As with any organization there are a great many policies and procedures that support the functions of the organization.  Given that the transitional housing program forms part of a larger organization, some of the policies apply to the organization as a whole and are not specific to the youth employment program.

In many agencies, the policies are decided upon by the board (in consultation with senior management), while the procedures are developed by the staff. In others, policies –especially operational policies—are developed by the staff. Policies are goal-oriented and provide overarching principles, guidelines or frameworks for conducting the business of an organization. Procedures are more specific and provided detailed directions and instructions, including who does what, how and when. 

Policies tell people what to do. Procedures tell them how to do it.

In developing your policies it is good to ask the follow questions:

• What is the issue, problem or opportunity for which we need a policy? Can we define it?
• Do we have a policy that does/should address this issue, problem or opportunity?
• Do we need an effective guide for our actions and decisions in this area?
• What do we intend this policy to do? 
• What outcomes do we expect to see? 
• What is the purpose of this policy?
• Why do we need this policy?

As you develop your policies, consider what areas you need to develop policies in. For most agencies these include: financial, administrative, space management, human resources, safety/security and operations.

The policies used by Train for Trades are those of Choices for Youth, the majority of which are standard non-profit policies. The Personnel Policy section of the CFY manual can be found in the resources. It includes such topics as: social media, holidays, bereavement leave, travelling with youth etc.

The Train for Trades program works every year to meet the requirements related to the Certificate of Recognition™ program. While we have provided a brief outline of this program there are no policies that can be publicly shared. If you are intending to develop a construction-related employment program we encourage you to contact the provincial/territorial safety association in your jurisdiction for more information about certification.