It's more than reading and signing
Peter Price, approved provider of the service featured in the video, Mt Ommaney's Centenary Childcare and Early Education Centre, said his team don't just talk about a policy, they actually walk through it.
'For example, what we've already done this year is taken all the staff out to the bus and we've stepped through the entire bus policy so it's not just reading about it or somebody telling you about it, but they've physically done it,' Peter said.
'If they step through it, they physically do it, as well as they talk about it, as well as they read about it. You've got the best opportunity for it to stick. '
Peter said every new staff member was allocated a mentor who, from day 1, shows them around the centre and how everything works.
'It's like an orientation process but they stay with them for basically their entire probation period.
'In the early days, it's fairly intensive, like it might be a couple of hours a day and weans off as they get familiar with everything.
'Some staff are really good as they come from other centres and they're experienced in things, so it's really just getting them on the same page as us.'
Train and check understanding
Monique Fazio, early childhood teacher and mentor at Centenary Childcare and Early Education Centre, said she loved the different layers and elements to learning each of the policies and procedures so it isn't just reading it, acknowledging it, signing it and handing it back.
'There are video tutorials about the different policies and procedures, we do role play experiences and staff training where we are able to role play with our staff and our team.
'There are also quizzes and questions that are asked either on paper or in person with our educational leader, and I think that helps with embedding those practices … because it's done in multiple ways and it's not just a tick and flick.
'They're really making sure that not only do we know what's part of the policies and procedures but we understand every part of it.'
Watch and give feedback
To make sure staff are following the policies and procedures at all times, the educational leader and director of operations make unscheduled room 'drop ins' to observe what educators are doing.
After the drop in, each staff member receives a report on whether or not they’re following the policies and procedures correctly.
The management and leadership team then meet with each educator to give and receive feedback on how they can improve their practice.
Regularly review and update if needed
'It's a 2-way street in that staff can give us feedback as well as us giving staff feedback,' Peter said.
Staff are part of the ongoing development of each policy and procedure and are able to upgrade, update and add to them at the review stage.
Understand and follow—keep children safe
'It is so good to have policies and procedures because we're able to have everyone on the same page of the expectations we want for our centre and it allows us to challenge each of our peers to make sure that the educational environment for all our children is safe and up to our standards of education,' Monique said.
See how Centenary Childcare and Early Education Centre's approved provider and his staff regularly reflect on their approach to implementing and reviewing
policies and procedures.
Read more about
policies and procedures as an effective system of control for preventing and managing incidents.