Effective from May 2021

Approved by: Chief Executive Officer

At a Glance

On occasion a Member may, while receiving services from Five Good Friends, ask Five Good Friends to perform a specific task that might require the handling of money for them, for example to assist them with their grocery shopping.

We acknowledge the risks associated with handling Members’ money and have developed this policy approach within which we expect all Helpers and Five Good Friends staff to operate.

Scope

This policy applies to all Members and Workers (Helpers and Five Good Friends Staff)

Objective

This purpose of this policy is to:

• Ensure Members and Helpers understand the risks associated with Helpers handling Members’ money.
• Set out the Five Good Friends position on when a Member asks us to handle their money while providing a service.
• Ensure Helpers take appropriate steps in handling a Member’s money to avoid a potential disagreement or misunderstanding and to protect the Member’s interests.

Definitions

• In this policy a reference to a Member money includes the use of a Member’s EFTPOS or debit card (using Tap & Go or Paywave) as a first resort, and cash as a last resort. The use of a Member’s credit card or any PIN number is strictly prohibited.

Policy Statements

• We respect each Member’s right to maintain their independence, including managing their own finances independently.
• We will use our best endeavours to ensure that:
  • If a Member asks us to handle their money in the course of providing services, we do so on a transparent basis.
  • If an issue does arise, we investigate the issue and take appropriate action.