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Quality Area 6 – Collaborative partnerships with families and communities _ ACECQA

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ECA Foundations for learning: Relationships between the Early Years Learning Framework and the Australian Curriculum

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ECA Foundations for learning: Relationships between the Early Years Learning Framework and the Australian Curriculum

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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 Australian Government initiative, Early Childhood Australia (ECA) (ECA, 2015)

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 Australian Government initiative, Early Childhood Australia (ECA) (ECA, 2015)

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Develop and implement a Quality Improvement Plan (QIP)

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Develop and implement a Quality Improvement Plan (QIP)

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Develop and implement a QIP

A Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) is a document that identifies the service's goals for quality improvement and notes some strategies for achieving those goals. It helps everyone at the service to stay focused on the improvements and on implementing the strategies needed to achieve the goals.

Requirements

The National Law and National Regulations include several requirements that apply to the QIP.

For example, according to Regulation 31: Condition on service approval-QIP, the approved provider must ensure that a current QIP:

1. is kept at the education and care service premises or, in the case of a family day care service, the principal office of the family day care service; and

2. is made available for inspection by the Regulatory Authority or an authorised officer.

According to Regulation 55: QIPs, the approved provider must ensure that the QIP:

1. includes an assessment by the provider of the quality of the practices of the service against the National Quality Standard and these Regulations; and

2. identifies any areas that the provider considers may require improvement; and

3. contains a statement of the philosophy of the service.

According to Regulation 56: Review and revision of QIPs:

1. The approved provider of an education and care service must review and revise the quality improvement plan for the service having regard to the National Quality Standard-

1. at least annually; and

2. at any time when directed by the Regulatory Authority.

2. The approved provider must submit the current quality improvement plan to the Regulatory Authority on request.

Process for developing and implementing a QIP

The following diagram shows the process for developing and implementing a QIP, including:

identifying strengths and improvements needed

planning improvements and including them in the QIP

implementing improvements

reviewing progress

self-assessment.

Each part of the process is detailed below.

Process for Developing and Implementing a QIP

Diagram showing the process for developing a QIP
Identify strengths and improvements needed

During the self-assessment process, the service will have noted aspects that are being managed very well (strengths) and identified areas where improvements could be made.

Strengths

In the QIP, record the strengths that the service identified during self-assessment. It can be affirming for everyone in the service to be able to see what has been agreed by children, families, educators and management as areas of practice that are working well.

Recording strengths also provides a clear picture to the Regulatory Authority of the practices that the service is proud of when the QIP is submitted prior to the assessment and rating visit.

Tip for practice

It is not necessary to write a great deal of detail about your strengths, as they will be evident to the authorised officer during your assessment and rating visit. It is better to concentrate your time on writing your plans for improvement.

Areas for improvement

Use the working document or 'to do' list of improvements recorded during self-assessment to develop the QIP.

Decide which of these improvements:

need to be dealt with immediately (anything that has been identified as not meeting the National Law and the National Regulations needs to be addressed straight away)

need to be incorporated into the QIP now

are a lower priority and can be incorporated into a later version of the QIP.

Remember that it is not necessary to include improvements for every quality area, as long as each of them has been reviewed during the self-assessment process. For example, the service may have identified several issues in one quality area and none in another.

Plan improvements and include them in the QIP

The Quality Improvement Plan must include strategies to address those quality areas noted during the self-assessment or assessment process as not meeting the National Quality Standard or any regulatory requirement.
Guide 4: Guide to Developing a QIP, 2013

Plan how the service will achieve the improvements by including the following detail in the QIP:

write a goal for each of the improvements that the service wants to achieve

note to which element or standard of the National Quality Standard it is related

record whether the goal is low, medium or high priority

set out the steps or strategies that will be used to achieve the goal

note how success will be measured (how the service will know that the goal has been achieved)

set a target date for achieving each goal (the date needs to be specific because the aim is to reach the goal).

Tip for practice

1. There needs to be a process and a place for recording your progress towards achieving the goals.

Appendix 2 of 'Guide 4: Guide to Developing a QIP' provides a template that clearly states what needs to be included in the QIP.

Guide 4: Guide to Developing a QIP also provides many helpful hints for writing the QIP, and it includes examples of completed QIPs from a range of settings (see Appendix 1, pages 11-16).

You don't have to use the ACECQA QIP template. You can use any format that suits your service. However your QIP should include all the aspects identified in the template.

2. There is no minimum or maximum number of pages required when completing your QIP.

With that in mind, keep your QIP short. If it is too long it may be difficult to remember the goals and to stay focused on the required improvements.

Implement improvements

To achieve the service's goals, it is important to stay focused on the QIP and to start working on the steps or strategies that have been identified. If possible, various educators could be responsible for different aspects. This spreads the load and helps everyone to feel part of the process.

Tip for practice

To stay focused on implementing improvements, display your QIP in a place where all of the educators and families can see it.

Review progress

Monitor the target dates for achieving the goals.

Schedule reviews of the QIP at staff meetings so that everyone stays focused on what needs to be completed and so that progress can be documented regularly in the QIP.

If it has not been possible to achieve a goal by the anticipated date, document the progress achieved so far and then set some new strategies and a new target date. The goal may need to be rewritten so that it is realistic and achievable.

Once a goal has been achieved it is not part of the QIP anymore and can be removed. Another identified issue from the self-assessment working document or 'to do' list can then be incorporated into the QIP.

The QIP should continually evolve

In the same way that self-assessment is ongoing, the QIP is a dynamic and evolving document.

According to Regulation 56 from the National Regulations, the QIP must be reviewed and revised at least annually. Most services review and update their QIPs regularly to maintain the momentum of quality improvement.

Following the assessment and rating visit, the report sent to the service may include further suggestions for quality improvements that need to be added to the QIP.

What's next?

Now that you have explored developing and implementing a QIP, you may want to learn more about assessment and rating.

Adapted from

Guide 2: Guide to the Education and Care Services National Law and the Education and Care Services National Regulations 2011', 'National Quality Framework Resource Kit, Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority, 2013

'Guide 3: Guide to the National Quality Standard', National Quality Framework Resource Kit, Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority, 2013

'Guide 3: Guide to the National Quality Standard', National Quality Framework Resource Kit, Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority, 2013

'Guide 4: Guide to developing a Quality Improvement Plan', National Quality Framework Resource Kit, Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority, 2013
'Revising the service philosophy', NQS PLP Newsletter, 28, 2012
'Reviewing your Quality Improvement Plan', Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority

'Self-assessment, reflective practice and quality improvement processes', 'Talking about practice' series, Commonwealth of Australia, 2012

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A Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) is a document that identifies the service's goals for quality improvement and notes some strategies for achieving those goals. It helps everyone at the service to stay focused on the improvements and on implementing the strategies needed to achieve the goals.

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Early childhood resource hub - National quality standard

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Early childhood resource hub - National quality standard

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National Quality Standard

The National Quality Standard is established by the National Regulations and is a significant part of the National Quality Framework.

The National Quality Standard sets a national benchmark for the quality of education and care services. Services covered under the National Quality Framework are assessed and rated against the National Quality Standard.

The National Quality Standard aims to promote:

safety, health and wellbeing of children

a focus on achieving outcomes for children through high-quality educational programs

greater understanding by services and families about what distinguishes a quality service.

Quality areas, standards and elements

Getting to know the National Quality Standard

The National Quality Standard brings together structural components (such as educator qualifications and educator to child ratios) with process aspects of quality (such as relationships with children and families and stimulating environments and learning programs).

Rating services against the National Quality Standard promotes transparency and accountability and assists families to assess the quality of the available services. This enables families to make informed decisions about the services providing education and care to their children.

National Quality Standard rating system

The National Quality Standard is accompanied by a national quality rating and assessment process.

Go to the Assessment and rating page for more information about the National Quality Standard rating system.

The National Quality Standard allows your service to adopt approaches that are appropriate to the children in your setting.

How the National Quality Standard was developed

The development of the National Quality Standard was informed by research on best practice and the way in which high-quality education and care contributes to positive outcomes for children.

The OECD identifies aspects of quality critical to the provision of early childhood education and care services. These aspects of quality are reflected in the National Quality Standard.

National approved learning frameworks

The National Quality Standard is linked to the national approved learning frameworks. These frameworks recognise that children learn from birth. They outline practices that support and promote children's learning.

Together, the National Quality Standard, the national approved learning frameworks and the approved learning frameworks of states and territories guide the delivery of nationally consistent, high-quality experiences, programs and care across Australia.

Adapted from
'Guide 1: Guide to the National Quality Framework', National Quality Framework Resource Kit, Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority, 2013

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The National Quality Standard is established by the National Regulations and is a significant part of the National Quality Framework. The National Quality Standard sets a national benchmark for the quality of education and care services. Services covered under the National Quality Framework are assessed and rated against the National Quality Standard.

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https://www.acecqa.gov.au/nqf/national-quality-standard/quality-area-6-collaborative-partnership-with-families-and-communities

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EDU30006_Assignment 2 Step 1 Activity template

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https://www.aitsl.edu.au/teach/standards

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https://www.humanrights.gov.au/sites/default/files/supporting_young_children_rights.pdf
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001474/147499e.pdf
http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/management/improvement/Pages/dimension4parents.aspx