Revised ACFID Code of Conduct
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Amendments to the ACFID Code of Conduct approved by ACFID Council
ACFID is pleased to announce that following a year of consultation and drafting, amendments to the ACFID Code of Conduct and Quality Assurance Framework were approved by ACFID members at the ACFID Annual General Meeting on 18 October 2023.
The revised version of the Code of Conduct will come into effect on 30 June 2024.
Read the amended Code of Conduct and Quality Assurance Framework.
  
Key supporting documents
The following documents are designed to help ACFID members review their compliance with the revised Code and prepare their annual reporting to ACFID.
This is a checklist of the new and revised Verifiers in the Code. Members can use this to review their compliance with the evidence required in the revised Code.
Reporting template – preparing your ACFID Code reporting
This Excel spreadsheet is a tool to help members prepare their responses for an annual Code Self-Assessment or Exceptions Report. It also identifies where amendments have been made, so members can update their reporting as required.
Frequently Asked Questions regarding the revisions and their implementation.
Financial Reporting Templates
Download the reporting templates in Excel for:
- Option 1 – for Members whose consolidated entity international aid and development revenue is below $250,000.
- Option 2 – for Members whose consolidated entity international aid and development revenue is above $250,000.
Topic Guides
These guides outline the Code requirements related to specific topics, where requirements may fall across multiple Commitments in the Code.
Upcoming events
CODE ROADSHOW – APRIL 2024
The ACFID Code and Learning teams are on the road! Join us to ask all your questions about the new ACFID Code, explore ACFID’s new Locally Led Action Toolkit and network with other ACFID members.
In-person workshops:
Day 1 will focus on the changes to the ACFID Code of Conduct and how to help your organisation understand and prepare for the changes. Day 2 will focus on Locally Led Action and be a chance to learn from other ACFID members and explore ACFID’s new Locally led Action Toolkit.
Members are welcome to send more than one participant, and participants can choose to attend day 1, day 2 or both.
- Sydney: 10 and 11 April, 9:30 – 4pm (AEST) – register here
- Melbourne: 23 and 24 April, 9:30 – 4pm (AEST) – register here
Online workshop:
The online workshop is primarily for personnel based outside Sydney and Melbourne. Some prep materials will be provided ahead of time, to allow sufficient space for discussion and Q&A during the session.
Online: 30 April (for personnel not based in Sydney or Melbourne), 2-5pm (AEST) – register here
CEO ROUNDTABLES
ACFID will be hosting CEO Roundtables in Sydney and Melbourne as part of the Code Roadshow.Â
Abiola Ajetomobi, founder and lead consultant at Leading Impact NOW, will facilitate this important session and navigate CEOs through a discussion on what it will take to move the needle on Racial Justice within NGOs.Â
Member CEOs and their Boards are invited to attend. It will include networking drinks.Â
Sydney: Wednesday 10 April, 4 – 6:30pm
Melbourne: Tuesday 23 April, 4 – 6:30pm
Previous information sessions
November 2023: Implementing the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme
The ACFID Safeguarding COP hosted a dedicated event for agencies preparing to implement the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme, with guest presenter Elena Bezzolato, Misconduct Disclosure Scheme Coordinator.
Download the slides from this session.
November 2023: Implementation of the amended Code – member info session
This online session was aimed at staff and volunteers of ACFID members who are involved in their organisation’s reporting against the ACFID Code. It included an overview of the amendments to the Code and the key dates around implementation and Code reporting. Download the slides from this session.
September 2023Â
This briefing was for CEOs and Board members on the amendments to the Code and Quality Assurance Framework. It was held on 11 September in the lead up to ACFID’s AGM.
About the Review
The ACFID Code of Conduct is periodically reviewed to ensure it continues to reflect good practice and the needs of ACFID and its members. Between July 2022 – October 2023, ACFID worked with its members and other key stakeholders to review the ACFID Code of Conduct and the assoicated Quality Assurance Framework. Our sector and the work we do is constantly evolving and the aim of this review was to make sure the Code and Quality Assurance Framework remains relevant, coherent, useful and credible to members and external stakeholders.
Key questions for the Review:
- Are there gaps in the Code which have emerged since the last review of the Code?
- Are there opportunities for greater alignment with other international and domestic standards and regulations?
- Are there opportunities to remove redundancy and overlap within the Code itself?
- Are there areas of the Code which no longer reflect good practice, or require further clarification?
- Is compliance manageable for members and ACFID?Â
Read the full Terms of Reference.
Key Documents from the Review
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to frequently asked questions about the Code Review.
Discussion Paper – August 2022
ACFID released a Discussion Paper outlining key questions to guide the first phase of consultations with ACFID members and stakeholders. Responses were invited from ACFID members, staff, board members, volunteers, partners, and other interested stakeholders.
Consultation Phase: Summary of recommendations – December 2022
This report summarises feedback and propositions from the Consultation Phase of the ACFID Code Review 2022-23. Based on feedback received, the report outlines seven recommendations to guide the next steps in designing and drafting changes to the ACFID Code and Quality Assurance Framework.
Proposed changes – March 2023Â
This paper summarises the proposed changes to the Code of Conduct based on the (above) summary of recommendations, as of March 2023. These changes focus on the thematic areas of cliamte change, locally-led action and anti-racism, racial justice and diversity.
Proposed changes – May 2023Â
This paper summarises the proposed changes to the Code of Conduct based on the (above) summary of recommendations, as of May 2023. It includes revised changes related to the thematic areas of climate change, locally-led action and anti-racism, racial justice and diversity, as well as new changes that aim to improve alignment with other standards, and the overall clarity and coherence of the Code.
Revised changes – July 2023Â
This paper summarises the revisions to the proposed changes based on the feedback received during consultations in May-June 2023.
Final changes – July 2023
Guided by the recommendations and feedback received so far, the proposed changes to the Code and Quality Assurance Framework have been revised since May. Â
JULY 2023 – Summary of revisions to proposed changes to the Code and Quality Assurance Framework
JULY 2023 – Code of Conduct, with proposed changes marked as tracked changes
JULY 2023 – Quality Assurance Framework, ‘clean’ copy
JULY 2023 – Quality Assurance Framework, with proposed changes marked as tracked changes
Contact Us
If you have any questions about the Code Review or the implementation of the revised Code please contact Emily Moreton, Standards and Code Lead, at [email protected]Â or (02) 8123 2237