Element 4.2.2: Professional standards

What Element 4.2.2 aims to achieve

The approved provider and service staff should use professional standards and ethical principles to guide professional conduct in decision-making and practice. The approved provider must provide clear guidance to all staff about their responsibilities in relation to one another and to the families and children using the service.

The approved provider should also ensure that all staff know and understand the requirements of the National Quality Framework including the National Law, National Regulations, the National Quality Standard, the approved learning frameworks, Early Childhood Australia’s Code of Ethics (2016), as well as the services’ philosophy, policies and procedures.

It is important that educators and service staff are aware that their attitudes, values and beliefs impact their work. Educators can benefit from working with each other, the educational leader and their supervisor or co-ordinator to identify where biases may have informed their values, and minimise the impact of bias in their practice and relationships with children, families, colleagues and the local community.

When all educators understand what is guiding their practice and why, educators can make improvements to their practice and enhance outcomes for children.

Assessment guide for meeting Element 4.2.2 (for all services)

Professional conduct

Assessors may observe:

• service staff demonstrating:
  • care, empathy and respect for children, colleagues and families in their everyday practice
  • professional conduct in interactions and relationships with children, colleagues, families and members of the community
• the educational leader, nominated supervisor, co-ordinators and educators taking responsibility for:
  • working in ways that meet the requirements of the National Quality Framework
  • implementing the approved learning frameworks.

Assessors may discuss:

• the ways in which service staff access copies of:
  • the National Quality Standard, National Regulations and Guide to the National Quality Framework
  • the approved learning frameworks and associated guides to the frameworks
  • Early Childhood Australia’s Code of Ethics (2016)
  • the service’s statement of philosophy
  • the service’s policies and procedures
  • the service’s staff handbook and code of conduct
  • other relevant professional publications
• how the service uses these documents to maintain quality standards and professional conduct
• how up-to-date information is communicated to educators (for example, service/employer information and changes or updates that impact on practice and regulatory compliance)
• strategies used to bring Early Childhood Australia’s Code of Ethics (2016) to the attention of all staff and how is it used to guide professional conversations about day-to-day practice at the service
• how the educational leader, nominated supervisor, co-ordinators and educators use professional standards and knowledge of current recognised approaches to guide their everyday work and to meet the requirements of the National Quality Framework
• how educators recognise and minimise the impact of personal biases on their practice and relationships with children, families, colleagues and the local community
• inclusion and what it means to educators, children and families
• where information can be found to assist staff to resolve differences.

Assessors may sight:

• the service’s code of conduct and Early Childhood Australia’s Code of Ethics (2016) are accessible to educators and staff members, and are displayed and made available to families
• a handbook or resources for new and existing service staff that includes:
  • the statement of philosophy
  • position descriptions
  • professional standards and/or code of conduct.