Accreditation Levels

DHS offers organisations the opportunity to gain recognition and accreditation for the high levels of customer and professional services.

STARService recognition

As Level 1 of the ASES Program STARservice is available at no cost for organisations seeking confirmation they are operating legally and effectively, as well as verification for those who require this level as part of funding applications.

Users simply complete an online development tool that is self-paced with a Yes / No / In Progress answer. We provide guides and examples of documents wherever a No or In Progress answer is given.

STARservice has five focus areas promoting sustainable and effective work environments for employers, staff, volunteers, and clients.

STARservice is a highly effective capability assessment for organisations considering Certificate (Level 2) or Award (Level 3) accreditation in the Australian Service Excellence Standards (ASES).

Organisations must answer all questions and provide document evidence to earn STARservice Recognition status. Verification assessment is conducted by DHS with third-party internal assessor endorsement. If extra information is needed organisations are encouraged to resubmit to achieve recognition.

Successful Recognition in STARservice gives an organisation the ability to:

attract funding and support (with an additional point advantage for Grants SA applications)
recruit qualified and motivated employees and volunteers
build a safe, positive and welcoming workplace
develop better policies, procedures and practices such as Work, Health and Safety, Child Safe Environments, Risk and Financial Management.

ASES Certificate level

The ASES certificate level is meeting fundamental business practice and client services where 18 standards are assessed. The ASES Certificate level covers all corporate functions and services.

At this level, organisations are:

operating confidently and efficiently
actively applying sound management principles
managing their risks, and
meeting legislative, industry and government guidelines.

Organisations are confident that:

they have effective communication
their people are working in a safe and healthy environment where diversity and inclusion are celebrated
strong partnerships are fostered, and
consumer confidence exhibited in service provision.

With effective implementation of the standards, consumers outcomes are clearly improved. Consumers play an integral role in the development and in the planning of services. Independence is fostered by providing opportunities for feedback, linked to continual improvement of services and operating systems.

Organisations must meet the Certificate level before beginning the Award level.

Case study

A description of The Burdekin Association's journey through the ASES auditing process (March 2020)

The ASES Journey - The Burdekin Association (PDF 518.1 KB)

ASES Award level

The ASES Award is the highest accreditation level. The ASES Award level aspires for organisational excellence and requires the capacity to continually improve and effectively manage change.

The Award level creates a culture that fosters:

leadership
organisational learning
innovation
responsiveness
adaptability.

A results-driven organisation provides a better understanding of outcomes of the service and for the individual clients and significantly contributes to population outcomes.

Creating opportunities for more effective consumer engagement, outstanding customer service and it requires stronger evidence of measurably improved consumer outcomes. This ensures the organisation’s sustainability.

Mature organisations and those organisations well-versed in the ASES accreditation process can choose to do Award level assessment separately or combined with Certificate level. To be issued Award accreditation, organisations are to maintain Certificate accreditation.