“It’s our polite nudge in the ribs to help you and your team stay organised and on task.”
This week’s subject is: Responsible person.
Element 4.1.1: The organisation of educators across the service supports children’s learning and development
Are you consistently maintaining your responsibilities to accurately appoint and display the details of a responsible person at all times that the service is operating, educating and caring for children?
A Responsible Person must be on the premises at all times, and the details of the Responsible Person must be displayed and be clearly visible to families and visitors at the main entry of the Service.
If the Responsible Person leaves the premises (during the hours that children are being educated and cared for), they will ‘hand over’ obligations for the role to another duly appointed person at the Service. It is vital that all handovers to a designated Responsible Person are documented when commencing this position, throughout the day. The process for determining the Responsible Person should be clear to all educators and staff, and procedures will be followed at all times. Both the outgoing and incoming Responsible Persons will ensure the displayed name of the current Responsible Person at the Service correctly reflects who currently holds the position.
The responsible person is either the Approved provider, someone with management and control, the Nominated Supervisor or a person appointed (as a person in day-to-day charge of the Service) by the Nominated Supervisor/Approved Provider.
The Responsible Person must:
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- be over 18 years of age
- have successfully completed an ACECQA approved child protection training course
- have adequate knowledge and understanding of the provision of education and care to children and their responsibilities within the role of responsible person
- have an ability to effectively supervise and manage the service
Suggestions:
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- Communicate with families when a new Responsible Person has been appointed via your Service newsletter or information sharing app
- Display a photograph of the Responsible Person on duty in a prominent position in the foyer for ease of viewing and identifying this person for families. If this person changes during the day for any reason, ensure the photograph also changes (along with their name).
- If the Responsible Person needs to change during the day, they will ‘hand over’ obligations for the role to another duly appointed person at the service.
- It is vital that the Responsible Person is documented on the staff roster when taking over this position.
Written consent to accept the position is required via a formal Offer and Acceptance form which includes:
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- Personal details
- Required documentation (criminal history check, working with children check etc.)
- Declaration
Responsible Person Offer and Acceptance:
To consent to the position of Responsible Person, you must ensure you are familiar with the requirements and obligations set out under the National Quality Framework of Early Childhood Education and Care which includes the Education and Care Services National Law and the Education and Care Services National Regulations and understand the roles and responsibilities of this position.
Resources:
Guide to the NQF- Operational Requirements- QA 4: Staffing arrangements
Responsible Person Requirements for Approved Providers
Within System7 go to Quality Area 4/Module 2 to submit self-assessment notes and if required, open a QIP issue if you identify any areas of improvement.
The Childcare Centre Desktop has a range of resources to assist services with staffing arrangements and the role of the Responsible Person. These include Responsible Person Routine Checklist, Responsible Person Register, Responsible Person Procedure, Responsible Person on Duty Poster, Responsible Person Policy, Responsible Person Offer and Acceptance and much more.
Resources, NQS Element, Regulation and System7 links:
Childcare Centre Desktop – Childcare Centre Desktop
National Quality Standard – QA4 / Element: 4.1.1
National Regulations – 117A, 117B, 117C
System7 Module – QA4 / Module 2
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