Who is STAR Community Services?
STAR Community Services is an award-winning not-for-profit supporting elderly and people with disabilities since 1996. We provide affordable, reliable aged care and disability services—including Support at Home, NDIS, transport, social activities, and companionship—to help clients live independently and stay connected. With help from dedicated staff and local volunteers, we serve Redlands, Ipswich, Logan, Gold Coast, and Toowoomba. STAR is committed to building inclusive communities and combating social isolation through regular programs and events.
Position Purpose
The Policy Review Officer will support STAR Community Services to review, adapt and harmonise policies from STAR’s policy suite, including policies sourced through Ageing Australia, into clear, practical and STAR-specific policies and procedures.
The role will require strong knowledge of aged care and disability service delivery, including the regulatory and quality requirements applying to community aged care, disability supports, client safety, governance, risk, workforce practice and service delivery.
The position will work closely with the Quality and Compliance Manager, other relevant managers and subject matter experts to ensure policies are accurate, current, practical, compliant and reflective of STAR’s operations, values and service environment.
Organisational Context
STAR Community Services provides community-based aged care, disability, transport, social support and related services across South East Queensland. STAR is operating in a period of significant sector reform, including aged care reform, Support at Home implementation, strengthened quality standards and ongoing NDIS changes.
A clear, consistent and compliant policy framework is essential to supporting safe service delivery, workforce clarity, governance oversight and accreditation readiness.
Key Responsibilities
Policy Review and Harmonisation
- Review policies from STAR’s existing policy suite, including policies provided through Ageing Australia.
- Adapt generic or sector template policies into STAR-specific policies that reflect STAR’s services, structure, terminology, delegations and operational practices.
- Harmonise policies across aged care, disability, transport, home maintenance, social support, governance and corporate service areas where required.
- Identify duplication, inconsistency, gaps or outdated content across the policy framework.
- Ensure policies are written in clear, accessible language and are practical for staff, volunteers and managers to apply.
Compliance and Quality Alignment
- Ensure policies align with relevant aged care and disability requirements, including:
- Aged Care Quality Standards / strengthened quality requirements;
- Support at Home and community aged care obligations;
- NDIS Practice Standards and Code of Conduct;
- safeguarding, incident management and complaints requirements;
- privacy, dignity, choice, risk and client rights principles;
- organisational governance and risk requirements.
- Work with the Quality and Compliance Manager to identify high-priority policy areas requiring urgent review.
- Support preparation for quality reviews, audits, accreditation or registration requirements through improved policy documentation.
Consultation and Stakeholder Engagement
- Consult with relevant managers and subject matter experts to ensure policies reflect actual STAR operations.
- Translate operational feedback into clear policy wording and practical procedures.
- Escalate areas where policy content requires a management decision, legal review, clinical input or Board approval.
- Support managers to understand key policy changes and implementation implications.
Document Control and Governance
Maintain STAR’s policy documents within SharePoint, ensuring approved policies are uploaded to the correct location, superseded versions are removed or archived, and staff only have access to current approved documents.
- Apply STAR’s document control requirements, including version control, review dates, approval pathways and policy ownership.
- Maintain a policy review tracker showing progress, priorities, status and outstanding actions.
- Ensure each policy clearly identifies purpose, scope, responsibilities, related documents and approval requirements.
- Prepare policy drafts for internal review, Executive review and Board approval where required.
Continuous Improvement
- Recommend improvements to STAR’s policy structure, templates and language.
- Identify where procedures, forms, checklists or staff guidance documents are required to support policy implementation.
- Contribute to a more consistent and user-friendly policy framework across STAR.
- Support a culture of compliance, safety, accountability and continuous improvement.
Key Deliverables
Over the 6-month fixed term, the Policy Review Officer will be expected to:
- Review and harmonise an agreed list of priority policies.
- Develop STAR-specific policy drafts from the Ageing Australia policy suite.
- Maintain a policy review workplan and progress tracker.
- Identify gaps, duplications and inconsistencies in STAR’s policy framework.
- Provide completed policy drafts ready for internal consultation and approval.
- Support implementation planning where policy changes impact staff practice.
Selection Criteria
Essential
- Demonstrated experience writing, reviewing or implementing policies in aged care, disability, community services or a related human services environment.
- Strong understanding of aged care and disability quality, compliance and safeguarding requirements.
- Ability to translate template or generic policy material into practical, organisation-specific policy documents.
- Excellent written communication skills, including the ability to write clearly, accurately and in plain English.
- Strong attention to detail, document control and version management skills.
- Ability to interpret standards, legislation, guidelines and operational requirements.
- Ability to consult with managers and subject matter experts and incorporate feedback into policy drafts.
- High level of initiative, organisation and ability to work independently to agreed priorities and deadlines.
- Sound computer skills, including Microsoft Word, document formatting and policy registers or trackers.
Desirable
- Experience with Ageing Australia policy resources or similar sector policy suites.
- Experience in community aged care, Support at Home, CHSP, NDIS or community transport environments.
- Knowledge of the Aged Care Quality Standards, NDIS Practice Standards, SIRS, incident management, complaints management and risk frameworks.
- Experience preparing documents for audit, accreditation, registration or Board approval.
- Qualifications in community services, quality, governance, health, disability, aged care, policy, writing, compliance or a related discipline.
Key Capabilities
- Policy writing and document development.
- Aged care and disability sector knowledge.
- Compliance and quality focus.
- Clear communication and plain English writing.
- Consultation and stakeholder engagement.
- Practical operational thinking.
- Attention to detail.
- Time management and prioritisation.
- Confidentiality and professionalism.
Authority and Decision Making
The Policy Review Officer will work under general direction and will be responsible for preparing high-quality draft policies for review. The role is not expected to make final policy approval decisions.
The role may recommend policy wording, identify compliance gaps and suggest improvements, but final approval will sit with the relevant manager, Executive, CEO or Board, depending on STAR’s policy approval framework.
Working Relationships
Internal:
- CEO and Executive team as required
- Quality and Compliance Manager
- Service Managers and Program Coordinators and Care Partners
- Business Services / HR / ICT / Finance teams as required
- Staff and volunteers where consultation is required
External:
- Ageing Australia policy resources
- Consultants or advisors, where applicable
- Regulators or external auditors, only if authorised
Employment Requirements
- National Police Check.
- NDIS Worker Screening Check, if required for the role.
- Evidence of right to work in Australia.
- Commitment to STAR’s values, Code of Conduct, client rights, privacy and confidentiality.
- Compliance with STAR policies, procedures and workplace health and safety requirements.
Pay: $46.70 per hour
Work Location: In person
