A matter of trust
An accredited and registered charity
CARE Australia is registered with the Australian Charities and Not-For-Profit Commission (ACNC) and is fully accredited by Australia’s aid program, through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). CARE Australia has the ACNC Registered Charity Tick and through the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is a deductible-gift recipient. We are a member of the Fundraising Institute of Australia.
CARE Australia is a signatory to the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) Code of Conduct, which sets out standards of management, communications, and spending. CARE Australia is committed to full adherence to the Code of Conduct. CARE Australia is also a signatory to several international codes of conduct (care.org.au/codes-of-conduct).
Privacy and cybersecurity
We operate in an environment where cyber attacks are becoming more frequent and sophisticated. We take the security of our participants’ and donors’ data and their privacy seriously. We have systems in place to protect the information we hold, and are continuously strengthening them to prevent unauthorised access.
CARE Australia is fully compliant with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), ensuring all online transactions are secure and protected against identity theft.
We invested in a new database and marketing platform which enhances the security of our donor data and preferences and streamlines the way we communicate with our supporters.
Preventing Sexual Harassment, Exploitation, Abuse, and Child Abuse
CARE Australia is vigilant in seeking to prevent sexual misconduct, exploitation, abuse, and child abuse in all of the countries in which we work.
We are committed to promoting and protecting the interests and safety of children, vulnerable adults, communities and personnel. We take proactive steps to foster an environment where our staff and partners are aware of their obligations and expected behaviours and where they and the communities we work with are aware of the steps to take to report concerns.
In 2021/22 we received three reports relating to Preventing Sexual Harassment, Exploitation, Abuse, and Child Abuse concerns.
Our organisational response to every report was considered, appropriate, and proportionate. Our investigations found one report to be substantiated, which led to the termination of a contractor’s engagement, support for the victim survivor, and additional training delivered to all staff around the importance of immediately reporting concerns.
We make every effort to support and empower people who experience misconduct by prioritising their rights, needs and wishes. Responses and disciplinary measures are tailored to the circumstance of the situation.
We are also aware of incidents where CARE Australia staff were subjected to domestic and gender-based violence by perpetrators from their personal life — an unfortunately common occurrence. While those are not recorded in this report as they are unrelated to their employment with CARE Australia, we offer appropriate support to these staff members, as well as guidance and referral pathways. These measures are above the requirements of our reporting standards, but are an important part of CARE Australia’s mission to support women, and our commitment to gender equality.
CARE Australia’s Preventing Sexual Harassment, Exploitation, Abuse, and Child Abuse reports from 2021/22 — presented as part of our commitment to transparency:
One report related to sexual harassment of a staff member by another staff member. The investigation found the report to be unsubstantiated.
One report related to sexual harassment of a staff member by another staff member. The investigation found the report to be unsubstantiated.
One report related to sexual harassment of a staff member by another staff member. The investigation found the report to be unsubstantiated.
One report related to sexual harassment of a staff member by another staff member. The investigation found the report to be unsubstantiated.
Our people
CARE Australia chaired the Trust Alliance, which supports the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme, helping ensure the people we and our peers hire have not breached codes of conduct in their previous workplaces. We applied these to every new applicant before recruitment to make sure we only bring trustworthy people to CARE Australia.
Our updated Gender Equality and Inclusion Policy is at the heart of our work – impacting how we hire, promote, govern, lead and mobilise resources and partners. Its principles guide our efforts to ensure marginalised groups are not left out of decision-making, enabling us to deliver faithfully on our mission and demonstrating our integrity and credibility as a leader in the gender equality space.
We remain committed to anti-racism in all aspects of the way CARE Australia operates and we seek every opportunity to improve. This commitment means our programs are informed by examining the power structures and barriers which women and their communities are facing in their specific contexts, and that we work to ensure decision-making and the allocation of resources is equitable.
No tolerance for fraud and corruption
All suspected fraud cases are thoroughly investigated and — where substantiated — disciplinary action and recovery of loss are pursued.
Reporting of suspected fraud and corruption is encouraged, with a number of avenues available, including the option to remain anonymous. Our training, policies and processes focus heavily on the prevention and early identification of suspected fraud and corruption, and staff and suppliers are screened for links to terrorist organisations.
In 2021/22, there were 20 suspected incidents of fraud across the countries in which we work. In accordance with CARE Australia’s zero tolerance policy, all suspected incidents have been appropriately investigated. Thirteen of the suspected cases were substantiated. The total financial loss to fraud in 2021/22 was $60,000 — roughly 0.08% of our total expenditure. Given the complex and vulnerable environments in which we work, we consider this to be a testament to the integrity and professionalism of the overwhelming majority of the 1.44 million project participants, staff, and partner organisations involved in CARE Australia’s work.
Number of suspected fraud cases in 2021/22
Details on CARE Australia’s approach to preventing and responding to fraud and corruption are available on the CARE Australia website at care.org.au/fraud-and-corruption-policy