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  2. Guide to the NQF
  3. Section 3: National Quality Standard and Assessment and Rating
  4. Quality Area 4: Staffing arrangements
  5. Standard 4.2: Professionalism

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Standard 4.2: Professionalism

Management, educators and staff are collaborative, respectful and ethical.

How Standard 4.2 contributes to quality education and care

Professionalism is demonstrated when management, educators and other staff develop and maintain relationships with each other that are based on the principles of mutual respect, equity and fairness. Team collaboration that is based on understanding the expectations and attitudes of team members, and build on the strength of each other’s knowledge, help nurture constructive professional relationships. These relationships reduce the likelihood of misunderstanding and conflict. For more information see Early Childhood Australia’s Code of Ethics (2016), a resource that guides the behaviour of early childhood professionals.

When adults communicate effectively and respectfully with each other they promote a positive and calm atmosphere at the service, supporting children to feel safe and secure and contributing to the development of positive and reciprocal relationships between children and educators. Unresolved and poorly managed conflict between adults in the service affects morale and impacts on the provision of quality education and care to children.

Collaborative leadership and teamwork are founded on professional and respectful conversations about practice. Educators respect and engage with different ways of thinking and working as a team to critically reflect on practice. When educators communicate effectively and share ideas about practice, children’s learning, development and wellbeing is optimised (Early Years Learning Framework; Framework for School Age Care). 

Services support staff to act cohesively and ethically as a team and provide an environment that is conducive to children’s learning, development and wellbeing. This may be reflected in the service’s statement of philosophy (see Element 7.1.1).

Questions to guide reflection on practice for Standard 4.2 (for all services)

 
  • How do we ensure that the service’s statement of philosophy reflects the different views, beliefs and values of the team?
  • How do we acknowledge the personal strengths, professional experiences and diversity that our colleagues bring to our work?
  • How do we support staff to recognise, respect and protect the inherent rights, cultures and traditions of all children, their families, and staff?
  • How do we provide opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators to provide feedback and reflections on best practice?
  • How do we support staff to take responsibility for creating culturally safe spaces for Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander staff, children and families?
  • How do we develop and maintain a culture of collaborative leadership and teamwork which includes peer mentoring and shared learning, where all team members contribute to and facilitate each other’s professional learning and growth? 
  • What beliefs about relationships between management, educators, co-ordinators and other staff are reflected in our statement of philosophy?
  • How do we promote professionalism, confidentiality and ethical conduct?
  • What strategies have we developed to ensure information is appropriately shared between management and staff?
  • How do we use critical reflection to challenge our beliefs?
  • How do we promote the personal and collective strengths of our team?
  • How do we share the successes of our team with families?
  • What opportunities do we provide for educators, co-ordinators and other staff to have conversations and discussions to further develop their skills, or to improve practice and relationships? How do we ensure that everyone’s voice is heard and considered?
  • What makes our service a positive place to work?
  • What strategies do we use to find out how staff members feel about/within our team?
  • How effective are the processes we have implemented to resolve any ethical issues that may arise?
  • How regularly do we review Early Childhood Australia’s Code of Ethics (2016) and our own service’s code of conduct and service philosophy to ensure that our practices and policies align with current recognised approaches and the approved learning framework/s?