Purpose

CAP is committed to prioritising the health and safety of all support office employees, coaches, volunteers, and clients during face-to-face interactions.  This engagement can be in a client’s home or other public meeting space.

CAP is committed to meeting NZ’s workplace health and safety law, particularly the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA).

Every person has a role to play in making sure you are safe in the places you are visiting on behalf of CAP. We are committed to promoting a culture which controls the risk of harm to our people. We recognise health and safety is everyone’s responsibility, each individual must take all reasonable steps to make sure they are responsible for both their own health and safety and that of others.

Application

The Client Interactions Policy applies to support office employees, coaches & volunteers during face-to-face client interactions, effective 22 July 2024.

It is key that anyone working for or representing CAP in any context follows this policy and any behaviours that deviate from the expectations outlined in this policy may lead to further investigation and where appropriate disciplinary action.

Risk Management

CAP is committed to identifying potential hazards that may cause harm to our people.  We have a responsibility to ensure that as far as reasonably practicable, all risk is eliminated or if the risk cannot be eliminated, we must take steps to mitigate the risk. Risks could include:

• Physical risks (e.g. structure of home, confrontational individuals, uncontrolled animals)
• Health risks (e.g. exposure to infectious diseases, allergens)
• Social risks (e.g. personal safety in unfamiliar neighbourhood, potential conflict with clients)

As part of this commitment, we require all support office employees, coaches, and volunteers to identify and report potential risks, hazards or threats that could impact your safety or the safety of others.

Prior to any client interaction, all support office employees, coaches and volunteers are required to participate in the appropriate Client Interactions Safety Checklist or GetHomeSafe App Checklist.  These face-to-face interactions could be for various reasons such as debt help services, research, interviews, and filming.

At Home visits – 2 people required.

Any support office employee, coach or volunteer should have two people (when available) attending a client’s house for the following circumstances;

• On all first visits
• If any safety risks have been identified by CAP support office first phone interaction
• If any safety risks have been identified by any other person
• If there are gender differences between the client and CAP employee, coach, or volunteer, e.g. a woman meeting with a male or vice versa.

If a second approved person is not available in these circumstances, the interaction must take place in a safe location where other people are in close proximity of the client and coach/support office employee It is important to ensure the location is agreed with the client and provides discreetness.  In this instance the GetHomeSafe Application must be used to minimise risk to the employee, coach, or volunteer.

If the above circumstances apply and you are not able to get a second approved person or visit the client in a safe and public space, you must not visit the client’s home on your own.  You must arrange an alternative appointment or move the meeting online.

Home visits – 1 person only

CAP encourages all client interactions to have a minimum of 2 people, however if a support office employee, coach, or volunteer must attend a house meeting alone, excluding the first client visit, they may do so in the following circumstances;

• No safety risks have been identified in the previous visit or interactions.
• There are no gender differences between the client and Debt Coach

In this event, the support office employee, coach, or volunteer must use the GetHomeSafe App for the interaction.

GetHomeSafe App

The GetHomeSafe App is designed to help ensure the safety and well-being of CAP employees, coaches, and volunteers whilst visiting client homes.  This application allows CAP to know when employees, coaches and volunteers are visiting a client home on their own, as well as provides a critical function for emergency situations.

All CAP employees, coaches and volunteers who might visit a client home must complete the GetHomeSafe App mandatory training.

In an Emergency

If the situation is serious or life-threatening, remove yourself from the dangerous situation and call 111 immediately.

If you have activated the GetHomeSafe App, in addition you can activate the panic button.  The panic button will notify your Regional Engagement Manager, Head of Partner Services & Support and Head of Health, Safety and Environment for immediate escalation assistance.

Reporting and Incident Management

If you have identified any hazard outside of the ordinary, please complete a Hazard Identification Report and send this to the Head of HSE or Regional Engagement Manager if you are a debt coach.

Following any client interactions, all safety concerns, incidents, near misses or accidents must be reported to the department manager/director or Head of HSE immediately.

This Client Interactions policy will be subject to a biannual review to ensure its ongoing effectiveness in maintaining a safe work environment and practices and should be read in conjunction with CAP’s Health & Safety Policy.