SWSP1043: Policy Analysis of Australian Aged Care Act 1997 (ACAP)

This essay provides an analysis of the Aged Care Act 1997 in Australia, focusing on its key policies related to complaints, privacy, and fees. It examines the principles underpinning these policies, such as reporting, fairness, sustainability, consistency, transparency, and hardship considerations. The essay highlights the significance of these policies for social work practice, emphasizing the importance of sustainability and delivering maximum impact to the right people. It also reflects on how understanding these policies can inform a social worker's approach to age-based care and contribute to broader policy reforms, stressing the importance of planning and reporting at both micro and macro levels. The essay concludes by noting the Act's intelligent adaptation to the changing needs of the elderly population while preserving its original sentiments.

The government, Public Policy & Civil Society
STUDENT DETAILS
ACAP student ID number: 246116
Family Name: Hossain
Given Name: Sabbir
ASSESSMENT DETAILS
Unit/Module : SWSP1043
Assessment No : 1
Term : 3
Year : 2018
Educator : Jennyne Dillion
Due Date : 14/10/2018
DECLARATION
I declare that this assessment is my own work, based on my own personal research/study. I
also declare that this assessment, nor parts of it, has not been previously submitted for any
other unit/module or course and that I have not copied in part or whole or otherwise
plagiarised the work of another student and/or persons. I have read the ACAP Student
Plagiarism and Academic Misconduct Policy and understand its implications.
I also declare, if this is a practical skills assessment, that a Client/Interviewee Consent Form
has been read and signed by both parties, and where applicable parental consent has been
obtained
Student Signature Date 14/10/2018
Sabbir
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Introduction
Social policies are the set of the policies that are designed to address certain disparities that
are prevailing in the society. The documents of the social policy often set the benchmarks of
for the standards of the services provided by an institution. They also set the benchmarks for
the living standards of the clients after the deliverance of the service. In brief we can say that
social policies are important documents designed to keep a check and balance on various acts
of human services in the terms of the quality and the deliverance (Helan Croft, 2018).
Aged Care Act 1997 of Australian constitution, is an act that was incepted in the society with
an intention to secure a graceful life for the elderly people in Australia and set new
benchmarks of health and quality living. This act deals with the one of the most reputed and
complex social environments dealing with aged care service. The Royal commission
constituted by Prime Minister Scott Morrison tried to address 20 crucial questions with the
help of this act. The policies under the aged care act help the social workers in updating the
plans of implementation of the social service and add the virtue of the sustenance in them.
Here we are presenting three policies under the aged care act 1997 (Eileen Willis, 2012).
1. Aged care complaints guidelines and policies
Under this policy a commissioner along with a staff is dedicatedly allotted to register and
resolve the complaints related to the aged care operations running under various schemes.
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Figure 1 Flow chart for the complaint registration and resolution process, retrieved from
https://www.agedcarecomplaints.gov.au/internet/accc/publishing.nsf/Content/aged-
care-complaints-guidelines/ Accessd on 17-11-2018.
The above mentioned diagram is an outcome of the policy of the complaint resolution
where the key policy element goes as follows.
1. Reporting
2. Fairness
3. Sustainability
The first part of the above diagram deals with the reporting policies, the second part of the
diagram governs itself under the fairness policy and the review part along with the four
components corresponds to the sustainability of the system.
2. Privacy Policy Associated with the Act
With the arrival of the big data practices and other means, the data connected to any
individual has become very sensitive and pricy. In order to maintain the privacy of the data,
the provisions of the aged care act prescribes a privacy policy. This policy is in compliances
with Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act) and the Australian Privacy
Principles (APPs). This privacy acts primarily describes seven pointers that
need to be taken care of while collecting the data from an individual.
This policy caters to the principle of the transparency mentioned in the
same law. This policy dictates the practices of the safety of the data and
the misuse of the data by individuals and the workers.
3. Fee Policy Associated with the act
The fee policy connected to this act caters to three principles of the operation.
1.Consistency
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2.Transparency
3. Hardships
Above mentioned three principles are necessary for the day to day conductance of the
operations. we can understand it with the help of the example of Hardship related
principle. Under this principle, the policymakers talked about certain special provisions
made for the old age people that are not able to contribute or pay for the nominal fee
prescribed in the guidelines of the CHSP (Residential Aged Care in Australia 2010-11: A
Statistical Overview, 2014).
The fee policy for the various schemes working under the guidelines of the act gives us an
understanding that principles can be consulted for special cases that may occur during the
functioning of any endeavor, they can also be setting the standards of the service and the
practices in day to day work. The principle of sustainability in the same document dictates the
service providers to invest the money collected in the form of contributions into the various
schemes working under the guidelines again. It forbade them to utilize or invest this money
anywhere else. The principle of fairness also helps the service providers in handling some
special cases where the service taker is not able to pay the sum. The principle of fairness
keeps a check on the nominal pricing of the services (Residential Aged Care in Australia
2010-11: A Statistical Overview, 2014).
The study of the age care policy of Australia gave me an idea about the role of the principles
in the day to day functioning of the various schemes working under this act. Policies and
principles clubbed together with the guidelines becomes an effective document and keep a
check and balance on the performance of any social work. They have this potential to act as
the indicator that whether a program is meeting with its objective or not.
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It is an elaborated document where they took care of the changing needs of this section of the
society quite intelligently. They preserved the sentiments of the act that came into existence
during the nineties and making new innovations in order to reach the core areas of the
operations.
As a social worker, it is important to contribute to the bigger picture of the reforms. This
study taught me to think about age-based care from a professional point of view. As a social
worker, we do many things for the purpose of the philanthropy. However, when we become a
part of a policy framework then managerial practices like the sustainability of the programs
and the deliverance of the maximum impact to the right people becomes an additional factor
in the job done by us. This study also gave me an idea about how we can plan and report
certain acts on a micro level and report them to the authorities looking at the things from a
macro perspective.
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References
Residential Aged Care in Australia 2010-11: A Statistical Overview. (2014). Melbourne:
Cengage Au.
Baum, C. (2018). A new approach to aged care: pseudo-suburbs, robotics, and purposeful
activity. The Guardian,
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/sep/24/a-new-approach-to-
aged-care-pseudo-suburbs-robotics-and-purposeful-activity.
Croft, H. (2012). The Experienced Carer: Frontline Leaders in Australia s Aged Care
Workplaces. London: Pearson Higher Education.
Eileen Willis, . R. (2012). Understanding the Australian Health Care System -. Oxford: Elsevier
Health Sciences.
Han, E. (2018). https://www.smh.com.au/national/more-australians-dispose-of-health-
insurance-because-of-rising-premiums-20180213-p4z06t.html. The Sunday Morning
Herald, https://www.smh.com.au/national/more-australians-dispose-of-health-
insurance-because-of-rising-premiums-20180213-p4z06t.html.
Helan Croft, S. C. (2018). The Australian Carer: A Training Manual for Aged Care Workers.
Melbourne: Cengage Learning.
Helen Meenan, . R. (2015). Towards Human Rights in Residential Care for Older Persons.
Abingdon: Routledge.
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