Exceeding guidance for Standard 2.2: Safety

Overview

The following guidance is questions for services to ask of their own practice to consider whether their service Exceeds the NQS in Standard 2.2.

Questions to guide reflection on practice for Standard 2.2

Exceeding theme 1: Practice is embedded in service operations

• How do educators, the educational leader, and co-ordinators demonstrate a deep understanding of the requirements of the Standard, concepts and the component elements, and a commitment to high quality practice at all times?
• How are all educators:
  • ensuring that children are supervised effectively at all times?
  • consistently attuned to the needs of all children to ensure each child’s safety at all times?
  • aware of and acting on their responsibilities for ensuring children’s safety at all times, including in relation to child protection, and able to articulate these responsibilities?
  • proactively identifying and managing risks and taking precautions to protect children from harm and hazard?
  • identifying and responding confidently to changes in the service environment throughout the day, adjusting practice where necessary to ensure that children are safe and effectively supervised at all times?
• How is ongoing risk assessment and management built into day-to-day operations across the service to ensure a consistently safe environment?
• Are effective plans to manage incidents and emergencies developed and reviewed in consultation with relevant authorities and practised regularly?
• In what ways does the observed and discussed approach to supporting and promoting children’s safety consistently align with the design and delivery of the educational program and service philosophy and demonstrate a strong commitment to the priorities, principles and practices of the approved learning framework?

Exceeding theme 2: Practice is informed by critical reflection

• How do educators, the educational leader and co-ordinators:
  • systematically and regularly reflect, individually and as a team, on practices to support child safety, including risk assessment and emergency management procedures and practices, and make changes when opportunities to further enhance children’s outcomes are identified?
  • respond and adjust supervision strategies as required?
  • explain how an ongoing commitment to children’s safety influences the design and delivery of the educational program?
  • reflect together on safety-related incidents, and support the service to make changes to practices, policies and procedures where opportunities to strengthen the approach are identified?
  • show awareness of and discuss the influences on their practice to support and promote children’s safety, including recognised guidelines, information sources, and other legislation that underpins their practice approach, and how they align with the approved learning framework/s and the service’s policies and procedures?
  • consider and discuss social justice and equity implications of their practice decisions to support and promote each child’s safety, ensuring that practice takes into account the needs and rights of every child at the service?
• How is the service’s approach to risk assessment, emergency management and child protection reflective of current recognised guidelines and up-to-date information from trusted sources?
• How is the service’s approach to supporting and promoting children’s safety reflective of robust debate, discussion, and genuine opportunities for input by all educators and informed by critical reflection on past incidents?
• To what extent is any change to the service’s approach to supporting and promoting children’s safety understood by all?

Exceeding theme 3: Practice is shaped by meaningful engagement with families and/or the community

• How do educators:
  • actively engage with families about their concerns and priorities for their children’s safety?
  • actively raise awareness of issues impacting on child safety with families and the community, including in the context of child protection?
  • familiarise themselves with and respond respectfully to the differing cultural contexts of families and the community that impact on perspectives about child safety and protection, while ensuring that practice decisions always reflect a best practice approach?
• How is the service’s approach to managing risks and supporting child safety:
  • reflective of the voices, priorities and strengths of the children and families at the service?
  • informed by meaningful and ongoing partnerships with the broader community, for example local community and emergency services?
  • considerate of the geographical context of the service and responsive to changes in the environment throughout the year?