Exceeding NQS in Quality Area 4: Continuity of staff (Element 4.1.2)

Practical Steps Towards an Exceeding NQS Rating in Quality Area 4: Element 4.1.2

To achieve an Exceeding NQS rating in the National Quality Standard 4.1, specifically for Element 4.1.2 (Continuity of Staff), here are the practical steps you can take:

Element 4.1.2: Continuity of Staff

Objective: Every effort is made for children to experience continuity of educators at the service.

1. Promote Continuity: Ensure that children experience continuity of educators on a day-to-day basis. This helps in building secure relationships and promotes their learning and development.
2. Understand Children: Educators should work closely with children each time they attend the service, understanding their interests, strengths, and areas where support may be needed.
3. Value and Support Staff: Proactively support continuity of staff to attract and retain educators, benefiting children and families.
4. Recruit and Retain: Focus on attracting appropriately qualified and experienced staff and retaining those who can best meet the needs of children and their families.
5. Assessment Guide:
   • Observe children’s trust and comfort with educators.
   • Discuss processes in place to recruit and retain staff, build staff cohesion, celebrate educators’ commitment, and use exit data for continuous improvement.
   • Sight rosters and staffing arrangements that reflect the importance of educator continuity.

Exceeding Guidance for Standard 4.1: Staffing Arrangements

Theme 1: Practice is Embedded in Service Operations

1. Ensure all educators and coordinators have a deep understanding of the requirements of the Standard.
2. Give purposeful consideration to the organization of educators to ensure familiarity and continuity for children.
3. Align the approach to organization and continuity of educators with the service’s philosophy, policies, and procedures.

Theme 2: Practice is Informed by Critical Reflection

1. Reflect on the service’s approach to organization and continuity of educators, considering qualifications, strengths, and professional development goals of educators.
2. Ensure the approach is informed by current recognized guidance.
3. Reflect together on opportunities to enhance children’s wellbeing and learning through changes to the organization of educators or improvement in staff continuity.

Theme 3: Practice is Shaped by Meaningful Engagement with Families and/or the Community

1. Ensure the organization and continuity of educators reflect the unique geographical, cultural, and community context of the service.
2. Welcome and draw on the voices, priorities, and strengths of the children and families, particularly focusing on ways to support familiarity and continuity of their child’s learning and development.
3. Build opportunities for collaboration with family and community partners into the service’s approach to organization and continuity of educators.

Remember, to be rated Exceeding NQS overall, all Quality Areas must be at least Meeting NQS, and four or more Quality Areas must be Exceeding NQS, with at least two of these being Quality Areas 1, 5, 6, or 7. The higher level of quality is assessed against each of the 15 NQS Standards using the three Exceeding themes.

An Example Monthly Schedule

Ready to implement these practical steps in your service? Using the constraints of 4 hours per week to work on improvements, we’ve created an example schedule below.

Given that an educator has only 4 hours per week to work on improving their service, it’s essential to prioritize tasks and allocate time efficiently. Here’s an example monthly schedule for an educator to work on the practical steps to achieve an Exceeding NQS rating in the National Quality Standard 4.1 for Element 4.1.2:

Week 1: Understanding and Assessment

Total Hours: 4

1. Hour 1: Review and understand the objectives and requirements of Element 4.1.2.
2. Hour 2: Observe children’s interactions with educators to assess the current level of trust and comfort.
3. Hour 3: Initiate discussions with fellow educators about the current processes in place for staff recruitment, retention, and cohesion.
4. Hour 4: Review the service’s philosophy, policies, and procedures related to staffing and continuity.

Week 2: Reflection and Planning

Total Hours: 4

1. Hour 1: Reflect on the service’s approach to the organization and continuity of educators. Identify strengths and areas of improvement.
2. Hour 2: Research current recognized guidance on educator continuity and organization.
3. Hour 3: Plan for a team meeting to discuss opportunities to enhance children’s wellbeing and learning.
4. Hour 4: Draft potential changes or improvements to the current staffing arrangements.

Week 3: Engagement and Collaboration

Total Hours: 4

1. Hour 1: Engage with families to gather feedback on their perceptions of educator continuity and its impact on their children.
2. Hour 2: Review feedback and identify common themes or suggestions.
3. Hour 3: Collaborate with community partners or other stakeholders to understand best practices in other services.
4. Hour 4: Integrate feedback and best practices into the drafted improvements from Week 2.

Week 4: Implementation and Review

Total Hours: 4

1. Hour 1: Begin implementing the most critical changes or improvements identified in the previous weeks.
2. Hour 2: Monitor the impact of these changes, especially focusing on children’s interactions with educators.
3. Hour 3: Gather feedback from fellow educators on the implemented changes.
4. Hour 4: Reflect on the month’s activities, assess the progress made, and plan for the next month’s focus areas.

This schedule provides a structured approach, starting with understanding and assessment, moving to reflection and planning, then engagement and collaboration, and finally, implementation and review. It ensures that the educator uses their limited time effectively to work towards achieving an Exceeding NQS rating.

Reflective Questions

Reflective practice is crucial for continuous improvement. For Element 4.1.2, which focuses on the continuity of staff, here’s an exhaustive list of reflective questions to guide reflection:

Understanding the Element

1. What does continuity of staff mean in the context of our service?
2. Why is continuity of staff essential for children’s learning and development?
3. How does our current staffing arrangement support or hinder continuity?

Assessing Current Practices

1. How often do children experience changes in their primary educators?
2. What feedback have we received from families regarding the continuity of educators?
3. How do we ensure that relief or substitute educators are familiar with our service’s operations and children’s needs?
4. Are there patterns in staff turnover or absences that disrupt continuity?

Building Relationships

1. How do consistent and committed educators impact the relationships built with children and families?
2. In what ways do we support educators in forming and maintaining strong bonds with children?
3. How do we ensure that new staff members integrate smoothly and quickly to maintain continuity?

Staff Recruitment and Retention

1. What strategies are in place to attract and retain qualified and experienced staff?
2. How do we celebrate and acknowledge educators’ commitment to the service over time?
3. Are there incentives or professional development opportunities to enhance the retention and continuity of educators?

Continuous Improvement

1. How do we use exit data and feedback to understand reasons for educators leaving and to inform improvements?
2. What processes are in place for setting individual performance and learning goals for educators?
3. How do our performance development processes support continuity?

Collaboration and Engagement

1. How do we involve families in discussions about staffing and continuity?
2. Are there community resources or partnerships that can support us in enhancing staff continuity?
3. How do we ensure that the voices of children are considered when making decisions related to staffing?

Future Planning

1. What challenges do we anticipate in maintaining continuity of staff in the future?
2. How can we better prepare for unforeseen changes in staffing to ensure minimal disruption?
3. Are there innovative solutions or models from other services that we can adopt to enhance continuity?

Reflection on Reflection

1. How often do we reflect on our staffing arrangements and their impact on children’s experiences?
2. How do we ensure that our reflections lead to actionable improvements?
3. What mechanisms are in place to revisit and assess the impact of changes made based on these reflections?

These reflective questions aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of the current state of continuity of staff, identify areas of improvement, and guide future actions to achieve an Exceeding NQS rating for Element 4.1.2.

Learning from ACEQA case studies

Based on the provided case studies, here are the 5 most important practical steps that services have taken to achieve Exceeding NQS standards in Element 4.1.2, along with the reasons, tips, and estimated time for implementation:

Case Study 1

This inner-city long day care service makes deliberate decisions about the continuity of care for children and families to align with their service philosophy and the Early Childhood Australia’s Code of Ethics. Decisions are also informed by the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child, which state that “all organisations concerned with children should work towards what is best for each child.”

1. Deliberate Decisions on Continuity of Care:
   • Reason: Aligning with the service philosophy and the Early Childhood Australia’s Code of Ethics.
   • Tips: Ensure that the leadership team is actively involved in making these decisions and that they are communicated clearly to all educators.
   • Estimated Time: 1-2 weeks for planning and communication.
2. Professional Development and Learning Community:
   • Reason: Supporting educators’ growth and ensuring they are updated with best practices.
   • Tips: Allocate a budget for professional development and create a schedule for regular training sessions.
   • Estimated Time: Ongoing, with initial setup taking 1 week.
3. Engagement in Research Projects:
   • Reason: To foster connections with local educational institutions and stay updated with the latest research.
   • Tips: Partner with local universities or institutions and encourage educators to participate in research projects.
   • Estimated Time: 3-6 months for a typical research project.
4. Active Child Involvement in Staff Recruitment:
   • Reason: Ensuring that the educators align with the children’s needs and expectations.
   • Tips: Engage children in discussions about potential educators and consider their feedback during the recruitment process.
   • Estimated Time: 1-2 weeks during recruitment phases.
5. Regular Critical Reflection on Practice:
   • Reason: To identify areas of improvement and ensure best practices are being followed.
   • Tips: Schedule regular team meetings for reflection and use tools like the Gibb’s Reflective Practice Cycle.
   • Estimated Time: Ongoing, with weekly or bi-weekly reflection sessions.

Case Study 2

This outside school hours care (OSHC) service is located in an inner city suburb and was recently approved to increase licenced places from 60 to 100, due to increasing demand from the local community. This includes increasing the number of children in their first two years of school, with research undertaken by the school and the service predicting this trend will continue for some years to come.

1. Thoughtful Staffing Arrangements:
   • Reason: Enhancing children’s learning and development by aligning with their interests.
   • Tips: Regularly assess children’s interests and adjust staffing arrangements accordingly.
   • Estimated Time: 1 week for initial assessment and adjustments, then ongoing.
2. Group Interviews for Recruitment:
   • Reason: Gauging applicants’ skills in teamwork, communication, and their disposition for working with children.
   • Tips: Design tasks and activities that can effectively evaluate the skills and dispositions of the applicants.
   • Estimated Time: 1-2 weeks during recruitment phases.
3. Comprehensive Induction Program for New Educators:
   • Reason: Ensuring new educators understand the service’s philosophy, policies, and practices.
   • Tips: Create a structured induction program and assign mentors to new educators.
   • Estimated Time: 1 week for program creation, then ongoing for each new educator.
4. Feedback Mechanism for New Arrangements:
   • Reason: To understand the impact of new arrangements and make necessary adjustments.
   • Tips: Use tools like surveys or direct feedback sessions to gather insights from educators and families.
   • Estimated Time: Ongoing, with monthly feedback sessions.
5. Collaboration with School Teachers:
   • Reason: Ensuring continuity of learning and smooth transition from school to OSHC.
   • Tips: Schedule regular meetings with school teachers and explore opportunities for collaboration.
   • Estimated Time: Ongoing, with monthly collaboration sessions.

These steps, when implemented thoughtfully, can significantly contribute to achieving an Exceeding NQS rating in Element 4.1.2.