Social Services Audit Support
Hands-on support that helps you pass your audits with confidence
If your social services audit is coming up and your policies haven’t been reviewed since the last cycle, you’ve got a problem. Assessors from Te Kāhui Kāhu aren’t just checking that documentation exists; they’re checking that it reflects how your organisation actually operates, meets current Social Sector Accreditation Standards (SSAS), and is being used by your team on the ground.
That’s where The Policy Place comes in. We provide social services audit support that goes beyond handing you a set of templates. Through regulatory compliance consulting, we help you get ready, stay ready, and get through the assessment itself.
Our Social Services Audit Solutions
We don’t give you generic policies and wish you luck. Our audit support service is built specifically for organisations assessed against SSAS Levels 1–4, through our dedicated compliance policy management software.
- Audit-aligned policies and procedures: Configured to cover every SSAS standard area – client-centred services, cultural competence, staffing, health and safety, governance, financial management, complaints resolution, and quality improvement.
- Full policy coverage: We go well beyond H&S and HR. Your subscription includes comprehensive community services policies and procedures across governance, IT and cybersecurity, privacy, operations and service delivery, integrity, and cultural safety – all mapped to SSAS criteria.
- Sector-Specific Online Policies: We provide specialised online policies for community health and social services. This includes critical, up-to-date content for social workers and practitioners covering child protection, family violence, and sexual health and violence.
- Pre-audit preparation: We review your documentation ahead of your Te Kāhui Kāhu assessment, identify gaps, and help you close them before the assessor arrives.
- Ongoing updates: When legislation or accreditation standards change, we update your policy content, and it flows through to your online platform automatically, so you’re not scrambling between review cycles.
- Implementation resources: Forms, checklists, guides, incident registers, and e-learning modules that show your team isn’t just reading policies, but putting them into practice.
- Post-audit action support: If your assessment returns required or critical actions, we help you address them within the timeframes set by Te Kāhui Kāhu.
Why Choose The Policy Place for Social Services Audit Support?
Most policy platforms are built for corporate or construction environments. They don’t address the SSAS framework, Te Kāhui Kāhu assessment criteria, or the operational realities of social service delivery, like community-based work, client safety, cultural competence obligations, and working alongside whānau. The Policy Place writes content for this sector, rather than retrofitting it from elsewhere.
We tailor your policy content at set-up, ensuring robust workplace health and safety compliance is integrated into your daily workflows. We keep it updated when standards change. And we stand alongside you when audit time comes around – not just at the beginning. You also stay in control. Edit content, add your own documents and forms, include te reo for Māori engagement policies, and make sure they reflect how your organisation actually works.
And H&S and HR are only part of what assessors look at. We cover quality assurance, governance, privacy, IT and cybersecurity, operations, cultural safety, and engagement with Māori. One provider, one platform – no juggling multiple systems or patching together tools that don’t talk to each other.
Frequently Asked Questions
What standards does a social services audit assess against?
Social service providers in New Zealand are assessed against the Social Sector Accreditation Standards (SSAS), managed by Te Kāhui Kāhu. There are four levels, and the level assigned to your organisation depends on the risk profile of the services you deliver. Level 1 is the highest; Level 4 is the lowest.
How often are these audits carried out?
Most providers are assessed at least every two years. Intercountry adoption providers are assessed annually. If your assessment returns required actions, you’ll need to address them before your next scheduled review.
How does The Policy Place help us prepare for an audit?
We review your policies against current SSAS criteria, flag gaps, update content where standards have changed, and provide the documentation and implementation resources assessors expect to see in practice.
Ready to Prepare for Your Next Social Services Audit?
Talk to our team about how our social services audit support can keep your organisation accredited, action-free, and focused on delivering services to your community.