“It’s our polite nudge in the ribs to help you and your team stay organised and on task.”
This week’s subject is Staff inductions
Element 7.1.3: Roles and responsibilities are clearly defined, and understood, and support effective decision-making and operation of the service
Do you follow a comprehensive induction checklist for the orientation of new employees to ensure they have the best start and are set up to succeed within their roles and incorporation into the team and service?
A well-structured and thorough staff induction procedure is crucial for ensuring high-quality service delivery and compliance. Effective induction equips new educators with a clear understanding of the service’s philosophy, policies, and procedures, fostering consistency in practice and alignment with the Service’s goals. It supports staff in building confidence, competence, and familiarity with their roles, enabling them to provide safe, supportive, and engaging environments for children. Additionally, a comprehensive induction promotes collaboration, strengthens team cohesion, and ensures educators are well-prepared to meet the diverse needs of children and families, ultimately enhancing the overall quality of education and care.
Does your Service conduct a feedback survey about the staff induction procedure to drive continual improvement?
Conducting a feedback survey for newly inducted staff (about their onboarding experience) will foster a culture of continuous improvement. By gathering insights directly from new educators and staff, the service can assess the effectiveness of the induction process, identifying strengths and areas needing enhancement, such as clarity of information, accessibility of resources, orientation timeline, or support provided.
Obtaining this feedback enables the Service to refine the induction processes and make tailored adjustments to ensure future inductions are more comprehensive and supportive, aligning with the service’s philosophy and regulatory requirements. Ultimately, this reflective practice strengthens staff confidence, improves onboarding experiences, and enhances overall service quality by ensuring educators are well-equipped to deliver high-quality education and care.
Community based Services should have onboarding processes in place to ensure effective induction of management committee/board members, taking into account the time constraints that are often present with onboarding individuals into voluntary positions. Providing Committee Members with crucial information will ensure they’re aware of their roles and responsibilities and the format of general meetings and AGMs. Your Service may engage Committee Members in professional development covering Management Committees roles and responsibilities as the approved provider/PMCs and information about the NQF.
Your staff induction process and checklist should include:
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- documents to provide to the staff member, such as Job Description, Staff Handbook (including agreement to sign and return), National Employment Standards, key policies and procedures that staff must be familiar with before their first day, contract of employment, ECA Code of Ethics, Code of Conduct, ATO and Superannuation documentation.
- a tour of the physical environment
- review of the daily routines
- planning cycle and location of documentation
- cleaning procedures and routines
- safety checks
- storage of equipment and resources
- children with additional needs, allergies, asthma and anaphylaxis and location of medical management plans and medication
- family law/parenting orders
- WHS responsibilities and reporting procedures
- staffing arrangements, including rostering, shift responsibilities, breaks, lockers, tearoom/staff area, staff bathrooms, sign in/out procedures, staff communication, use of mobile phones and smart watches etc.
- staff meetings
- emergency information including emergency evacuation procedures, location of fire safety equipment, location of Safety Data Sheets, emergency contact numbers, First Aid Kits etc.
- administration of medication procedures and location of forms and medication
- food safety, storage and hygiene procedures
- digital logins and use of Service software
In conclusion, a thorough staff induction process, supported by a detailed checklist and feedback surveys, ensures new educators, volunteers and committee members are well-prepared for their roles. This approach fosters confidence, collaboration, and continuous improvement, enhancing service quality and creating a supportive environment staff for children and families.
Resources:
Supporting Performance and Development of Professionals
The Sector- Everything you need to know about inducting a new ECEC employee
CELA: Management Committee Training Portal
I’m on the Management Committee
Within System7 go to Quality Area 7/Module 28 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 roles and responsibilities and staff induction. These include Probation, Induction and Orientation Policy, New Employee Induction Checklist, Casual Employee Induction Checklist, Student Volunteer Induction Checklist, New Committee Member Induction Checklist, New Educator Orientation Survey and much more.
Resources, NQS Element, Regulation and System7 links:
Childcare Centre Desktop – Childcare Centre Desktop
National Quality Standard – QA 7/ 7.1.3- Roles and responsibilities
National Regulations – 84, 90(1)(b), 168, 170
System7 Module – QA 7/ Module 28
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