Last Updated on 29 June 2024 by policychair
Welcome
Welcome to the Australian Narcotics Anonymous Region’s (ARSC) Policy and Procedures pages. These pages are maintained by the Regional Policy and Procedures Subcommittee.
The Policy and Procedures Subcommittee serves the Australian Regional Service Committee, and at the direction, and ratification of the Body, writes and maintains policies, procedures, and guidelines that support the ARSC to operate efficiently and effectively, and in line with the 12 Traditions of NA and 12 Concepts for NA Service.
These Policy and Procedures are both historical and contemporary documents that have captured the long history of NA Australia’s Regional service efforts, and provide us with a set of guidelines that are reflective of the collective wisdom, experience, and growth in service experienced by countless NA members over the years. The Subcommittee’s vision and purpose is that with these Policies and Procedures, we serve the Australian Narcotics Anonymous Fellowship and continue to be guided by Tradition Two to carry the past and present conscience of the Australian NA Groups in guiding us in all we do.
We are mindful as a subcommittee that policies and their application have considerable potential to influence and guide our service culture, and we are committed to remaining fundamentally informed in our service by the spiritual principles of our 12 Steps, 12 Traditions, and 12 Concepts for NA Service. We use respectful, clear and common sense language to the best of our ability, in the hope of providing accuracy, clarity, and ease of use for all our members. We hope that these documents are accessible and useful for anyone who reads them, and we welcome any feedback relating to how we could improve and continue to learn and grow in our service.
There is a table of individual page headings to the right that you can click on to take you to any page, or you could use the search function below.
If you have any questions or seek any clarification, please contact the Policy and Procedures Subcommittee Chairperson on; policy@na.org.au
Yours in Service
The ARSC Policy and Procedures Subcommittee
Note – February 2023
The Australian Regional Service Committee Policy and Procedures are currently in the process of being transitioned to the na.org website to enable access for all members of Narcotics Anonymous.
We have attempted to provide as much of the Policy and Procedures as possible initially, while continuing the work of reformatting and auditing for integrity throughout this process. These Policy and Procedures remain a work in progress throughout the transition period and as such there may still be some gaps or inconsistencies.
An Explanation of Terms
What is a Policy?
A policy provides a set of general directives or rules on a particular function of the ARSC.
Policies are used to guide decision-making under a given set of circumstances.
Policies clarify expectations in three areas:
- What members of the ARSC can expect from the ARSC (ie, reimbursement of travel costs)
- What the ARSC expects from ARSC members (ie, attendance at ARSC meetings and providing reports)
- What NA and the community can expect from the ARSC (ie, insurance coverage and maintaining our website)
* Effective policies lay the foundation for a healthy service body and culture.
What is a Procedure?
A procedure provides step by step instructions for a sequence of specific tasks (ie Risk assessment, claiming travel expenses). Procedures follow policy, because policy sets a stance, strategic direction, or states an organisation’s values, and procedures describe any instructions or practical steps taken that come as a result of following that policy.
A procedure provides information on
- Who is responsible for which task.
- What steps need to be undertaken.
- Who reports to whom.
* A procedure is like a road map that explains how the ARSC complies with its policies.
Policies vs Procedures
| Policies | Procedures |
| Define the ARSCs expectations (rules). | Define the steps and actions that need to be taken when an ARSC expectation applies. |
| Explain why these expectations exist. | Explain when and in what order specific actions need to be taken. |
| Indicate when these expectations apply. | Explain which forms need to be completed and how. |
| Define how we comply with these expectations. | Provide parameters around timing, frequency etc, and explain which forms need to be completed and how. |
| Describe the consequences for when we don’t meet these expectations. | Provide a process and instructions for responding to failure to meet expectations. |
How are policies and procedures made?
Policies and procedures are developed for a broad range of reasons. The Region most often makes or changes policy on the advice and feedback from its Regional Committee Members (RCMs) on behalf of their service bodies and ultimately their NA Groups. Often too, the ARSC is compelled to make policy in response to changing social trends. For example, our Policies and Procedures on Risk Assessment for NA events came about through new requirements for our Public Liability Insurance coverage.
Any member of the ARSC can propose a new policy or change in policy according to the needs of the Fellowship, in response to any issue that impacts us, or if and when we discover that it may be in the interests of our region to try something new or change the way we do things. The process requires that a proposal be written to describe the issue, intent, rationale, nature and possible impact of any change, for it then to be moved and seconded, debated and finally either endorsed or not. If endorsed, the ARSC then tasks the Policy and Procedures Subcommittee to draft these changes for the final ratification of the ARSC. Upon ratification, the changes are then published in the Policy and Procedures pages on the na.org website thereby making it current and accessible to our Australian NA membership.
See: Proposal-Template_updated-Feb2022 (1)
How are policies and procedures kept up to date?
Procedures are reviewed and updated only when changes occur in the sequence of tasks associated with that procedure.
Policies on the other hand are reviewed at regular intervals. Toward the end of every policy document you will find the “Reviewing and Approving this Policy and Procedure” template which presents the version history, the frequency of review and the next review date. On occasion a Policy will be amended as a result of a change being proposed and endorsed by the ARSC. A summary of these changes will also be tracked in the template below.
Responsibility for the periodic review and approval of the Region’s policies and procedures can be allocated to any member or members of the body. The Travel policy and Procedure may be allocated to the Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer for example. However, if the review proposes any substantial changes to the policy it must come back to the ARSC for final approval and sign off, and would then be noted as “approved by” the ARSC.
Example review template:
| Reviewing and Approving this Policy and Procedure | ||||||
| Frequency | Responsibility | Approval | ||||
| 2 years | Policy and Procedures Subcommittee | ARSC | ||||
| Policy review and version tracking | ||||||
| Review Date | Date Approved | Summary of changes | Approved By | Next Review Due | ||
| 01/01/2024 | 30/01/2024 | Nil | ARSC | 01/01/2026 | ||