“It’s our polite nudge in the ribs to help you and your team stay organised and on task.”
This week’s subject is Families are supported
Element 6.1.3: Current information is available to families about the service and relevant community services and resources to support parenting and family wellbeing.
As your service assesses the various ways in which you support families, consider how this can be improved on. What strategies can be implemented to better support families in their parenting roles? Services can adopt several tools and systems to better support and meet the diverse needs of their families, resulting in the improvement to children’s overall wellbeing.
Consistent communication:
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- Educators are readily available to engage in informal discussions with parents/guardians at mutually convenient times
- Educators sensitively referring families to relevant community services and resources
- The service uses several methods to communicate relevant and significant information about:
- service operations
- policies and procedures
- changes to policies and procedures
- the educational program, practice and routines
- their child’s wellbeing and development
- community services and local events
- information from established early childhood services and relevant authorities to assist families in their parenting roles
- the service’s self-assessment and Quality Improvement Planning journey
- assessment and rating
- The service uses a number of methods to request and receive information and feedback about:
- service operations
- how families prefer to receive information
- policies and procedures
- educational program, practice and routines
- practices specific to their child’s individual needs and development
- the service’s statement of philosophy
Accessibility of information:
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- Service information is readily available at the time of enrolment e.g., family handbook, relevant policies and procedures
- Service information is always available and at parent’s request
- Information about community services is regularly shared with families and available in areas regularly used and easily accessible to families
- There is opportunity for information about community services to be accessed in confidence
- Relevant information about the service and community services is available in languages represented at the service and within the local community
- Families are provided with the opportunity to access relevant information in their own time e.g., online through the Service website, information sharing apps or email correspondence
- Educators are readily available to engage in informal discussions with parents/guardians at mutually convenient times
- Educators keep up to date about community services, events and support services to ensure knowledge and information is readily available for parents/guardians upon request
Resources for families:
Resources for services:
Supportive relationships with families-case study
Early Education Show podcast- Element 6.1.3
Within System7 go to Quality Area 6/ Modules 10-13 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 supporting families. These include Family Handbook template, monthly Newsletter templates, Philosophy Development and Review Procedure, family surveys and much more.
Resources, NQS Element, Regulation and System7 links:
Childcare Centre Desktop – Childcare Centre Desktop
National Quality Standard – Element 6.1.3: Families are supported
National Regulations – 168, 169, 171
System7 Module – QA 6/ Modules 10-13
If you have any questions send us a note via the Contact page here!
