Parental Interaction and Involvement in the Service Policy

NQF

QA6
6.1.1: Engagement with the service - Families are supported from enrolment to be involved in the service and contribute to service decisions .

6.1.2: Parent views are respected - The expertise, culture, values and beliefs of families are respected and families share in decision-making about their child’s learning and wellbeing.

6.1.3: Families are supported - Current information is available to families about the service and relevant community services and resources to support parenting and family wellbeing.

6.2.1: Transitions - Continuity of learning and transitions for each child are supported by sharing information and clarifying responsibilities.

6.2.2: Access and participation - Effective partnerships support children’s access, inclusion and participation in the program.

National Regulations

Regs
157: Access For Parents

Aim

Communications between family members and the Service are considered crucial for a child to reach their full development. Therefore, we aim to provide an environment where there is a strong emphasis on family/Service communication to allow consistency and continuity between the home and the Service environment. By encouraging family members to be involved in the service, we aim to provide a service that best meets the needs of our community.

Related Policies

• Educator and Management Policy
• Enrolment Policy
• Family Law and Access Policy
• Fees Policy
• Grievance Policy
• ​Orientation for Children Policy

Implementation

​Parent Communication

Service aims to provide as many outlets as possible for family/service communication. These include:

• Face to face.
• A monthly newsletter which will be put in the children’s cubbies to be taken home.
• A notice board displaying upcoming events and notices.
• Regular informal meetings with parents and the opportunity to plan formal meetings if necessary.
• Short surveys regarding the service’s philosophy and how you feel your child/ren feel about the service.
• Each family will be allocated a ‘pocket’ where private correspondence between educators, the nominated supervisor or approved provider and the family can take place.

If necessary, educators have support and access to translation services to provide this information for non-English speaking families.

Parental and Family Involvement

• Families are welcome to visit at any time of the day. (The Approved Provider, Nominated Supervisor and educators will not allow a parent to enter the service premises if they reasonably believe this would contravene a court order.)
• Families are encouraged to make suggestions and offer critique on our program, philosophy, management and food menu.
• Families are encouraged to share aspects of their culture with the educators and children as well as appropriate experiences.
• Families are invited to participate in the service’s daily routine by helping out with activities such as craft, the preparation of morning tea, special activities and afternoon tea.
• A family/staff committee will be established to set goals for the service, help write and implement policies and help to meet aims of the NQF Assessment process.
• Minutes of regular staff/parents meetings will be kept aside for either side to make suggestions.
  

Parent Support

For those families undergoing difficult situations and who seek assistance from service, the service will offer support as appropriate. Our service offers a parent library which provides resources and contact numbers for various support groups within the local community such as a baby nurse, playgroup and speech therapist.
​
For families who use English as a second language, translated documents can be provided.

Parent Grievances

Our Grievance Policy outlines the steps we take to address complaints and grievances from educators, staff, families, visitors and volunteers.

Open Doors

O - Our Service can be accessed at any time for parental inspection.

P - Please come and see how we help your child develop and grow.

E - Entry by you any time shows that we are happy for you to see our practices at any time of the day.

N - Never leave your child in a Service unless you feel 100% confident in their ability to provide for your child.

D - Don’t hesitate to ask us any questions about your child, their development or our Service philosophy.

O - Our Service is proud of the quality of care we provide.

O - Our educators are qualified, trained, experienced and talented.

R - Rather than take our word for this
​
S - See for yourselves!

Parent Survey Template
​Parent Questionnaire

Dear Parent
 
We wish to provide your child/ren with the highest level of care. In order to do this, we would like your opinion on how you feel the Service is being run and how our program and our philosophy is helping your child develop. It would help us if you provided us with your thoughts on what our Service’s strengths and weaknesses are so we can work to improve these.
​
Attached is a questionnaire which asks your opinion of some important educational issues. It would help us if you could answer these as honestly as possible. Your responses will be kept private and confidential.

Please return completed survey by _________________

Thank you for your participation.

_____________________
Nominated Supervisor