Writing, Reviewing & Maintaining Policies Policy (QA7) ✅

Woodlands - Writing, Reviewing & Maintaining Policies Policy

National Quality Standard (NQS)

Quality Area 7: Governance and Leadership
7.1	Governance	Governance supports the operation of a quality service
7.1.1	Service philosophy and purposes	A statement of philosophy guides all aspects of the service’s operations
7.1.2	Management Systems	Systems are in place to manage risk and enable the effective management and operation of a quality service
7.1.3	Roles and Responsibilities	Roles and responsibilities are clearly defines, and understood and support effective decision making and operation of the service
7.2	Leadership	Effective leadership builds and promotes a positive organisational culture and professional learning community
7.2.1	Continuous improvement	There is an effective self-assessment and quality improvement process in place
7.2.2	Educational leadership	The educational leader is supported and leads the development and implementation of the educational program and assessment and planning cycle
7.2.3	Development of professionals	Educators, co-ordinations and staff members’’ performance is regularly evaluated and individual plans are in place to support learning and development.

Education and Care Services National Regulations

Children (Education and Care Services) National Law NSW
31	Conditions on service approval
55-56	Quality Improvement Plan
168	Education and care services must have policies and procedures
170	Policies and procedures to be followed
171	Policies and procedures to be kept available
172	Notification of change to policies or procedures affecting ability of family to utilise services

 Purpose

To ensure compliance with the National Quality Framework, our service will review our policies and procedures on an annual basis or when changes have occurred within the service. We aim to work in collaboration with our Educators and Families, gaining feedback when updating our policies and procedures to meet the needs of children being educated and cared for. 

Scope

This policy applies to staff and management of the Service.

Implementation

• All policies and procedures will be made available for families and educators 
• All policies developed will be made in consultation with management, staff and family involvement.
• Our educators and staff will ensure that all policies and procedures are reviewed as per the document review schedule or more often if required (i.e. regulations, legislation or centre practices change). This gives both families and educators opportunities to suggest elements that may need to be improved. Each document has the assigned review period defined within the “Review” section of the document.
• At any time of the year educators, staff and family members are invited to enquire and have input into the policies and procedures. 
• All policies will be signed, sourced and dated at each review and educators and other will continuously seek out relevant information to provide the best possible environment.
• All stakeholders at the service must be informed of any changes to policies. This will occur in writing and be provided to families, educators, other staff, management, the committee and any other relevant individuals.
• Families will be invited to form and join our Family Committee
• Families not involved in the Family Committee will have the opportunity to revise and help plan policies via Newsletters and specific letters to families discussing the policy or a draft of the proposed policy and given the opportunity to respond.
• All policies that are being either reviewed or developed will be displayed on the Service’s noticeboard so all stakeholders are aware at all times and can be involved.

 The procedure for reviewing a policy:

• Attention to policy has been raised either by routine reflection, incident, feedback or the ‘continuous improvement’ process.
• All major stakeholders are invited to review the policy and suggest amendments (this can be done via committee meeting, email, newsletters, display in Service)
• A time frame of 2 weeks is given to gather all suggestions and create a draft policy
• The draft policy is made available to all major stakeholders, again via committee meeting, email, newsletters, display in Service
• o  A time frame of 7 days to respond is given. If there are no strong objections to the policy draft, the draft is reposted as the Service’s Policy.
• The Service encourages an organic approach to policies. While it is the Service’s undertaking that all policies will be revised annually, the Service will revise and if necessary amend policies based on the needs of the Service, particularly if there is an incident, regulation change or feedback received. 
• All policies will be sourced, if possible, and dated.

In accordance with the regulations;

The Service must ensure that parents of children enrolled at the service are notified at least 14 days before making any change to a policy or procedure that may have a significant impact on:

•       The service's provision of education and care to any child enrolled at the service; or
•       The family's ability to utilise the service.

The Service must ensure that parents of children enrolled at the service are notified at least 14 days before making any change that will affect the fees charged or the way in which fees are collected.

If the Service considers that the notice period would pose a risk to the safety, health or wellbeing of any child enrolled at the service, the approved provider must ensure that parents of children enrolled at the service are notified as soon as practicable after making a change.

The Service must ensure that copies of the current policies and procedures are available for inspection on request.

Source

• The Business of Childcare, Karen Kearns 2004
• Education and Care Services National Regulation
• Revised National Quality Standard  

 Review

Date Reviewed	Modifications	Next Policy Review Date
October 2017	Reviewed and created new policy and format. Updated references to comply with the revised National Quality Standard
January 2020	Branding and formatting updated Policy links added Service specific information amended not affecting the delivery of policy	January 2021