Standard 6.2: Collaborative partnerships

Collaborative partnerships enhance children’s inclusion, learning and wellbeing.

How Standard 6.2 contributes to quality education and care

Standard 6.2 recognises the connections between children, families, the service and communities and the importance of collaborative relationships and partnerships in enhancing all children’s inclusion, learning, development and wellbeing (Early Years Learning Framework, p. 14; Framework for School Age Care, p. 13).

When working with families, the service understands the importance of seeing families in the context of their participation in the local community and wider society. Services can also establish and maintain an active presence in the local community, seek to strengthen community links and use community resources to support families. This supports the inclusion of children in their community and broadens children’s understanding of the world in which they live.

Open communication and collaboration between the service, families and other professionals within the community can be mutually beneficial. These partnerships:

build the relationships between each child, their families and the service so that each child’s capacity to fully participate in the program is supported
assist children to become aware of the similarities, differences and connections between people within the community
can provide everyone with a holistic understanding of each child, which contributes positively to every child’s inclusion, wellbeing and learning
create opportunities to develop a shared understanding about inclusion
give families an opportunity to provide information about their child’s interests, strengths and abilities, as well as provide feedback that assists educators to develop programs that are focused on supporting the learning and development of every child
build the capacity of organisations involved in supporting children and families in the local community
are more likely to result in information sharing and collaborative problem-solving
assist in building an environment that supports inclusion and celebrates diversity
are built on understanding children’s and families’ right to privacy and confidentiality (see Element 7.1.2).

Questions to guide reflection on practice for Standard 6.2 (for all services)

Building collaborative partnerships

How do we share information to support children’s learning and development with other services with which the child and family are connected?
How do we share our knowledge and expertise about children’s learning and inclusion with other professionals who are working with children and families enrolled in the service?
How do we support each child’s transition from and to other education and care environments?
How do we support each child’s successful transition to formal schooling?
In what ways do we work with schools and other community organisations to support children and families? How effective are these strategies and how can we improve them?
How do we access support for children’s specific individual requirements and rights?
What local resources and networks exist that might connect children and families with the local community?
How is information and data (for example the Australian Early Development Census) used to build an understanding of the local community?
What inclusion support services are available to provide tailored advice for our service?
What is happening in our local community that is relevant to our work with children and families? How can we best be involved?
How are we assisting children and their families to develop a sense of belonging to their local community?
How are we supporting children to see themselves as active contributors to their community?