If your Queensland community organisation is preparing for Human Services Quality Framework certification, you are probably wondering exactly which policies you need to have in place. The answer depends on your services, size and client groups, but this guide covers the essentials every organisation should address.
The Human Services Quality Framework comprises six standards that apply to organisations funded by the Queensland Government to deliver human services. Each standard contains multiple indicators, and your policies need to demonstrate how your organisation meets these requirements.
Let us break down what you need for each standard.
Standard 1: Governance and Management
This standard focuses on how your organisation is governed and managed. At minimum, you will need policies covering:
Board governance and operations, including meeting procedures, quorum requirements and decision making processes. Your board needs to demonstrate accountability for organisational performance.
Strategic planning that shows how you set direction, monitor progress and review outcomes. Auditors want to see that governance is proactive, not just reactive.
Risk management frameworks that identify, assess and treat risks across your operations. This includes your risk register and how you monitor and review risks over time.
Financial management procedures covering budgeting, reporting, internal controls and audit requirements. These need to align with ACNC requirements if you are a registered charity.
Compliance management systems that track your legislative obligations and demonstrate how you stay current with changing requirements.
Quality and continuous improvement processes showing how you monitor service delivery, gather feedback and implement improvements.
Standard 2: Service Access
Standard 2 addresses how people access your services. Essential policies include:
Service access and eligibility criteria that clearly define who can access your services and how decisions are made.
Intake and assessment procedures establishing consistent processes for receiving referrals and determining service suitability.
Information provision standards ensuring people receive accessible, timely information about your services and their rights.
Referral procedures for both incoming and outgoing referrals to other service providers.
Standard 3: Responding to Individual Need
This standard focuses on person centred service delivery. You will need:
Individual assessment policies that outline how you assess needs, strengths and goals with each person.
Service planning procedures showing how you develop, implement and review support plans collaboratively.
Case management frameworks for coordinating services and monitoring progress.
Cultural safety and responsiveness policies demonstrating your commitment to culturally appropriate service delivery.
Standard 4: Safety, Wellbeing and Rights
Standard 4 is often the most extensive. Critical policies include:
Client rights and responsibilities frameworks aligned with the Human Rights Act 2019 (Qld).
Safeguarding policies covering prevention of abuse, neglect and exploitation.
Child safe standards policies meeting requirements under the Child Safe Organisations Act 2024 (Qld). This is now mandatory for prescribed entities.
Mandatory reporting procedures for child safety concerns.
Critical incident management covering identification, response, reporting and review of serious incidents.
Privacy and confidentiality procedures compliant with the Privacy Act 1988.
Consent frameworks including informed consent and supported decision making.
Standard 5: Feedback, Complaints and Appeals
Every organisation needs robust feedback systems:
Feedback collection procedures showing how you actively seek input from people using services, families and other stakeholders.
Complaints management policies that are accessible, fair and lead to resolution. Your process needs to be available in accessible formats.
Appeals processes for when people are dissatisfied with decisions affecting their services.
Service improvement procedures demonstrating how feedback and complaints drive genuine improvements.
Standard 6: Human Resources
Your workforce policies need to cover the complete employee lifecycle:
Recruitment and selection procedures including position descriptions, interview processes and selection criteria.
Pre-employment screening policies covering police checks, working with children checks and reference verification.
Induction and orientation programs ensuring new staff understand their roles and your organisation.
Training and professional development frameworks showing how you build and maintain workforce capability.
Supervision and performance management procedures for ongoing support and accountability.
Code of conduct and professional boundaries policies setting clear behavioural expectations.
Workplace health and safety policies meeting obligations under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld).
How Many Policies Will You Need?
Most organisations preparing for HSQF certification find they need between 80 and 150 policies depending on their size and service types. This can feel overwhelming but remember that policies can be combined where it makes sense, and not every policy needs to be lengthy.
The key is ensuring your policies are:
- Current and reflecting actual practice
- Accessible to staff who need to use them
- Reviewed regularly and updated when required
- Supported by procedures, forms and training
Getting Started
If you are starting from scratch or reviewing an outdated policy library, prioritise the areas where gaps create the greatest risk. For most organisations, this means focusing first on:
- Child safe standards (now legislated requirements)
- Critical incident management
- Complaints handling
- Governance and financial management
- Work health and safety
From there, work systematically through each standard, identifying what you have, what needs updating and what is missing entirely.
Next Steps
Preparing for HSQF certification takes time, but having the right policy foundations makes everything else easier. Whether you develop policies internally, use templates or engage a consultant, the investment in strong governance documentation pays dividends in audit readiness, risk management and service quality.
Browse our HSQF mapped policy templates designed specifically for Queensland community organisations, or contact us to discuss how we can support your certification journey.
