1. Reasons for having this policy

Au Milieu needs to ensure that all employees, contractors, students and volunteers act in a professional manner that represents the standards of the service. By following this policy we will help ensure our IT facilities are used:

1. Legally, effectively and securely;
2. without undermining Au Milieu;
3. in a spirit of co-operation, trust and consideration for others;
4. so they remain appropriately available within Au Milieu.

The policy relates to all Information Technology facilities and services provided by Au Milieu or used on the premises. All staff, contractors, trainees and volunteers are expected to adhere to it.

2. Disciplinary Measures.

Deliberate, repeated or serious breaches of the policy statements in this section will lead to disciplinary measures.

2.1     Copyright:  Take care to use software legally in accordance with both the letter and spirit of relevant licensing and copyright agreements. Copying software for use outside these agreements is illegal and may result in criminal charges.

3. Security:

1. Do not attempt to gain unauthorised access to information or facilities. The Computer Misuse Act 1990 makes it a criminal offence to obtain unauthorised access to any computer (including workstations and PCs) or to modify its contents. If you don’t have access to information resources you feel you need, discuss this with your supervisor.
2. Don’t disclose personal system passwords or other security details to other staff, volunteers or external agents and don’t use anyone else’s login; this compromises the security of Au Milieu. If someone else gets to know your password, ensure you change it. Do not use the same password as you use for other applications, especially those on the internet.
3. Do not leave your PC or laptop unattended without logging off. If you do, you are responsible for any misuse of it while you’re away.
4. Always check memory sticks or downloaded files for viruses, even if you think they are clean. Computer viruses can destroy files and disrupt our information resources. It is better to be safe than sorry.

4. Information about people: 

• If you are recording or obtaining information about individuals make sure you are not breaking Data Protection legislation. This must comply with Au Milieu’s Data protection Policy. Do not send sensitive identifying information about clients via email unless it is in an attachment that is encrypted or secured with a password.

5. Organisational reputation.

You are a representative of Au Milieu when you are on the Internet or using email from the company internet connection or where the company is in any way associated with your communications.

1. Make sure your actions are in the interest (and spirit) of Au Milieu and don’t leave Au Milieu open to legal action (e.g., libel or malpractice allegations).
2. Be polite and relatively formal in your communications – never insult anyone and always abide by the equality and diversity policy.
3. Obscenities/Pornography: Don’t write it, publish it, look for it, bookmark it, access it or download it whether on work premises, on work computers or laptops, or in work time. 
4. If you need to access anything risqué in relation to the work (e.g., information regarding working therapeutically with incest, or material to promote responsible sexual behaviour, or to research items mentioned in court papers) email the clinical director for consent first and record this.

6. Electronic monitoring.

• No employees, contractors, students or volunteers have consent to monitor the activities of other staff members, contractors, students or volunteers (e.g., to monitor their working activity, working time, files accessed, Internet sites accessed, reading of their email or private files etc.) without their prior knowledge and consent. It is, however, possible for the Clinical Director to access this information to ensure good clinical practice and in specific situations, such as if there has been a specific allegation of misconduct, when the Clinical Director can access or authorise accessing of such information when investigating the allegation

7. Email Policy. 

1. Email is an immediate and environmentally friendly form of communication. However, it is also a written record of that communication and may not be secure. Always think and check messages before sending (just as you would a letter or paper memo). Use the phone (including voicemail if no reply) for urgent messages. Email is a good backup in such instances.
2. Only send Email to those it is meant for; do not copy in additional recipients without a reason, and do not send emails to large groups unless absolutely necessary. If you want to copy in other Au Milieu team members consider the use of BCC rather than adding their email address to the recipient list. Do not pass on unnecessary or junk email. Keep work and personal email accounts separate and do not send work emails from a personal account or personal emails from your work account.
3. When publishing or transmitting information externally be aware that you are representing Au Milieu. Try to check your email regularly and respond to messages promptly. Where possible, try to decide what to do with each email as you read it (e.g., delete it, reply to it, save it somewhere logical). Do not print emails unless absolutely necessary.
4. Be aware that if you are writing about clients to those outside of Au Milieu, only initials should be used that can be used to identify the client to the recipient, and that the client may have access to the content in the future. 

Email etiquette: 

1. Be courteous. It is more likely to get you the response you want. 
2. Do address someone by name at the beginning of the message, especially if you are also copying another group of people. Ensure that you sign the message appropriately – in accordance to how you began the email and the relationship you have to the recipient.
3. Make your subject headers clear and relevant to your reader/s. 
4. Try to keep to one subject per email, especially if the content is complex. It is better to have several emails on individual issues, as it makes them easier to file and retrieve later. One email covering a large variety of issues may mean that parts of it are ignored or misunderstood.
5. Don’t open email attachments unless you know the sender and have a reasonably good expectation of what it contains
6. Keep your email signature short and give your name, title and contact details only. 

8. Miscellaneous. 

Hardware and Software:

1. All purchases should be approved by the Trustees. If you want to use your own equipment at work, or take Au Milieu equipment home, this needs to be agreed with the Clinical Director. Laptops must never be left unattended in a vehicle and extra care must be taken on public transport. Do not install any software on a work PC or laptop without seeking permission from the Clinical Director.
2. Make sure you back up important files, either by sending them to yourself or a colleague via email (suitably password locked or encrypted), or by saving on a designated hard-drive or drop box.
3. Use of facilities for personal purposes (e.g., sending and receiving personal email on personal accounts and browsing the Internet) is permitted so long as such use does not: incur specific expenditure for Au Milieu; waste time in work hours or otherwise impact on your performance of your job;  break the law; involve accessing, posting, creating or sharing material that is potentially offensive, discriminatory, defamatory, abusive or threatening; bring Au Milieu into disrepute.
4. Take care of equipment. Avoid damaging computers with food or drink and be careful how you transport them and where you put the power cables. If you take equipment off the premises it is your responsibility to protect it from damage or theft and to ensure appropriate data protection measures.