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PEOPLEINAID

Code

The People In Aid

Code of Good

Practice, 2003, is a

revision of the

People In Aid Code

of Best Practice,

1997

in the managementand support of aid personnel

of good practice

© People In Aid 2003.

Further printed copies of the Code can be obtained from People InAid. Printed copies are free to members; non-members maypurchase a copy for £5 plus postage. A free copy of the Code canalso be downloaded from www.peopleinaid.org

NGOs and other organisations have permission to reproduce thismaterial for non-profit use only, provided due acknowledgement isgiven to People In Aid. No part of this publication may be reproducedfor any other use, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in anyform or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of thecopyright holder.

The original edition of this Code was published in 1997 by the Reliefand Rehabilitation Network, now called the Humanitarian PracticeNetwork, at the Overseas Development Institute, London.

All enquiries to:People In Aid, Regents Wharf, 8 All Saints Street, London N1 9RLTel: +44 (0)20 7520 2548 [email protected] www.peopleinaid.org

PEOPLEINAIDPromoting good practice

in the management and support of aid personnel

Foreword ............................................................................2

Introduction ........................................................................3

The Principles......................................................................6

Guiding Principle..................................................................7

Principle One – Human resources strategy ............................8

Principle Two – Staff policies and practices ........................10

Principle Three – Managing people......................................12

Principle Four – Consultation and communication ................14

Principle Five – Recruitment and selection ..........................16

Principle Six – Learning, training and development ..............18

Principle Seven – Health, safety and security ......................20

Implementing the People In Aid Code..................................23

About People In Aid ..........................................................26

Quality and accountability ..................................................27

Acknowledgements ............................................................28

Contents

People In Aid Code of Good Practice

Contents

The People In Aid Code is an important resource for the aid communityaround the world. It grew from the collaborative effort of relief anddevelopment agencies committed to improving the quality of the assistanceprovided to communities affected by poverty and disaster. The intention ofthe Code is to improve agencies’ support and management of their staffand volunteers.

Every day the staff and volunteers from non-governmental organisations(NGOs), UN bodies, charities and community groups in the South, and manyother agencies place themselves in the frontline in the service of others.Some face living and security conditions only the most committed of peoplewould accept; others may be based in a regional, country or head office.Wherever they are based and whatever their employment status, theirworking approach is typified by an unstinting commitment to work for theinterests of other people. Employers owe these people much more than theminimum.

All agencies operating in relief, development or advocacy have learned thehard way that proper support and management of staff is a critical successfactor in delivering their mission. Any initiative, which can enable employersto become clearer about their responsibilities and accountabilities, willultimately help them become better managers of people, and thereforebetter providers of quality assistance.

The People In Aid Code is such an initiative, a quality tool that deserves tobe adopted widely by the global relief and development community. Byendorsing the Code, an agency is recognising that those who work for it,both international and national staff, are central to the achievement of itsmission. It is also demonstrating its willingness to accept the assistanceand support of People In Aid, its Code, its network and its other services,in setting out to prove this. Employers owe it to their staff, volunteers,consultants, beneficiaries, trustees and donors. Every stakeholder canbenefit from the Code’s implementation, but the ultimate winners will bethose with whom we work in order to alleviate poverty and suffering.

Over the last six years I have increasingly recognised the importance andvalue of the Code to agencies and the people who work for them. My ownexperience of having been a fieldworker and a manager is that the Code isaddressing an area that is critical to effectiveness. As Chair of the Board ofPeople In Aid’s Trustees, I am privileged to be able to endorse this revisedCode and commend it to the sector.

Ian WallaceChair of the Board of Trustees

Foreword

Foreword

People In Aid Code of Good Practice 2

BackgroundThe mission of most relief and development agenciesis to work with those who are poor, distressed,affected by conflict, vulnerable, displaced,disadvantaged and worried about their future. In 1994,worried that these descriptions also applied to theirown staff, a group of agencies commissioned asurvey. Concentrating on aidworkers as employees,“Room for Improvement” (Rebecca McNair, Relief andRehabilitation Network Paper 10, OverseasDevelopment Institute) found that they felt poorlymanaged and unsupported. This led the sector to askhow human resources among relief and developmentagencies could be improved. The answer was the“People In Aid Code of Best Practice in themanagement and support of aid personnel”.

“One of the central factors in thesuccess of humanitarian actionhas been the dedication of staff –ordinary people doing extraordinarythings, despite working indisenabling bureaucracies.”

In our sector, we rely a great deal on the expertise andexperience of people. Evaluations of the sector’s workconsistently show that it is staff and volunteers thatmake the difference between effective humanitarian aidor development assistance and inadequate fulfilment ofan NGO’s mission. As stated in the 2003 annual reviewof ALNAP (Active Learning Network for Accountability andPerformance in Humanitarian Action): “One of thecentral factors in the success of humanitarian actionhas been the dedication of staff – ordinary peopledoing extraordinary things, despite working indisenabling bureaucracies.”

NGOs openly and often acknowledge theiraccountability to two main stakeholders: donors andbeneficiaries. People In Aid maintains that to trulysatisfy their accountability to these two groups theymust also be accountable to those who deliver theirmissions: their staff and volunteers.

People In Aid and the CodePeople In Aid was created by the sector with a singleremit: to encourage improvements in the way that staff

are managed and supported. We were also created asa network of members, so that NGOs committed toimproving their human resource management could doso together and had a central resource to assist them.

Initially, best practice was identified and disseminatedthrough the “People In Aid Code of Best Practice in themanagement and support of aid personnel”. The Codeitself was drawn up between 1995 and 1997 throughextensive consultation. Although originally driven byagencies in the UK and Ireland, with funding from theUK government’s then Overseas DevelopmentAdministration, the input on best practice also camefrom the UN family, from the USA, from ContinentalEurope and from the human resources and fieldexperience of a large number of individuals.

This revised edition of the People In Aid Code reflectsthe changes in internal priorities and externalinfluences that agencies now face.

Who is the Code for? The revised Code’s targetaudience is now explicitly broader. Any perception thatthe Code was only for emergency relief agenciesemploying Northerners as expatriates was alwaysincorrect. The Working Group on the Code revisionbrought together a huge amount of experience, and adeliberately wide variety of perspectives to ensure thatthis revised Code will benefit every agency involved inhumanitarian relief, development assistance oradvocacy. It matters not where an agency is based inthe world. Size is not important. It applies to agenciesemploying any combination of international staff (thoseworking outside their own country), host country staffor volunteers. Indeed, growing concern over the statusof host country staff means that there is now only oneCode indicator where a distinction betweeninternational and host country staff can even beimplied (7.8) - though it is understood that differentcultural and legal backgrounds will affect groups ofstaff in different ways.

“This revised Code will benefitevery agency involved inhumanitarian relief, developmentassistance or advocacy.”

How can the Code help you? The Code is animportant part of People In Aid’s contribution toimproving human resource management in the reliefand development sector. The Code addresses the

Introduction

3 People In Aid Code of Good Practice

Introduction

people-related components of your agency’s riskmanagement strategy. The Code is a quality tool whichsits alongside others (see page 27) as your agencyaims to improve its accountability to various keystakeholders, in People In Aid’s case primarily to staffand volunteers. The Code offers your agency aframework which will help it assess, and if necessaryimprove, its performance in human resourcemanagement. The process of using the Code, whichoffers the chance of recognition by peers, staff,applicants, donors, in-country stakeholders and more,is outlined on page 23.

The revised CodeFor those who have used the original Code, thisrevised version will be familiar enough. It drawsextensively on the experiences and comments of theagencies which first implemented the Code (seePeople In Aid’s booklet “Ahead of the Field”) as wellas others who have incorporated the Code in theirworking practices in one way or another. It has alsobenefited from the knowledge of current issuesacquired by People In Aid from its members and thewider relief and development community. It is,however, worth highlighting some of the main changesin emphasis.

“The revised Code offers thesector additional opportunities totest itself against current goodpractice and lead the way tofurther improvements.”

“Best” to “Good” Most obviously we have changedthe title from Best Practice to Good Practice. “Bestpractice” fitted well with the Code as a tool whichencouraged an agency to aspire to improvements.Best practice is perceived, however, as desirable butunattainable. Realities in the sector now, such asdonor demands for quality, require something moremeasurable. “Good practice” responds to theserealities.

What’s new? A major factor behind the revisions isa recognition that good practice has moved on since1997. Health and safety procedures, training,monitoring of diversity or equal opportunities and otherareas were not standard concerns for most agenciesuntil the Code helped place them on the agenda. The

revised Code offers the sector additional opportunitiesto test itself against current good practice and leadthe way to further improvements.

The revisions have been, in part, based on textual andcontent changes suggested by the NGOs that haveimplemented the Code and are informed by theirpractical experiences during the implementationprocess. Recruitment and selection, for example, wasfelt to be inadequately addressed in the original Codeand now has a principle of its own.

“We hope that the GuidingPrinciple will influence or enter allorganisational strategies orvalues statements.”

There is now a Guiding Principle. This is consistentwith the vision of the wide variety of agencies, whetherPeople In Aid members or not, which have used theoriginal principles as the basis of their staffhandbooks. We hope that the Guiding Principle willinfluence or enter all organisational strategies orvalues statements.

We have increased the number of case studies whichillustrate the indicators. We found that readers of theCode liked to learn about the activities of their peersso we have included examples of good practice from awide variety of agencies.

We have added some new elements. In these days ofincreasing litigiousness we emphasise duty of care,and mutual responsibility. Equally, we recognise thatmotivation should not come exclusively from anemployee’s dedication: both hard rewards (pay andbenefits) and soft (leave and developmentopportunities) are more strongly emphasised.

What remains the same? Much of the Coderemains the same. It retains its exclusive interest inhuman resources; its specific concentration on issuesaffecting our sector; its insistence on written policieswhich are fair, effective and transparent; its emphasison the organisational efforts necessary to ensurestaff are capable of fulfilling a mission; and it avoidsfixing rigid parameters and setting quantative targets.The Code affirms an overall standard of Good Practice,without setting specific standards which NGOs mightbe unable to fulfil.

Introduction


The principles remain in the same logical order. Thehealth, safety and security (Principle Seven) of staff isensured by the training (Principle Six) which followseffective recruitment (Principle Five). None of theseprocesses will be effective without mechanisms tocommunicate with staff (Principle Four) about their role

“The Code affirms an overallstandard of Good Practice, withoutsetting specific standards whichNGOs might be unable to fulfil.”

in the organisation (Principle Three) and without thepolicies to support them (Principle Two). All of thisrequires a budget and a plan which derive from acentral strategy (Principle One).

Implementing the CodeThe implementation process, a major appeal of theCode to the sector, has not changed. The Code alwaysbenefited from having an accountability mechanism ofits own. Over the last few years some stakeholders,particularly donors and staff, have found this to bevery useful in gauging the organisational capacity of anagency. People In Aid has ensured the use of theaccountability mechanism chosen, social audit, issimple and has produced an easy-to-use manual whichguides implementing agencies. At the request of ourmembers there is now a kitemark process, and ourwebsite lists the agencies involved in theimplementation process. You can read more about thison page 23.

The support we offerWe have always recognised that some agencies do notprioritise time or money for human resources. Theseagencies have a particular need to, at least, join PeopleIn Aid and benefit from the network and its output. Wehave also taken steps to address the perception thatusing the Code, productive as it is, is too time-consuming. There is a process underway to ensure that,for every indicator in the Code, People In Aid will be ableto give specific information which will help an agencyfulfil it quickly and efficiently. Every indicator will be“deepened” with, for example, policy guidance, atemplate form, a handbook, a reference to anotheragency’s work or a training provider. An agency can take

this information and assimilate it with its own material.People In Aid will give the support agencies require.

Of course, People In Aid is more than the Code. Overthe years its members, and the wider sector, havedetermined its priorities. On page 26 you can see therange of activities People In Aid undertakes. Each oneof these activities is designed to raise awareness ofhuman resources issues, facilitate the exchange ofgood practice and provide practical support toagencies implementing the Code.

Next steps for the People In AidCodeIn conjunction with this revised Code further steps arebeing taken to develop the support and assistanceprovided.

● First is to ensure that “indicator-deepening”materials are ready for use by implementingagencies. Research is already underway to expandthe existing documentation available.

● Second is to use this revision and the enhancedsupport capacity to increase the number ofagencies around the world which are implementingthe Code. At the time of writing we are collaboratingon this aspect of our work with agenciesheadquartered in six countries.

● Third, we will be working with Southern NGOs,whether partners of Northern NGOs or not, to look attheir human resource management needs. There willbe further translations of the Code (a pre-requisite forconcerted activity in a country) and efforts to ensureany cultural translation is smooth. Some concepts inthe Code will require further amplification before theycan be fully adopted and work has already beencommissioned that will inform our future activities inthe South. We would urge our partners in the Southto contact us at any stage to check on progress.

● Finally we will respond to your comments on theCode and your suggestions for future work onhuman resources related issues which we, as thecentral resource for the sector, can address.

Jonathan PotterExecutive DirectorSeptember 2003.

Introduction


The Principles


Guiding Principle People are central to theachievement of our mission

Human Resources StrategyHuman resources are an integral part of our strategicand operational plans

Staff Policies and PracticesOur human resources policies aim to be effective, fairand transparent

Managing People Good support, management and leadership of our staffis key to our effectiveness

Consultation and CommunicationDialogue with staff on matters likely to affect theiremployment enhances the quality and effectiveness ofour policies and practices

Recruitment and SelectionOur policies and practices aim to attract and select adiverse workforce with the skills and capabilities tofulfil our requirements

Learning, Training and DevelopmentLearning, training and staff development are promotedthroughout the organisation

Health, Safety and SecurityThe security, good health and safety of our staff are aprime responsibility of our organisation

Principle 1

Principle 2

Principle 3

Principle 4

Principle 5

Principle 6

Principle 7

People In Aid Code of Good Practice


People are central to the achievement of our mission

Our approach to the people who work for us is fundamental tothe achievement of our mission. We recognise that the peoplewho work for us merit respect and proper management, andthat the effectiveness and success of our operations dependon the contributions of all salaried and contract staff, andvolunteers.

Why a “guiding principle”?It is no secret that evaluation after evaluation of relief and developmentwork concludes by emphasising the centrality of people in deliveringorganisational and programme objectives. This is something People In Aidhas been championing since its beginnings in 1995. It is thereforeappropriate that, with this revision of the Code, a guiding principle reflectsthe importance of staff and volunteers in achieving the organisationalmission.

The guiding principle makes explicit what is generally accepted; and each ofthe seven principles that follow assumes the centrality of people to theorganisational mission. The principles of the Code of Good Practice providea sound framework for responding to the challenge of delivering effectivehuman resource management. Those that implement the Code demonstratetheir belief in this guiding principle and their commitment to staff andvolunteers.

We would hope that those agencies which do not have a corporate valuerelated to their people might consider adopting this guiding principle. Wewould also hope that when writing in their annual reports, Chief Executives,Presidents or Chairs might reaffirm the guiding principle and recognise thecontribution of their colleagues. For those who choose to implement theCode of Good Practice, the guiding principle will become a reality in plans,budgets, training programmes, consultation mechanisms and the otherprocesses which the Code’s principles enlarge upon. The benefits will befelt by your agency, your beneficiaries, your donors – and your colleagues.

Guiding Principle

Guiding Principle

Human resourcesstrategyHuman resources are an integralpart of our strategic andoperational plans.

Our human resources strategy is central toour organisational strategy. Our humanresources strategy is long-term andencompasses every part of the organisation.

Why is this important?Most agencies have a written business plan orstrategy and this should make reference to humanresources. An organisation’s success depends on thefact that all staff, whether international or hostcountry, are included within the human resourcesstrategy, and understand the part they play inachieving the organisation’s objectives. At ConcernWorldwide the commitment to staff is evident through

the way the Code has been integrated with the overallorganisational strategy and is a part of budgets, plansand discussions. The implementation process issustainable because it is supported at the highestlevel through the Board Directors’ “buy-in”.

Agencies can benefit hugely from the positivecontribution staff can make to the planning process,as the example from the Leprosy Mission Internationalshows. In their transition towards a more participatoryworking culture, they have found that by encouragingand enabling all staff to participate, people issueswere given the priority they deserved.

The Code is more than merely making staff better attheir jobs or happier in their role; it is aboutorganisational effectiveness, valuing the staffcontribution and encouraging an inclusive workingenvironment. Sometimes external factors prompt actiontowards effectiveness; host governments, partners andthe wider community all need the reassurance that theagencies with which they work will demonstrateprofessionalism in all their activities. Donors requirethat their funds be committed to agencies that candemonstrate effective human resource management.For example, the Disasters Emergency Committee(DEC), which raises substantial funds from the Britishpublic in times of crisis internationally, states that itsmember agencies need to have “a demonstrablecommitment to achieving People In Aid standards and awillingness to be evaluated against them”. So the DECindependently reviews programmes and in addition toraising questions about appropriate staffing, staffturnover and management issues, its evaluations havealso raised critical questions about health and safetyprocedures. The DEC now requires that members showhow they have integrated previous lessons relating tohuman resources into their existing and futureprogrammes.

Other external factors improving organisationaleffectiveness may include employment legislation: forexample in the European Union and the US, laws inthe area of diversity and equal opportunities haveinfluenced the British Council and the World Bank.

But sometimes an organisation’s drive foreffectiveness requires that it review and perhaps re-prioritise its human resource management strategiesor practice from within, and for that to be successfullyundertaken, commitment and support to staff must beevident in decisions taken at the highest level.


Principle 1 Human resources strategy

Indicators1 Our organisational strategy or business plan

explicitly values staff for their contribution toorganisational and operational objectives.

2 The organisational strategy allocates sufficienthuman and financial resources to achieve theobjectives of the human resources strategy.

3 Operational plans and budgets aim to reflectfully our responsibilities for staff management,support, development and well-being. Themonitoring of these plans and budgets feedsinto any necessary improvements.

4 Our human resources strategy reflects ourcommitment to promote inclusiveness anddiversity.

Principle One


Concern Worldwide - Valuing staff in the

strategic plan

Concern Worldwide’s Strategic Planrecognises the key role played by people inits operations. “Having the necessaryquantity and quality of human resources”,it states in the Executive Summary, is“fundamental to the attainment of all theobjectives in the strategic plan”.

One of the 10 objectives in the StrategicPlan itself is dedicated to humanresources. It states that Concern aims “torecruit, retain and develop staff, and topromote the organisation’s ethos withthem through appropriate humanresources policies in line with the PeopleIn Aid Code of Best Practice” in order thatit might “carry out its mission aseffectively as possible”.

For Concern, growth is “not just about thenumber of countries we work in or thenumber of people which the organisationworks with. It is also about the quality ofthe work we do.” The growth will bedetermined by “the development oforganisational capacity and humanresources”. From this derive a number ofpriorities, such as becoming an employerof choice, quality of recruits, investment intraining, giving career opportunities andcreating the right working environment.

Of course, such objectives do not justhappen. There are many specific resourcesidentified in the Strategic Plan as beingnecessary to the achievement of theobjectives in the human resourcesstrategy. For example, 4% of each countryor department’s payroll is allocated totraining and development and an HR postcan be established for every countryemploying over 75 staff.

The Leprosy Mission International - Involving staff

The Leprosy Mission Internationalcurrently works in 24 countries, and toensure the organisation continues to

reflect the overall vision and strategy,recent moves towards a more participatoryand community-based approach wereaccompanied by structural change.

Changes were led by a “structure reviewaction group” which received input fromthe entire organisation and keystakeholders via focus groups and asurvey. As a result, regional field forumswere established and incorporated withinthe new structure, with the aim ofimproving working relationships betweendonors, beneficiaries and staff. Each forumcomprises between 12 and 15 members,and includes a Board representative, therelevant field director (or regionalmanager), together with a number ofinternational and local field staff and alsobeneficiaries.

Regional field forums meet once a yearand, in addition to acting as advisors to thefield director for new programmes andbudgets, they also influence the overalloperational strategy. They are ultimatelyaccountable to the Board of Directors,which reviews their activities on a regularbasis.

The British Council -Promoting diversity

As an international organisation the BritishCouncil enjoys enormous diversity amongits staff. Of the 7,300 staff around theworld, some 6,000 are employed in-country. Such diversity is to be celebrated,but it brings many challenges and theseare being overcome by the organisation’sdiversity strategy.

A programme of organisational culturechange is helping the British Councilbecome a better place to work, andproviding the impetus for harmonisation ofterms and conditions, the creation ofconsistent job families and the clarificationof staff development and progressionopportunities. Workshops and aninteractive CD Rom have helpedcommunicate the revised equalopportunities and diversity strategy

throughout the whole organisation.

Senior level targets to increase thenumbers of women and minority ethnicstaff at senior management over a five toten year period have been supported by aprogramme of positive action, andprogress to date is tangible.

Diversity working groups are forming thebasis for a global network of staffcommitted to the diversity agenda, and aglobal staff survey provided helpfulinsights into potential problem areas. Theresults were discussed on a country-by-country basis and supporting action plansestablished to address the issues raised.

The World Bank -Encouraging inclusivity

The World Bank workforce comprises 147nationalities spread over 106 countryoffices. To better reflect their clients’diversity and priorities, as well as to modelemployment best practice worldwide, theBank has an established DiversityProgramme.

The Programme is aimed at engendering adiversity of thought and voice and itsultimate objective is that of inclusion. Itcovers nationality, race, gender,educational background, academicdiscipline and previous work experience.Many initiatives put this into practice. Forexample, in recruitment, skills areprioritised and then candidates are soughtfurther afield than has been traditionallythe case; and in the workplace itself, staffhave been trained to embrace the richnessof the Bank’s cultural diversity throughthe “Working with Respect” campaign.

In the words of the World Bank: “Asdecentralisation and devolution locatesmore and more expertise in the field weare more conscious than ever that thelegitimate aspirations of a globally-locatedand diverse workforce will require workingwith respect and full inclusion for optimaldevelopment effectiveness and povertyeradication.”

Principle 1 Human resources strategy

Staff policies andpracticesOur human resources policies aimto be effective, fair and transparent.

We recognise that our policies must enableus to achieve both effectiveness in our workand good quality of working life for our staff.We do not aim to respond solely to minimumlegal, professional or donor requirements.

Why is this important?The importance of an agency having its own writtenpolicies cannot be underestimated. Care must be taken toensure human resources policies appropriate for theorganisation are disseminated to all stakeholders and

clearly understood by those responsible forimplementation or monitoring, since they act as theframework within which the agency and its staff work.Ambiguous, inconsistent, or non-existent policies run therisk of antagonising staff and damaging the organisation.The case study of Oxfam GB demonstrates the importanceof effective consultation (see Principle Four) and showshow it is vital to successful policy implementation. Thecase study also highlights the importance of equippingmanagers to take the lead on policy implementation andreminds us that policies must be updated regularly toreflect current trends and needs. Developing managers’guidelines to support them in policy implementation canbe invaluable to delivering a consistent approach to staff.

At least a basic set of core policies are required foreffective staff management. For organisations thatrequire guidance in developing policies, People In Aidis able to offer members an extensive resource, and agrowing network of contacts whose expertise isavailable to members, something from which agenciessuch as Health Unlimited have benefited.

For organisations working in more than one country, itis important to have a global philosophy for humanresource management and consistency in theapplication of policies. It is vital to ensure that policiestake into account the local legal and cultural context;the ideal approach is “think globally, act locally”.Islamic Relief invested time and effort in theharmonisation of their benefits policy and consider itmoney well spent. ITDG succeeded in adapting theirpolicies to reflect the local legal norms, and to remainsympathetic to the organisation’s local structures.Thus local staff are empowered to develop andimplement policies that remain consistent with therest of the organisation.

The Code suggests the main areas in which agenciesmight require policies, and Principle Two provides a usefuland pragmatic guide for those responsible for policydevelopment. Clearly policy development is informed bythe outcome of monitoring and evaluation activity. It isimportant that both operational and human resourcesmanagers are involved in gathering the information thatwill help define future policies and procedures.

People In Aid would encourage agencies to adopt anapproach to policy development which will result in staffbenefiting from the best policies an organisation can offer,and not necessarily merely being covered by the legalminimum, or where that does not exist, nothing at all.


Principle Two

Principle 2 Staff policies and practices

Indicators1 Policies and practices that relate to staff

employment are set out in writing and aremonitored and reviewed, particularly whensignificant changes in the legal or workingenvironment take place.

2 The policies and practices we implement areconsistent in their application to all staff exceptwhile taking into account relevant legalprovisions and cultural norms.

3 Staff are familiarised with policies and practicesthat affect them.

4 Appropriate guidance is provided to managers sothat they are equipped to implement policieseffectively.

5 The rewards and benefits for each role areclearly identified and applied in a fair andconsistent manner.

6 Policies and practices are monitored accordingto how well they meet:

• organisational and programme aims

• reasonable considerations of effectiveness,fairness and transparency.

Oxfam GB -Effective policy development

Oxfam GB has developed an HIV/AIDSWorkplace policy and programme to respondto the impact of HIV/AIDS on theorganisation. In developing the policy, OxfamGB assessed the scale of the problem,identified ways in which the organisationwas vulnerable to the impacts of HIV/AIDS,and then assessed the cost/benefit ofinvesting in a workplace programme. Thisinvolved widespread consultation with arange of internal stakeholders, as well asresearching the approaches of otheragencies and commercial multinationalcompanies. Local input and buy-in wasachieved partly through a series ofworkshops and one-to-one interviews withkey staff in the areas most affected.

Staff awareness of the policy and practiceis being increased through the provision ofa central resource pack, which includes astaff handbook, a general staff leaflet andinduction materials for adaptation and uselocally. The organisation is also identifyingHIV Champions in local offices to supportthe education and prevention programme.

Clear guidance on the scope of the policyand the implementation process nowexists for managers. The challenge ofimplementation is being eased through theprovision of training and support, and bythe establishment of modified informationsystems that are able to track keyindicators in the field (such as sicknessabsence and medical costs). In additiondedicated Implementation Managers havebeen appointed to ensure success in thetwo African regions assessed as priorities.

ITDG -Developing local policies

ITDG (Intermediate Technology DevelopmentGroup) is a global organisation and with itsoverseas offices and programmes beingmanaged exclusively by local staff, the roleof the HR team in the head office is toprovide support and guidance on policy

formulation, adaptation and implementationto overseas offices when required.

ITDG has seven country offices and eachhas a dedicated human resourcesrepresentative, who is also responsible forFinance and Administration, in its mainoffice. S/he manages the HR processeslocally and, with the country director, willhave final responsibility for ensuring thatHR policies remain consistent withequivalent policies throughout theorganisation across the world, yet alsoreflect the local needs and legal orcultural norms.

The process is effective and the benefitsof such local empowerment are quitetangible. A virtual network betweenITDG’s staff responsible for HR around theworld has helped improve the rate ofinformation sharing between offices, andthe plans to strengthen this further willenhance the capacity of local staff.

Islamic Relief -Consistency in policy

development

Islamic Relief is committed to maintaining alevel of pay and benefits that is fair to allemployees and competitive in the localmarket. Changes in the local market aremonitored by senior management whoassess the impact they might have onexisting policies. This research informs aregular review process and any changes areintroduced following consultation with staff.

Islamic Relief recently addressed theissue of fairness in its benefits policy byharmonising it across the organisation,bringing consistency between countrieswhile retaining a degree of flexibility toensure local requirements wereaddressed. For example, per diemallowances are now based on the sameprinciples and eligibility criteriathroughout the organisation and applieduniformly to all staff irrespective ofposition, status, nationality or country oforigin, but the actual rates are definedlocally according to currency

fluctuations and cost of living. Similarly,staff working in recognised “hardship”postings receive a hardship allowancecalculated as a fixed percentage of basicsalary. All staff in the hardshipprogramme or location (whetherinternational or local) have the samepercentage added to their normal pay.

As well as incorporating issues of fairnessand consistency, Islamic Relief alsoendeavours to ensure the benefits policyremains in keeping with employees’expectations. For example, rather thanimpose life assurance cover, all staff receivea health insurance allowance which givesthem the option of making their own personalarrangements in line with their own wishes.

Health Unlimited -Helping managers implement

policy

Health Unlimited’s (HU) Managers’Handbook addresses most aspects ofhuman resource management. It respondsto staff and management requests for policyconsistency, and for guidelines on humanresources issues for managers in the field. Itaims to “ensure that HU has consistentmanagement practice by having globalpolicies and procedures; ensure that themanagement practice is of a good standardby writing appropriate policies informed bybest practice; save management time andeffort in the field and in HQ by having clearlyworded policies, procedures and practicaltools by reducing managers’ need to referback to HQ; and allow flexibility by providingclear principles and minimum standardswith room for interpretation locally”.

The introduction stresses the importance ofthe input provided by managers themselvesand the “best practice collected from otherBritish NGOs, especially through the PeopleIn Aid group”. Input from staff and managerswas collected at regional meetings, wherehuman resources is always an agenda item.Regional meetings also provide the forum foradapting policies to the local context.Updates are circulated regularly.

Principle 2 Staff policies and practices


Principle Three

Managing peopleGood support, management andleadership of our staff is key to oureffectiveness.

Our staff have a right to expect managementwhich prepares them to do their job so wecan, together, achieve our mission. Ourmanagement policies, procedures and trainingequip our managers to prepare and supportstaff in carrying out their role effectively, todevelop their potential and to encourage andrecognise good performance.

Why is this important?Sound people management is a major contributor toprogramme success. This Principle suggests areas thatan agency can address in order to reduce the likelihoodof a programme not meeting its objectives.

Although they are often recruited on the basis ofcompetence in a particular discipline, most managershave people management responsibilities. Thereforeensuring they are adequately supported in their roleand able to manage effectively is vital. This will usuallyentail providing them with viable managementdevelopment and training opportunities, somethingwhich Tearfund has successfully offered at grassrootslevel. Where appropriate, leadership qualities should benurtured and developed, and World Vision’s leadershipprogramme shows how the calibre of programme staffand the quality of the organisation’s output can beimproved.

For an organisation’s mission to be realised effectively,clear objectives and standards, consistent withorganisational objectives, are important for bothmanagers and those they manage. The process ofmonitoring performance helps ensure that staff remainon course to achieve their aims. An effective appraisalor review system by which performance can beassessed assists managers in carrying out their role,and as VSO shows, although they can be complicatedto implement, the benefits are obvious.

Objectives and standards are vital, but staff are alsoentitled to a mechanism for airing grievances. In somecountries this “right” is enshrined in law, but evenwhere this is not the case, discipline and grievanceprocedures are to be welcomed for sound operationalreasons as well for the fact that they are a sign oforganisational responsiveness and transparency. Theremay also be rare occasions when a member of stafffeels it is in the public’s interest to make a complaintabout malpractice in the workplace (and this could falloutside the normal scope of a grievance procedure).Developing an organisational “whistleblowing” policyprovides an opportunity to help create an atmosphereof openness and trust, in which staff are encouragedto play their part in improving the overall effectivenessof the organisation.

Ultimately, it is the manager’s responsibility to managebut their success depends on them being adequatelysupported. It is human resources specialists who areoften best placed to offer them the support to enablethem to succeed.

Principle 3 Managing people


Indicators1 Relevant training, support and resources are

provided to managers to fulfil theirresponsibilities. Leadership is a part of thistraining.

2 Staff have clear work objectives andperformance standards, know whom they reportto and what management support they willreceive. A mechanism for reviewing staffperformance exists and is clearly understood byall staff.

3 In assessing performance, managers will adhereto the organisation’s procedures and values.

4 All staff are aware of grievance and disciplinaryprocedures.

The benefits of the new scheme includeimproved individual and organisationalperformance, improved dialogue andsupport between staff and their managersand better individual and organisationalstaff development.

For both appraising managers and staffbeing appraised, VSO provides annualworkshops on the skills of appraisal,including feedback skills, and how to getthe most out of the process.

VSO’s intention is to extend the coreprinciples of the scheme to all staffworking in their programme offices. Thesewill be considered carefully to ensure thatthere is a good cross-cultural “fit” andwhere necessary they will be adapted tomeet different cultural needs.

Norwegian Refugee Council -Code of Conduct

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) hasrevised its Code of Conduct. This providesmanagers and staff with clear guidelines onbehaviour during their employment.

The Code of Conduct ensures that staff areaware of their professional responsibilitieswhen on an international posting. It coversgeneral points, such as “upholding thehighest standards of competence, efficiencyand integrity” through to more specificissues, such as complying with local safetydirections and a responsibility to updateoneself when changes are made. It acts asa reference during the selection process andduring briefing/induction, as well as servingas a guide for managers during regularperformance review meetings with staff.

The themes covered in the Code ofConduct result from in-depth discussioninside the agency, and NRC’s emphasisnow is on training managers in how to dealwith difficult and sensitive issues orallegations appropriately.


Tearfund -Developing managers

Tearfund works through local partners inaround 80 countries. In recent yearsTearfund has broadened its disastermanagement work and so introduced aDisaster Management DevelopmentProgramme. This aims to strengthen theknowledge, experience and capabilities ofexisting field managers, equipping them fordisaster management work in operationalprogrammes and partner support work. Theprogramme is open to all managers and sofar almost half the delegates have beennational staff. It was designed byTearfund’s own learning and developmentspecialists around a “cascade” model inwhich individual participants areencouraged to transfer their learning toothers and to their programme.

Tearfund aims to use the programme todevelop current and emerging leaders andthe first course module - “programme designand planning” - has been validated by theUK’s Institute of Leadership andManagement. External validation forms partof a formal accreditation process and suchrecognition assures participants that thecontent is of a high quality. The remainder ofthe programme covers aspects of disastermanagement, generic people and projectmanagement together with skills forpersonal development and developing others.

The first module has been extremely wellreceived. Staff are eager to learn and havinghad numerous opportunities to apply theirenhanced skills they are, in the words of onefield co-ordinator based in Sierra Leone,feeling very “fulfilled” and much moreconfident in their ability to do their jobs.

World Vision -Pathways to leadership

World Vision developed its globalleadership development initiative“Pathways to leadership” in recognition ofthe fact that competent management ofthe NGO non-profit sector is an extremelyimportant issue. The initiative is driven by

an acute awareness of the strategicimportance of effective leadership atmultiple levels, and the scarcity ofcompetent leaders to meet these needs inthe developing world.

All World Vision’s managers receive a widerange of relevant training and support, butthe “Pathways to leadership” programmeseeks to develop high-potential leaders intheir work with the poor and oppressed andthere is a particular focus on cultivatingnational staff.

The uptake is almost equally split betweenmale and female staff, and the benefits toindividuals have been quite tangible, withmany remarking on the increasedeffectiveness of their work as a result ofimproved skills.

The benefits to the organisation have alsobeen significant. World Vision’s recentevaluations suggest that programmes arehaving a much greater impact oncommunities. Moreover, the ability tosource high calibre leaders from within theorganisation is paying dividends, with alarge number of course participantspromoted to leadership positions.

VSO -Managing performance

A new appraisal scheme at Voluntary ServiceOverseas (VSO) means that all UK-based staffhave an annual appraisal between March andMay, after budgets and organisationalobjectives have been set for the coming year.The new scheme links these corporateobjectives to key objectives set for eachemployee, each with SMART performanceindicators - specific, measurable, achievable,realistic and timely - as well as includingdiscussions around personal and teamdevelopment plans. Employee progress duringthe previous year is assessed against the keyobjectives and also against VSO’s brandcharacteristics. These are, in essence,behavioural competencies linked to VSOvalues and include “professional”,“passionate”, “empowering”, “collaborative”and “openness to learning”.

Principle 3 Managing people

Consultation andcommunicationDialogue with staff on matterslikely to affect their employmentenhances the quality andeffectiveness of our policies andpractices.

We recognise that effective development,implementation and monitoring of humanresources policies and practices rely onappropriate consultation and communicationwith the people who work for us. We aim toinclude all staff, whether salaried or contract,and volunteers in these processes.

Why is this important?With staff and volunteers often spread over a widegeographic area, participation can sometimes causesomething of a headache. Yet staff perform best whenthey are involved in decisions that affect them, andtherefore any mechanism that encouragescommunication and consultation is to be welcomed.

Communication involves the interchange of ideas, andconsultation is the process by which managers andstaff (or their representatives) jointly examine issuesbefore decisions are agreed.

When any changes are being made or actions takenthat affect staff, then staff should be consultedappropriately and have an opportunity of individually orcollectively making their views known to management.Indeed, in many countries this is their legal right.However, it makes good sense irrespective of location,and the fact that staff are being asked their views can,in itself, be motivational. It is also in keeping withparticipatory and accountable working practices whichare common place in the sector.

Mechanisms such as the social audit process used bythe People In Aid Code can act as a useful tool forengaging staff and improving communication, but thereare a variety of other methods and techniques forconsultation, ranging from direct dialogue through tofull staff representation in the form of a recognisedtrade union.

The case study on the IHE and RedR mergerdemonstrates the importance of effective and ongoingdialogue and shows what it can achieve. The examplefrom Amnesty International shows the benefits ofinvolving staff in the process of organisational change.

Human resources policies informed by a process ofconsultation with staff stand more chance of beingunderstood and effectively adopted.


Principle Four

Principle 4 Consultation and communication

Indicators1 Staff are informed and adequately consulted

when we develop or review human resourcespolicies or practices that affect them.

2 Managers and staff understand the scope ofconsultation and how to participate, individuallyor collectively.

Principle 4 Consultation and communication


INF -Meaningful dialogue

The International Nepal Fellowship (INF)has around 60 expatriates and more than450 local staff working on a number ofprojects spread throughout west and mid-west Nepal.

The size of the organisation, and the physicaldistances that separate staff (up to 600km)pose particular difficulties when dealing withissues that require comprehensiveconsultation and communication. Yet INF iscommitted to effective and meaningfulemployee participation, as demonstrated bythe way it reviews the terms and conditionsfor national staff each year (part of theemployee procedures manual revisionprocess).

The annual review starts in January with aninvitation for proposals for change going outto staff and their union, and ends with thebeginning of the Nepali financial year in July.Over the consultation period, all staff areable to give their views, and the dialogueinvolves managers, the union and humanresources staff. Virtual meetings andexchanges of information are successfullycombined with face-to-face meetings, andthe final recommendations from nominatedstaff representatives are presented toboard directors for approval prior toimplementation. Completing the processwith the Board’s sign off underlines acommitment to open communication at alllevels of the organisation. Ensuring all staffand volunteers have a voice is not only inkeeping with the organisation’s values butalso contributes to employee satisfaction.

IHE & RedR -Consultation – an ongoing

process

After a year of discussions, IHE (theInternational Health Exchange) and RedRentered into a full and successful merger.

From the outset both agencies agreed thatthe process had to be as transparent aspossible. Information was shared openly

which made it easier for staff to cope withthe inevitable uncertainty; drafts ofcommunications to internal and externalstakeholders were also shared forcomment prior to formal release to ensureconsistency and clarity. Both partiesworked through a staff representative andregular meetings were held to ensure openand transparent communication.Fortunately no staff posts were placed atrisk by the merger and discussionstherefore focused around staff’s currentposition and their future prospects withinthe merged organisation.

Both parties agreed that involving an HRprofessional would ensure that legalobligations towards staff were metthroughout the consultation and mergerprocess and a member of the RedR boardwas selected for this role. IHE’s welldeveloped and comprehensive employmentprocedures manual also helped provide asound framework for the change processand as a result is being incorporated withinthe new entity’s management system.

A “staff merger working group” is chargedwith managing the ongoing integration ofthe two organisational cultures, systemsand business processes, and their work ismonitored by the “joint trustees mergermonitoring group”, which comprises threetrustees from each board.

Amnesty International -A consultative approach

Amnesty International grew in a fairlyunplanned way from a small informalnetwork of dedicated people into a muchlarger and more complex organisation withall the associated implications in terms ofplanning, management and hierarchies.

Stakeholder dissatisfaction with the factthat the management infrastructure hadnot kept pace with global growth anddecentralisation prompted a worldwidereview of staff management.

Senior staff initiated a consultativeapproach, enabling any member of staff toshare concerns and to offer practical

solutions via the intranet. Three monthswere spent simply listening to as manypeople as possible at headquarters andaround the world. Then came diagnosticpresentations offering an evolving processof consultation and debate to keystakeholders. The whole review processendeavoured to create space andopportunity for staff to try new ways ofproblem solving and to contribute ideas.

There was an immediate improvement ofmorale in the short term and a new andpositive framework was set with the maintrade union. Confidence and enthusiasmfor change is apparent. This led toincreased expectations, which Amnesty ismeeting with a significant investment inhuman resources and in the application ofinnovative approaches to strategic andoperational planning.

People In Aid -Encouraging dialogue

When the People In Aid Code was firstlaunched the sector agreed that as a part ofits accountability to staff, a process forverifying implementation was necessary.Social audit, an accountability tool (see page 23), was judged to be closest to valuescommonly found in the sector in that it is aparticipatory and transparent process.

Social audit allows organisations to gain aclearer picture of how their stakeholdersview them and build more beneficialrelationships with them. It helps them toanticipate concerns the stakeholders have,manage consequential risks and letstakeholders know how they are performing.

With the People In Aid Code, the mainstakeholders are staff and volunteers. Allagencies which have used social audit toimplement the Code have used surveys orfocus groups to work with their staff andbenefit from their input. One agencypiloting the process summed up the viewsof many: “The greater level of consultationwhich resulted from engaging in the[implementation] process was welcomedby staff.”

Recruitment andselectionOur policies and practices aim to attract and select a diverseworkforce with the skills andcapabilities to fulfil ourrequirements.

Our recruitment and selection process tellscandidates about our agency. How we recruitand select our staff significantly influenceshow effective they are in fulfilling ourobjectives.

Why is this important?Getting the right person in the right place at the righttime remains the key objective in any recruitmentprocess. Every aidworker can recount the untoldconsequences of getting it wrong, and mistakes inrecruitment are often expensive as well as potentiallydamaging both to the individuals and to the reputationand activities of the organisations themselves.

The importance of sound recruitment is such that itnow appears in its own right as a Principle within thisrevised Code. The existence of a recruitment policyoutlining a process which is both legally compliant andalso in keeping with good practice regardingtransparency and fairness is essential; further, itmoves away from the traditional reliance on “word-of-mouth” recommendations and closed networks, whichis to be welcomed. Together with an appropriatemonitoring mechanism, this approach will help ensurethat there is no unfair discrimination. ACORD’sapproach may not suit every agency, but it clearlyresponds to a need it has identified and is helping theorganisation make effective recruitment decisions.Providing reasonable feedback to applicants isimportant. It is not only a matter of good etiquette butis crucial in the drive to eliminate unfair discriminationand, needless to say, the legal consequences of unfairdiscrimination are costly and likely to severely damagean agency’s reputation.

The indicators outline the areas in which agencies cantake steps to mitigate identified risks. Specificresponses to consider might include reviewingprocesses related to job design, job descriptions,advertising methods, selection methods and thetraining of interview panel members. Human resourcespractitioners have a key role to play in ensuringrecruitment policies and procedures remain effectiveand up to date, and they have a large responsibility inensuring recruiting managers are adequately equippedand trained to fulfil their responsibilities. From thecase studies below it is evident that theseresponsibilities are taken very seriously indeed, andthey suggest that recruitment should figureprominently in any organisation’s risk managementstrategy.


Principle 5 Recruitment and selection

Principle Five

Indicators1 Written policies and procedures outline how staff

are recruited and selected to positions in ourorganisation.

2 Recruitment methods aim to attract the widestpool of suitably qualified candidates.

3 Our selection process is fair, transparent andconsistent to ensure the most appropriate personis appointed.

4 Appropriate documentation is maintained andresponses are given to candidates regarding theirselection/non-selection to posts. We will providefeedback if necessary.

5 The effectiveness and fairness of our recruitmentand selection procedures are monitored.

Recruitment of all senior-level programmestaff is monitored closely. Vacant postsare carefully reviewed in consultation withthe head office and interview panelsalways include an independent andobjective interviewer. Short-listing isundertaken on the basis of competenciesalone (personal data is removedbeforehand) and the interview is alsoprimarily competency-based. Theorganisational development directorreviews all supporting notes and interviewdocumentation to ratify the wholeselection process for fairness andconsistency prior to an offer ofemployment being confirmed. A member ofthe panel then communicates the panel’sdecision to all interviewed candidates andfeedback is given where requested.


Save the Children UK -Effective recruitment and

selection procedures

Save the Children UK recruits hundreds ofpeople each year through its Londonoffice, many of whom will go on to havecontact with children and young people.Incorporating robust and successful childprotection measures in its recruitmentprocedures is given absolute priority.

One particular challenge is vettingapplicants who have lived or worked incountries where reliable criminal record orpolice checks are unobtainable. In suchcases, alternative means of checkingsuitability are required.

Some of the steps introduced includerigorously checking the employmenthistory of short-listed candidates, ensuringthey have submitted signed applicationand disclosure of conviction forms andthat their identity is checked at interview.

Interview panels always include at leastone interviewer trained to screen for childprotection concerns, and candidates mustanswer specific questions relating to childprotection, which are drawn up withguidance from the organisation’s childprotection manager.

Before confirming any offer ofemployment, at least two (usually three)satisfactory references must be receivedwith a reference from the previous linemanager a pre-requisite. All references areverified, a process which involvestelephoning the referee and confirming theauthenticity of the reference.

Save the Children publicly declares itscommitment to protecting children andyoung people from abuse and emphasisesthat appropriate checks will be carried outon all applicants. Where this does notdeter those deemed “unsuited to workwith children and young people” fromapplying for jobs, the robust proceduresprovide a comprehensive safeguard.

Terre des Hommes -Consistency in recruitment

Terre des Hommes developed acomprehensive recruitment and selectionpolicy and procedures followingconsultation with managers in a range ofTerre des Hommes country programmes.The result is a framework for recruitmentand selection which is consistent with bestpractice and allows for adaptation to thelocal legal and cultural contexts.

Training to support local managersimplementing the policy was piloted inEgypt and is now being rolled out to therest of the organisation. The impact onprogrammes in Egypt, Ethiopia andAfghanistan has already been reported aspositive and this can be attributed toempowered local managers with enhancedskills making fair and effective recruitmentdecisions based on written policies andprocedures.

ACORD -Monitoring recruitment

The Agency for Co-operation and Researchin Development (ACORD) has around 500staff working for social justice anddevelopment alongside some of thepoorest and most disadvantaged people in17 countries throughout Africa.

A period of intense organisational change(culminating with the re-location of theheadquarters to Nairobi during 2003)encouraged a review of organisation-widepolicies and initiatives. Among these wasthe successful introduction of measures tomeet the agency’s commitment to fair,transparent and consistent recruitment,which was a challenge for an organisationwhose individual country programmes havedeveloped quite autonomously over manyyears.

Principle 5 Recruitment and selection

Learning, trainingand developmentLearning, training and staffdevelopment are promotedthroughout the organisation.

We recognise the importance of relevanttraining, development and learningopportunities, both personal and professional,to help staff work effectively and professionally.We aim to instil a culture of learning in theorganisation so that we and the staff can shareour learning and develop together.

Why is this important?An agency’s ability to meet its goals and objectives issignificantly enhanced by an investment in learning. Forsuccess to be sustained, learning must be a part of the

agency’s culture and firmly rooted in management systems.

People In Aid’s research has shown that learning,training and development often receive a low priority,most commonly due to either limited or restrictedfinancial resources or lack of time.

Learning relates to the continuous process of acquiringknowledge, skills, abilities or attitudes. Oxfam Australiauses this approach to learning from its staff. Learningcan include both formal and informal approaches todeveloping knowledge, skills and behaviours and it canbe individual, team or project-based. Training anddevelopment are both part of the learning process.

In organisations where international staff have benefitedfrom learning and training opportunities, the same has notalways been the case for host country staff. Yet as theUNHCR example testifies, learning benefits theorganisation as a whole and not only increases individualcontributions but can have a positive impact on morale,too.

The British Red Cross confirms that staff developmentis about realising potential, both for the agency and forthe individual concerned. It equips both parties torespond to the challenges of a rapidly changingworking environment. And in a sector where careerpaths are not always clear, an appropriate link to anexternal qualification can form a vital component of anindividual’s personal development plan.

Training and development has to be integrated witheffective management systems and procedures. Theprocess of identifying and analysing training needs iscrucial and influences an organisation’s training anddevelopment strategy. Equally important is to ensurethat all staff can and do allocate time for training.TransAid, an agency tackling poverty through practicaltransport and logistics solutions, realised this at anearly stage in the organisation’s life. In addition toensuring training and development is integral to theirappraisal system, they also took steps to incorporatethe planning and scheduling of learning anddevelopment within workplans.

Providing individuals with appropriate training or supportis wholly consistent with the need to make themaximum use of the expertise and resources they bringto the organisation. Now, and increasingly in the future,an organisation’s effectiveness will depend on itscapacity to develop its staff, and its own ability to learn.

Principle 6 Learning, training and development


Principle Six

Indicators1 Adequate induction, and briefing specific to each

role, is given to all staff.

2 Written policies outline the training, developmentand learning opportunities staff can expect fromthe organisation.

3 Plans and budgets are explicit about trainingprovision. Relevant training is provided to allstaff.

4 Managers know how to assess the learningneeds of staff so they can facilitate individualdevelopment. Where appropriate training anddevelopment will be linked to externalqualifications.

5 The methods we have in place to monitorlearning and training ensure that the organisationalso learns. They also monitor the effectivenessof learning and training in meeting organisationaland programme aims as well as staffexpectations of fairness and transparency.

British Red Cross -Induction and training

Ensuring that all delegates are fullyprepared before a Red Cross mission iscritical to enabling them to be effective intheir roles. At British Red Cross (BRCS)this starts with a compulsory eight-dayinduction course, held annually andcovering the Red Cross context togetherwith the basics of InternationalHumanitarian Law, cultural sensitivity,stress management and securityawareness.

Written documentation is then issuedas part of the pre-mission briefingprocess, followed by face-to-facebriefings with the desk officerresponsible for the country of posting,technical advisors, the internationalpersonnel team plus a medical review.These comprehensive briefings arenormally supplemented by furtherbriefings in Geneva (by the InternationalCommittee of the Red Cross or theFederation) and in the field.

Preparation does not stop once someoneis on mission. BRCS has a written trainingand development policy that outlinesopportunities delegates can expect toreceive. Delegates are encouraged toreview their training and developmentrequirements through their appraisal,post-mission debriefs, and professionaldevelopment plans. A training panel isresponsible for approving individualrequests or managementrecommendations for both internal andexternal training. Where appropriate,external courses or academic study, withrecognised qualifications, areencouraged. BRCS also runs specificcourses, such as security or projectmanagement, which are planned andbudgeted a year in advance.

BRCS also acknowledges alternative waysof learning by developing possibletraineeships and mentoring schemes, forexample.

Principle 6 Learning, training and development


UNHCR -A strategic approach

to learning

For the office of the United Nations HighCommissioner for Refugees (UNHCR),with 6,000 staff based across 280 officesin 120 countries, staff access to learningopportunities is a major challenge. Arealisation that conventional trainingworkshops were neither effective norsustainable in encouraging learning,resulted in a strategic shift that broughtlearning to the workplace and thelearners.

UNHCR has supported this strategic shiftin a number of ways. Since 1999, 20% ofits staff development budget has beenallocated to the field offices who areempowered to identify their specificlearning needs and identify localsolutions. On-the-job learning (forexample, coaching, shadowing, actionlearning, guided missions) isencouraged. From its headquarters inGeneva, training providers in the varioussubject areas are converting orredesigning training workshops intodistance learning modules or blendingself-study elements and workplaceapplication with the face-to-face eventsto create 9-month learning programmes.E-learning was introduced in early 2003with on-line courses in management,personal effectiveness andcommunications skills. Where thesubject matter warrants (staff safety,induction and supply chain), UNHCR hasdeveloped interactive learning CD-Romsin-house. There remains a need todevelop more tools for self-directedlearning (self-study guides, coachingguides, job aids) in a number of UNHCR-specific subject areas and to reinforcethe important role of all supervisors tomore proactively facilitate the learning oftheir staff.

The adjustment has been surprisinglywell accepted, particularly in the fieldoffices where lack of access to learningopportunities was a source of

frustration. Skills development is all themore important as offices expand andcontract with refugee influxes. Whilelearning activities must matchorganisational needs we should notignore the fact that capacity building oflocally recruited staff is also anorganisational obligation.

Oxfam Australia -Organisational learning

At Oxfam Community Aid Abroad (OxfamAustralia) the debriefing process assistsorganisational learning and is helpingincrease the impact of programmes andimprove conditions for future employees.

While debriefing is beneficial to theindividual staff member, it also enablesOxfam Australia to address any issues thatrequire action from an organisationalperspective.

In particular, the learning from theassessment and analysis of debriefingreturned staff from Oxfam Australia’s EastTimor emergency response has beensubstantial. Feedback has led torecommendations made at field, headoffice and policy level, resulting in anumber of changes being made, forexample in recruitment processes and thehousing and accommodation policy.

A two-stage debriefing process (in-country, and with a representative frominternational human resources) ensuresa focus on work-related andmanagement issues as well as generalhuman resources topics, such asrecruitment, health-related issues andthe individual’s personal development.Matters relating to the individual arefollowed through, relevant feedback onorganisational issues is collated and thetrends or key points are regularly sharedwith management at appropriateintervals.

Health, safety andsecurityThe security, good health andsafety of our staff are a primeresponsibility of our organisation.

We recognise that the work of relief anddevelopment agencies often places greatdemands on staff in conditions of complexityand risk. We have a duty of care to ensurethe physical and emotional well-being of ourstaff before, during and on completion oftheir period of work with us.

Why is this important?In both relief and development work, stressful andrisky situations are inevitable. Yet there is much thatcan be done to mitigate the risks of illness, injury,stress, burnout or worse to staff and dependants.Employing organisations should ensure that thesecurity, health and safety of all staff is appropriatelyprotected as much as possible and that measures arein place for their ongoing well-being. This will requiresignificant thought and planning on the part ofmanagers, with the recognition that improving securityfor staff may come at additional project costs.Maintaining the safety of staff is paramount. Costmust be considered, but the primary objective isensuring staff are able to deliver the servicesagencies require in the most challengingenvironments.

As the case studies from CARE, Mission East,Malteser and CARITAS highlight, ways of addressingsecurity, stress management and work-life balanceinclude developing specific initiatives or employeeassistance programmes, introducing effective rest andrelaxation policies, or improving briefings andenhancing the overall level of communication.

Principle Seven is often considered the most importantin the Code. While there is no hierarchy of importanceamong the principles, it is nonetheless true that

implementing this one will make a significantcontribution towards satisfying the rigours of youragency’s risk management strategy. This is because itexplicitly addresses the impact of agency activity onthe daily lives and working environment of each andevery worker, highlighting the duty of care agencies have


Principle 7 Health, safety and security

Principle Seven

Indicators1 Written policies are available to staff on security,

individual health, care and support, health andsafety.

2 Programme plans include written assessment ofsecurity, travel and health risks specific to thecountry or region, reviewed at appropriateintervals.

3 Before an international assignment all staffreceive health clearance. In addition they andaccompanying dependents receive verbal andwritten briefing on all risks relevant to the role tobe undertaken, and the measures in place tomitigate those risks, including insurance. Agencyobligations and individual responsibilities inrelation to possible risks are clearlycommunicated. Briefings are updated when newequipment, procedures or risks are identified.

4 Security plans, with evacuation procedures, arereviewed regularly.

5 Records are maintained of work-related injuries,sickness, accidents and fatalities, and aremonitored to help assess and reduce future riskto staff.

6 Workplans do not require more hours work thanare set out in individual contracts. Time off andleave periods, based on written policies, aremandatory.

7 All staff have a debriefing or exit interview at theend of any contract or assignment. Healthchecks, personal counselling and careers adviceare available. Managers are trained to ensurethese services are provided.

8 In the case of staff on emergency rosters,managers should ensure that health clearance,immunisations and procedures for obtaining thecorrect prophylaxes and other essential suppliesare arranged well in advance.

have a huge responsibility towards staffwell-being, especially as staff near the endof their contracts when effectivedebriefing is essential”.

Mission East -Managing security

In Afghanistan, Mission East’s CountryDirector found that a constant dialoguewith both national and international staffwas essential for effectively managingsecurity. In late 2001 and during 2002, theworking context was characterised byinstability and insecurity. Situationschanged extremely rapidly and agencieshad to be able to respond appropriately.

Mission East worked in the north east ofAfghanistan, some distance from thecapital Kabul. The organisation’ssecurity policy and guidelines wereadapted to the local context at theoutset. To mainstream a securityawareness within the whole team, allstaff received comprehensive andparticipatory training on security andstaff safety. Decision trees, scenarioplanning and role-playing helpedindividuals to think and plan laterally.Great efforts were made to embed thissecurity awareness within routineoperations and every individual wasrequired to participate in securitydiscussions. To overcome an initialreluctance in sharing information, thecountry director would make a point ofmeeting with all staff at the end of eachday and these informal team meetingsprovided an extremely valuable forum for


CARITAS Europa - Planning for emergencies

CARITAS Europa (CE) is part of theinternational confederation of Catholicrelief, development and social serviceorganisations, which work in 198countries to alleviate poverty andsuffering.

In a major crisis, CE’s EmergencyResponse and Support Teams are oftenamong the first to arrive on the scene, andthis is to a large extent due to the carefulattention paid to emergency planning.

When news of a crisis reaches the headoffice, available staff are identified andselected from a regularly-updateddatabase, and are then comprehensivelybriefed before mobilisation and in moredetail upon arrival in the country ofposting.

To speed up the mobilisation of emergencystaff, CE ensures those on the databasereceive regular emergency responsetraining. This includes InternationalHumanitarian Law, security procedures,team-building, trauma counselling,minimum standards in emergencyresponse, as well as financial and projectmanagement.

Staff that travel, or are likely to travel,internationally are kept up to date withtheir inoculations and have a compulsoryannual or biannual medical check-up,according to the policy of the individual CEmember organisation. This does notpreclude the need for an appropriatehealth check and briefing prior tomobilisation but it does reduce the time

spent on activities that could have beenundertaken previously.

Centre for HumanitarianPsychology -

Dealing with stress

Some of the stress experienced by fieldstaff comes from isolation, such as forgeographical reasons, the type of mission,conflicts in the team or curfewrestrictions. The personal make-up of thehumanitarian worker can lead to a feelingof loneliness, even if working in a hugerefugee camp in a large team of co-workers. To compound the situation,individuals may feel unable to share theirdifficulties with the team or the managers,perhaps for personal reasons or perhapsbecause the mechanism for them to do sois somehow lacking, and they thus “soldieron” as “walking wounded”.

The Center for Humanitarian Psychology(CHP) addressed the problem through afree and confidential support service witha team of three psychologists who havefield experience. More than 400 peoplemade contact via email or phone lastyear, although half were callers primarilyseeking reassurance in their situations. Asmall number actually presented withsigns of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD) and were advised that theyshould seek professional supportimmediately.

The CHP says the cases it has dealt with“clearly demonstrate that organisations


as employers. In addition staff must be aware of theirindividual responsibility to manage their own safety andwell-being by following security guidelines andprocedures or protocols. Compliance is necessary inorder to protect themselves and colleagues but also tomaintain the integrity and reputation of their programme.

Aside from any external impetus, the fact remainsthat agencies in this sector share an ethic thatemphasises universal health, wealth andhumanitarian values. Endorsing the Codedemonstrates that an agency includes its staff withinthose institutional values too.

sharing a wide range of information thatimpacted on security management. Staffquickly realised that even what appearedto be basic information or what might beconsidered a trivial or one-off incidentwas relevant and needed to be sharedwith colleagues, management and evenother NGOs working in the area.

CARE Canada -Psycho-social counselling

C3 is a CARE-Canada initiated project,triggered by experiences in Rwanda, nowrun for the agency by a human resourcesconsultancy. It is a psycho-socialcounselling program offered to staffbeing deployed into high-risk areas, aswell as for critical incidents. A smallroster of psycho-social counsellors fromacross the world, with differentspecialities and language skills, offerstaff pre-deployment briefings, in-countrysupport and debriefings. The programmealso offers training sessions to countrydirectors and HR professionals to helpthem detect warning signs for burnoutand depression.

During critical incidents, counsellors aremade available to staff. For mission-critical or multi-victim incidentscounsellors are deployed to the scene.Otherwise, and for longer-term support,individuals are referred to local serviceproviders. Families are also givenappropriate personal support whenrequired.

International Committee ofthe Red Cross -

Preparing staff for stress

“The Missing” project is an extremelyimportant piece of work for theInternational Committee of the Red Crossand one of the outcomes has been thedevelopment of guidelines for all thoseworking with families of those who have



disappeared during conflict or for anotherreason.

The guidelines highlight the fundamentalresponsibility agencies have in trainingand supporting their staff (who areworking with such families), andrecognise that staff and volunteers maythemselves also become victims as aresult of the stress they suffer during thecourse of their work.

The guidelines insist that all fieldwork bepreceded by comprehensive briefings byexperts with local knowledge andexperience of local culture and traditions.In addition to specific training required forthe job they perform, all staff will betrained in the psychological reactionstrauma victims may suffer, and on the waysin which they themselves can avoidsecondary traumatisation. Teams will beregularly debriefed, and while in the field,continuous supervision together withongoing support will help staff deal withparticular problems. It is intended thatthese guidelines will go a significant waytowards minimising the risk of staffbecoming traumatised or sufferingburnout.

Malteser Hilfsdienst - Debriefings and exit

interviews

At Malteser Hilfsdienst, a German reliefagency, debriefing is part of a continuousprocess of communication rather than anactivity confined solely to the end of thecontract, although in keeping with goodpractice all international staff are required topass through the head office for debriefingand an exit interview when their contracthas ended. While the agency is concernedthat this process be perceived less as“supervision”, the principle of regular andopen communication throughout theemployment contract helps the organisationidentify and deal with issues affecting thesecurity, health and safety of this category ofstaff in a timely manner.

Regular contact between field staff anddesk officers in the head office issupplemented by regular visits by the deskofficer to the field. A process of regular andopen communication, together with a strictenforcement of regular leave (and rest andrelaxation periods where appropriate),helps the organisation to identify stress orhealth issues affecting international staffbefore the debriefing stage and take actionbefore unmanageable problems develop.When it becomes evident that an individualrequires medical attention or additionalsupport, a medical professional at headoffice assumes the responsibility of co-ordinating further assistance. Local staffbenefit from the open and transparentcommunications and in many of Malteser’scountry programmes also receive exitinterviews and debriefings.

Prioritising Principle Seven

InterHealth says: “In our work ashealth advisor to many internationalaid agencies, we daily see the direconsequences to individuals andagencies when health related issuesand work-life balance are not given toppriority. We strongly encourage allagencies to adhere robustly toPrinciple Seven. This will help to avoidpreventable problems and should theyoccur, will minimise their impact.”

The People In Aid Code is a unique tool able to assistyour agency in improving its human resourcemanagement and enhance its capacity to fulfil itsmission. The Code was developed in specific responseto the human resources issues affecting agenciesworking in relief and development.

“Implementing the Code” is a process through whichagencies working in relief and development canthoroughly review their human resource management,decide on any necessary improvements and berecognised for their efforts in doing so.

"The process encourages an agency tofulfil its own aspirations rather thanreach established standards."

Implementing the Code is a highly productive process.Because the process encourages an agency to fulfil itsown aspirations rather than reach establishedstandards, the pressure to improve human resourcemanagement is dictated solely by the commitment toeffective delivery of the mission and by thecommitment of the people who work to help theagency achieve it.

These notes outline the process, highlighting thebenefits of implementation to your agency, the processitself and also the support available.

Recognition brings benefitsImplementing the Code gives evidence to internal andexternal stakeholders of the quality of your humanresource management and the improvements youragency is committing to making.

● Staff and volunteers will recognise the efforts theagency is making to improve the support andmanagement provided to them, irrespective of theirposition, status or location.

● Potential staff and volunteers will recognise youragency as an employer of choice.

● Donors will see evidence of a commitment tostrengthening internal capacity and systems toimprove quality of aid delivery.

● Peers will recognise your agency has taken careover its support and management structures,leading to more effective programming work.

● Partners will be able to draw on enhancedexpertise and raise the quality of their ownsystems and procedures. Your engagement withpartners through the social accounting and auditingprocess also demonstrates your willingness to co-operate and learn.

● Beneficiaries will have the assurance that you aremonitoring the impact and delivery of yourprogramme and that their needs are being met bycompetent and supported staff.

Kitemarks Recognition comes, in part, throughkitemarks (in the form of two straplines) awarded byPeople In Aid. The kitemarks recognise your agency’sachievements and are awarded at the beginning andend of the implementation process. Kitemarkedagencies are listed on People In Aid’s website foreveryone in the sector to see, and the kitemarks canbe used in your internal and external communications.

"Kitemarks recognise your agency'sachievements and are awarded at thebeginning and end of theimplementation process."

“Committed to the People In Aid Code” The firstkitemark is awarded at the beginning of theimplementation process when an agency demonstratesthat:

● The Chief Executive or Chair has made a writtenand public commitment to the People In Aid Code ofGood Practice.

● The agency has given responsibility and appropriateauthority for implementing the People In Aid Code toa named project manager and team.

● The agency has informed staff that the agency iscommitted to the People In Aid Code.

“Verified Compliant with the People In AidCode” At an agreed point and onceimplementation is well underway, an external socialauditor will visit and look at the repor t on theprocess of implementation and on the agency’srepor ted per formance in relation to the People inAid Code. The verifier’s job is not to makejudgements about the agency’s per formance but toassess, and repor t back, on the adequacy of themonitoring and stakeholder consultation systems in


Implementing the People In Aid Code


place and the completeness and accuracy of theinformation in the repor t.

Implementation will be ongoing so the audit cycle (anupdated progress report and social audit) should berepeated once every three years.

The process of implementation hasbenefits too…Apart from the recognition by stakeholders, describedabove, the process itself will be of benefit. It willbenefit your agency at whatever stage it is at inaddressing human resources issues.

● Framework for analysis: the Code provides acomprehensive overview of the human resourcesissues affecting agencies in relief and development.

● Identifying gaps: during the implementation processyour implementation team may identify gaps inpolicies, practice, training or monitoring.

● Prioritisation: by focusing on seven principles, theCode assists in categorising issues under key areasof human resource management and in prioritisingworkplans accordingly.

● Stakeholder participation: your staff will be involvedin the process and will feel that their voice is beingheard.

“Our staff are the eyes and ears of ourorganisation; they communicate needs,propose responses, monitor resultsand ultimately determine the quality ofour service. During implementation ofthe People In Aid Code the social auditprocess helped us to capture ourstaff’s contribution, while we found thePrinciples and Indicators to be the bestway for us to monitor our policiesagainst our organisational objectives.”

Paddy Maguinness, Deputy Chief Executive, Concern Worldwide, Ireland.

● Collaboration: implementation requires that humanresources and operational staff work together; andmore widely, your agency will benefit from theexperiences of other implementing agencies.

Explaining the implementationprocess…Principles and standards Each of the sevenprinciples has several indicators. These provideguidance on what your agency needs to look at inorder to quote the Principle with confidence. TheIndicators are not standards that an agency isexpected to reach for each area of human resourcemanagement; it is for your agency to identify thestandards to which it can aspire. In time,benchmarking data from implementing agencies mayassist in defining sector-specific standards.

Using the Code Many of the indicators mayprompt your implementation team to ask whetheryou need to introduce a policy, update a policy, domore training in policy implementation or simplystrengthen the monitoring of policies and practices.The social audit process encourages stakeholderfeedback on these areas so your work will be seento be based on the genuine need of the organisationand its staff.

The verification process – a “social audit” Inthe open process which gave rise to the Code it waswidely agreed by participating agencies that averification process should be introduced to the Codeto distinguish it from other Codes to which NGOs couldsign up. It was decided that this would be in the formof a social audit, since the values at its heart(participation, accountability and transparency) areclosest to the values of our sector.

A major objective of social audit is to work withselected stakeholders on the concerns they raise. Themajor stakeholder in the People In Aid Code process isstaff. Staff are consulted during the process to ensurethat decision-makers and policy-writers both in HR andoperational departments have data and opinion onwhich to base their work.

Some agencies have chosen to work with all staffduring the process. It is perfectly acceptable to selecta region or group of country programmes and workwith them as pilot areas for the agency.



Access to supportPeople In Aid member agencies which areimplementing the Code receive support from a widevariety of sources. People In Aid makes availablepeople qualified in social audit to advise on theprocess, and we are engaged on in-depth andcontinuous “indicator-deepening” work to ensurethat any assistance an agency requires with anyindicator has been researched and documented inadvance.

Other People In Aid resources (see page 26) alsohelp implementing agencies. We are always availablewhen a query arises and can tailor our support toyour specific needs. Our wide connections to theNGO community worldwide bring many examples ofgood practice to the table and in addition,implementing agencies have traditionally helpedeach other. The exchange of ideas through thePeople In Aid network is a major benefit to membersand we will continue to facilitate this worthwhileinteraction.

“At the British Red Cross we believe wemust be accountable to our staff andvolunteers. Thus we continue toprioritise People In Aid in ourinternational human resourcesstrategies, using the People In Aid Codeto test the complete range of ourpolicies and practices. We fully supportthe role People In Aid plays infacilitating the exchange of goodpractice between agencies in our sectorand in offering us, in the Code, astandard to which we can all aspire.”

Sir Nicholas Young, Chief Executive, British Red Cross.



The People In Aid Code of Good Practice in themanagement and support of aid personnel is just oneof many tools available from People In Aid to relief anddevelopment agencies concerned with improving theirhuman resource management. As an internationalnetwork, People In Aid seeks to raise the profile ofhuman resources for agencies, donors and others. Asa central resource for human resources for the sectorwe respond to the needs of our members around theworld tailoring our output to support them in theirefforts to improve the way they manage and supporttheir personnel.

What does People In Aid do?Currently our most popular resources are:

● Handbooks on essential policy areas such ashealth and safety, work-life balance and debriefing.

● Guideline policies on key areas such as security,codes of conduct and rest and relaxation.

● Training on topical HR issues for the sector such asdistance management, mentoring and peopledevelopment.

● A quarterly newsletter addressing key issuesaffecting the sector.

● Research on topics such as insurance and salaries.

● Group meetings on immediate priorities. Exampleshave included HIV/AIDS in the workplace,supervision of staff in refugee camps, developmentof national staff.

● Support for members implementing the Code.

● A resource centre and information network.

We are continually adding to our range of availableresources. For an up-to-date summary please contactus or visit our website.

People In Aid Membership People In Aid’s full members are organisations thatare involved in emergency relief, development and/oradvocacy for the purpose of alleviating poverty orsuffering. They provide assistance on the basis ofneed, regardless of the race, creed or nationality ofthe recipients and without adverse distinction of anykind.

Supporter and individual membership categories alsoexist for those who are not operational agencies, andwho share our aims and wish to benefit from ouroutput.

An agency must be a full member in order to benefitfrom our support in implementing the Code and toqualify for the kitemarks. Members also receive otherbenefits such as discounts, information and supporton HR topics of concern to them. If your agency wouldlike to join our network, please log on to the Join Uspage of our website or contact us directly.


About People In Aid

About People In Aid

www.peopleinaid.org

People In Aid is an international network ofrelief and development agencies. We providesupport to agencies committed to improvingtheir human resource management, by providingtools such as the People In Aid Code of GoodPractice.

People In Aid is one of a number of inter-agencyinitiatives which came into being in the 1990s ashumanitarian relief agencies, particularly, sought toenhance quality and accountability in the sector.

Collectively and individually, these initiatives providethe sector with tools to improve quality, accountability,performance, and active learning. The following is asummary of an overview first prepared in response toquestions about the commonalities and differencesbetween us, and our respective contributions tohumanitarian work.

The initiatives presented are not the only ones withinthe development and humanitarian sector. We are agroup which meets regularly to ensure that issues ofimportance are being fully addressed and noduplications of effort occur.

The Active Learning Network forAccountability and Performance inHumanitarian Action (ALNAP)www.alnap.orgALNAP, as a unique sector-wide active-learningmembership network, is dedicated to improving thequality and accountability of humanitarian action bysharing lessons; identifying common problems; andbuilding consensus on approaches.

The ALNAP Annual Review Series provides acomprehensive, independent assessment of theperformance of the humanitarian sector based on anannual evaluation synthesis of over 50 evaluative reports.It also provides a meta-evaluation of the quality ofevaluations. It also offers the Evaluative Reports Database(ERD), ALNAP Guidance Booklets, ALNAP TrainingModules, Global Study on Participation by AffectedPopulations in Humanitarian Action and the developmentand testing of the Learning Support Office Concept.

Humanitarian AccountabilityPartnership International (HAP International) www.hapgeneva.orgHAP International was set up in March 2003 todevelop, implement and monitor accountability

principles, and ensure compliance through collectiveself-regulation. It functions as an internationalprofessional association whose members areagencies. Its launch is based on the findings andrecommendations of the Humanitarian AccountabilityProject.

HAP International works with a member agency toproduce an accountability work plan with timescalesand benchmarks, monitors its implementation, reportsback on progress to the Board, and reviews andresponds to complaints. HAP International Secretariatprovides strategic and technical services, monitors theimplementation of the accountability work plans, andassists agencies in responding to complaints.

People In Aid www.peopleinaid.orgPeople In Aid promotes good practice in humanresource management in the sector.

People In Aid’s work is outlined on page 26 of thisdocument

The Sphere Projectwww.sphereproject.orgSphere works to improve the quality, effectiveness andaccountability of disaster response through theunderstanding and use of the Humanitarian Charter,Minimum Standards and Key Indicators.

Sphere produces a handbook, the SphereHumanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards inDisaster Response (available in eight languages);training modules on how to apply the Sphere handbookin practice; a Lessons Learned document on how toinstitutionalise the Humanitarian Charter and MinimumStandards; a 45-minute induction/orientation film, anda website that contains most of the above items inthree languages.


Quality and accountability

Quality and accountability

There are many organisations and individuals thatmust be thanked for their contribution to thisdocument. This Code of Good Practice owes much tothe Code of Best Practice (1997) and thus weacknowledge the contribution of Sara Davidson, thefirst Director of People In Aid. Her energy andcommitment ensured the original Code drew togetheragencies and examples of best practice, as well aslaying the foundations for the Code’s acceptance bythe worldwide relief and development community.Generous financial contributions from the UK’sDepartment for International Development and fromsome of People In Aid’s members have enabledPeople In Aid to undertake this work.

The original Code drew on documentation from,among others, the International Labour Organisation,the World Health Organisation, Investors in People andUNICEF. Support by individuals at the followingorganisations is again acknowledged:

ACAS, Action Health, British Quality Foundation, BritishRed Cross Society, CARE, Concern Worldwide,Cranfield Trust, Helpage International, InternationalCommittee of the Red Cross, Institute of DevelopmentPolicy and Management University of Manchester,International Health Exchange, Interaction, InterHealth,Liverpool University, Medical Foundation for the Care ofVictims of Torture, Oxfam GB, Overseas DevelopmentInstitute, Plan International, Returned Volunteer Action,Save the Children UK, Tearfund, VOICE, VSO, Words &Pictures.

For this revised version of the Code the biggestdebt of gratitude must go to the “Code Revision andImprovement Process” working group who sat for longhours discussing issues and bringing their, and others’varied experiences to the table;

Jonathan Goodhand, Lecturer in Development Practice,School of Oriental and African Studies, London.

Brendan Gormley, Director, Disasters EmergencyCommittee.

Jennifer Loughlin, Board member of People In Aid andIndependent Governance Advisor.

Jonathan Potter, Executive Director, People In Aid.

Alex Swarbrick, The Dialogue Partnership, and Trustee,International Nepal Fellowship.

Leanne Taylor, Head of International Personnel andTraining, British Red Cross Society.

Christine Williamson, International Personnel Officer –Policy, Tearfund.

Also thanks are due to each of People In Aid’sTrustees, who are elected by People In Aid’s membersand who have been responsible for overseeing theprocess during the last 18 months:

Mary Ahmad, Corporate HR Partners.

Usama Bastawy, Islamic Relief.

Joan Coyle, British Red Cross.

Floris Faber, Mission East.

Bonnie Fundafunda, ECHO and latterly UNICEF.

Bobby Lambert, RedR.

Ted Lankester, InterHealth.

Jennifer Loughlin, Creative People Solutions.

Paddy Maguinness, Concern Worldwide.

June Nash, Leprosy Mission International.

Gopal Rao, Oxfam International.

Ivan Scott, International Health Exchange.

Ian Wallace, Tearfund.

Jenifer York, World Vision UK.

Acknowledgements


Acknowledgements

Case studies and other materials for the revised Code weresupplied by the following organisations and we are gratefulfor the time and care they spent identifying and summarisingexamples of their own good practice:

The Agency for Cooperation and Research in Development (ACORD) ..........www.acord.org.uk

Amnesty International ............................www.amnesty.org.uk

The British Council ............................www.britishcouncil.org

British Red Cross Society......................www.redcross.org.uk

CARE ..............................................................www.care.ca

Caritas Europa ..................................www.caritas-europa.be

Centre for Humanitarian Psychology ....................................www.humanitarian-psy.org

Concern Worldwide ......................................www.concern.ie

The Disasters Emergency Committee ..................................................www.dec.org.uk

ethics etc [email protected]

Global Development Group........................www.globaldev.org

Groupe URD......................................................www.urd.org

Health Unlimited ............................www.healthunlimited.org

International Committee of the Red Cross ..............................................www.icrc.org

International Health Exchange......................................................www.ihe.org.uk

InterHealth ........................................www.interhealth.org.uk

International Nepal Fellowship ........................www.inf.org.np

Islamic Relief ....................................www.islamic-relief.com

Intermediate Technology Development Group (ITDG) ................................www.itdg.org

The Leprosy Mission International ....................................www.leprosymission.org

Malteser Hilfsdienst ..............................www.malteser-ald.de

Minority Rights Group International ......................................www.minorityrights.org

Mission East..............................................www.miseast.org

Norwegian Refugee Council ................................www.nrc.no

Oxfam GB ................................................www.oxfam.org.uk

Oxfam Australia ..........................................www.caa.org.au

RedR ..............................................................www.redr.org

Save the Children UK..................www.savethechildren.org.uk

Tearfund ..................................................www.tearfund.org

Terre des Hommes ............................................www.tdh.ch

TransAid ..................................................www.transaid.org

UNHCR ..........................................................www.unhcr.ch

VSO ............................................................www.vso.org.uk

The World Bank ......................................www.worldbank.org

World Vision ....................................................www.wvi.org


Acknowledgements

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