement.
More information
To obtain a copy of the National Community Housing Standards Manual, contact us.
Copyright remains with the New South Wales Department of Housing and Australian Government Department of Family and Community Services.
Accreditation
The standards have been designed so they can be used in an accreditation system. Accreditation provides organisations with an independent, external process for certifying that they are meeting the standards. To date, this accreditation process has been adopted and implemented in both Queensland and New South Wales.
Last updated 23 October 2008
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