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DRAFT Children’s Services Strategic Plan...Certificate III and above qualifications are employed...

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GEORGES RIVER COUNCIL Children’s Services Strategic Plan 2017 - 2020 DRAFT
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Page 1: DRAFT Children’s Services Strategic Plan...Certificate III and above qualifications are employed in order to maintain high quality service delivery. This above-industry requirement

GEORGES RIVER COUNCIL

Children’s ServicesStrategic Plan2017 - 2020

DRAFT

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2 Draft Children’s Services Strategic Plan 2017 - 2020

Georges River Council recognises that a range of community services, facilities and programs are vital in contributing to a community where people feel safe, have access to services they need for themselves and their families.

Contents3......... Introduction4......... A Look at Our Community6......... Our Vision9......... Our Services12....... Our Beliefs14....... Where to Next?28....... Measuring Our Objectives

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Introduction

On 12 May 2016 the Councils of Hurstville and Kogarah were amalgamated to form Georges River Council.

Our new community begins with a strong foundation. Between 2015 – 2016, Kogarah and Hurstville Councils Children’s Services educated and cared for approximately 700 children. Through community consultation, previous Community Strategic Plans established that childcare was considered to be a high priority for both Councils, due to the affordability and high quality standards of services.

As a newly formed Council, our combined childcare services offer families a range of service types to choose from that are tailored to meet their needs.

The Georges River Local Government (LGA) Area covers 43 square kilometres, and is comprised of the following suburbs: Riverwood, Peakhurst, Kingsgrove, Penshurst, Hurstville, Mortdale, South Hurstville, Kogarah, Carss Park, Peakhurst Heights, Lugarno, Beverly Hills, Carlton, Allawah, Narwee, Oatley, Connells Point, Blakehurst, Beverly Park, Kogarah Bay and Sans Souci. The Georges River LGA is close to Sydney Airport and the M5

Motorway, as well as the foreshores of Botany Bay and the Georges River.

The five wards that make up Georges River Council are:

1. Blakehurst Ward2. Kogarah Bay Ward3. Mortdale Ward4. Peakhurst Ward5. Hurstville Ward

The Children’s Services Strategic Plan 2017 – 2020 has been developed in consultation with that part of the community that uses the services, and is underpinned by Georges River Council’s Operational Plan 2017 – 2018, together with both State and Federal Education and Care frameworks.

Our Key Performance Indicator (KPI) which measures the success of our services, is an utilisation rate of 95% or greater. This is outlined in Council’s Operational Plan 2017 – 2018.

Our objectives set out in this plan will detail the ways in which we aim to achieve this KPI whilst continuing to monitor, review and adapt our services to provide children with high quality childcare provision. A matrix of objectives, key measurables and outcomes over the next three years can be found at the end of this document.

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Data collected in the 2016 Census shows that 16.7% of the Georges River LGA population are children aged 0 – 14 years. The community is culturally and linguistically diverse, with over half of residents (50.2%) born overseas.

The largest non-English speaking country of birth in the LGA was China, where 16.1% of the population were born. Other countries of birth represented in the community include Nepal (3.3%) Hong Kong (2.5%) Greece (1.6%) and The Philippines (1.5%).

42.3% of residents speak English only at home, and 56.1% speak a language other than English. The most common non-English languages spoken at home were Chinese (Mandarin 14.4% and Cantonese 9.9%) Greek (5.4%) Arabic (3.6%) and Nepali (3.4%).

The statistics provided above highlight the rich cultural diversity of the Georges River LGA. Our Childcare Services are designed to acknowledge and respect the varied cultural backgrounds of children attending our services. This is achieved through teaching children about different traditions around the world, celebrating international events, and employing staff from a variety of ethnic and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Approximately 150,000 people reside across the five wards of the local government area, making quality Children’s Services crucial to our diverse community.

16.1% of the Georges River population was born

in China

1.6% of the Georges

River population was born in Greece 2.5%

of the Georges River population was born

in Hong Kong

3.3% of the Georges River population was born

in Nepal

1.5% of the Georges River population was born in The Philippines

A look at our community

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16.1% of the Georges River population was born

in China

1.6% of the Georges

River population was born in Greece 2.5%

of the Georges River population was born

in Hong Kong

3.3% of the Georges River population was born

in Nepal

1.5% of the Georges River population was born in The Philippines

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Welcoming Engaging

Affordable Unique

Excellence Education

Care

Our visionAt Georges River Council, we put a high priority on providing quality education and care within our services that is affordable, engaging and unique.

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Over the next three years we will benchmark quality outcomes for our community. This document will guide Council’s Children’s Services by laying the foundation that will support our vision.

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Our services

Georges River Council owns and operates six Children’s Services across our LGA:

Carss Park Narani Childcare Centre72 Carwar Avenue, Carss Park 2217 9546 7462

Hurstville Early Learning CentreHurstville Westfield Shopping Centre (Roof Top) Hurstville 2220 9570 6445

Jack High Child Care Centre70 Vanessa Street, Beverly Hills 2209 9330 6280

Penshurst Long Day Care Centre5 St. Georges Road, Penshurst 2222 9579 4029

Ocean Street Kindergarten62 Ocean Street, Kogarah 2217 9587 9869

South Hurstville Kindergarten4 The Mall, South Hurstville 2221 9546 4899

We provide families with the opportunity to choose between service types, selecting a service which best suits their current and future needs.

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Carss Park Narani Child Care Centre

Carss Park Narani Child-care Centre is approved to provide care and education for 60 children aged from 0 to 6 years daily from 7.30am to 6.00pm.

2017Servicing 80 families and 93 children

Jack High Child Care Centre

Jack High Long Day Care is approved to provide care and education for 75 children aged from 0 to 6 years daily from 7.00am to 6.00pm.

2017 Servicing 100 families and 113 children

Hurstville Early Learning Centre

Hurstville Early Learning Centre is approved to provide care and education for 23 children aged from 3 to 6 years daily from 7.45am to 5.45pm.

2017Servicing 43 families and 48 children

Our services

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South Hurstville Kindergarten

South Hurstville Kindergarten is approved to provide care and education for 40 children aged from 2 to 6 years daily from 8.00am to 5.00pm with core pre-school hours of 8.00am to 4.00pm.

2017 Servicing 80 familiesand 80 children

Ocean Street Kindergarten

Ocean Street Kindergarten is approved to provide care and education for 29 children aged from 2 to 6 years daily from 7.30am to 5.30pm.

2017Servicing 39 families and 43 children

Penshurst Long Day Care Centre

Penshurst Long Day Care Centre is approved to provide care and education for 40 children aged from 0 to 6 years daily from 7.00am to 6.00pm.

2017Servicing 63 families and 73 children

We will build on our developing strengths to achieve strong community outcomes and partnerships.

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1.It is our belief that children must have quality programs that meet and exceed the standards outlined in the National Quality Framework. The Early Years Learning Framework that guides our practice is grounded in research and best practice principles together with strong experiential knowledge.

2.Our programs are delivered by well trained, professional staff who are committed to improving their practice through ongoing education. A greater number of staff with Certificate III and above qualifications are employed in order to maintain high quality service delivery. This above-industry requirement is typical of our commitment to ongoing education, training and development for staff.

3. Our educational practice stems from a belief that a variety of strategies should be employed which will enrich quality outcomes for children. Strategies such as involving children in decision making, reflective practice, emergent curriculum, planned and spontaneous learning and an evolving philosophy are just a few ways we will deliver sound research-based learning and discovery.

4. Providing quality outcomes for children with additional needs is a priority. Together our families and educators collaborate and contribute to our education and care strategy, resulting in outcomes.

5. We continue to embrace diversity in multiple ways – our educators are from culturally different backgrounds, and we provide varied visual and auditory representations of cultural difference. We actively discuss and teach children about Aboriginal culture. This rich heritage we so highly value will be taught through written and spoken stories, art, song, dance and performance.

6. Our services provide children with a safe space to learn and grow in surroundings which are natural, sustainable and beautiful environments. We carefully construct our settings to reflect a pleasing aesthetic balance of natural and manmade play spaces in which children’s interests, cultures and emergent knowledge are clearly visible. Our services are not homogenised, but are a true reflection of each services community identity.

Our beliefs

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We will:1. Develop strong community partnerships.

2. Develop strong relationships with local agencies to provide positive outcomes for children.

3. Support research-based education and care programs. In particular, the Early Years Learning Framework will guide educator-driven practice.

4. Explore Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Culture and Traditions.

5. Invite external agencies to discuss strategies that support young children with additional needs.

6. Support staff to undertake further education.

7. Develop affordable, quality service provision.

8. Develop sustainable, unique environments for the children.

9. Strive to exceed compliance requirements with the Regulatory Authority and the National Quality Framework.

10. Be proactive in analysing the community’s future childcare needs in new developing areas of the LGA

11. Focus on how we transfer knowledge in our organisation ensuring that knowledge-management is always kept up to date, relevant and dynamic.

Our objectives

Where to next?

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Working with local schools to promote Children’s Services and Council

• All services will liaise with local primary schools each year to establish smooth transitions for children moving on to school.

• Staff will regularly facilitate information exchanges with relevant staff at local primary schools to strengthen connections and support for families.

• Provide primary schools in our LGA with annual updates on our Children’s Services.

Facilitate the delivery of programs that meet the needs of families and children

• We will assess the needs of families by conducting annual surveys.

• Every year we will tailor programs that are important to families. This will include sessions on positive parenting, behaviour management classes, dental hygiene information, first aid courses and occupational therapist input.

• We will provide updated information as it becomes available from the Department of Education and Communities, Health Department, speech therapists and local audiologists and occupational therapists.

We will1. Develop Strong Community Partnerships

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High quality evidence- based programs that promote health, safety, social relationships and positive self esteem

• Every year, educators from all services will investigate and implement programs that are appropriate and in keeping with our beliefs. The Munch and Move program – a government initiative established to combat obesity in children through promoting healthy eating and exercise – is one example of a program our Childcare Services staff will implement.

• Children’s safety around the home and on the road is always a concern for families and educators alike. We actively promote information exchange from Kids and Traffic organisers, and home safety checklists from the Royal Children’s Hospital. This is achieved by including helpful hints to promote child safety with every newsletter we send to families.

Children’s interests will be developed, nurtured and enhanced with educator input

• Observing children and their developing interests is a daily occurrence for all educators. Play-based learning is developed by working with a cycle of observation, planning, implementing and evaluating children’s interests. The educators will then meet bi-monthly with the educational leaders of each service and discuss the long term implications of children interests and the connection to current theory to develop learning programs that meet children’s needs.

• Together with children’s interests, educators will often introduce a subject to a group of children in order to enhance learning. For example, an educator may introduce nursery rhymes to a group of children who may not have had access to these rhymes.

Children’s health and safety will be monitored and appropriate action taken on a case by case basis

• Along with monitoring children for play-based learning, all educators monitor children for appropriate health, well-being and their ability to meet age appropriate milestones. Observations include checklists, time samples, running records and anecdotal observations. In instances where staff have concerns about the health or development of a child, we will invite the family to meet with the coordinator of the service that their child attends to discuss the need for further referrals to take place.

• We support families through this process by giving them information about appropriate recommendations, such as local developmental paediatricians and support groups, which will help families through the next phase in the child’s development.

2. Develop strong relationships with local agencies to provide positive outcomes for children

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Curriculums that reflect children’s and families cultural diversity

• The Early Years Learning Framework is the nationally recognised curriculum document which guides our services practice. This document provides broad guidelines with a focus on Being, Belonging and Becoming, which is a holistic view of children and their families. We will refer to the objectives in this document in all of our monthly, weekly and daily programs.

• The document provides clear guidelines on the inclusion of culturally diverse communities such as those within the Georges River LGA. These guidelines validate long standing practice in all of our services.

• Our references to cultural diversity will continue to range from representations in books, puzzles, dolls, posters and other toys. Most significantly though, we will continue to employ educators with a strong understanding of the importance of making all cultures visible in our diverse community.

Programs that are collaborative with a strong sense of community

• Celebrations are an integral part of our services community. Through celebrations, we will strengthen our collaborations and connections to our community further. We understand each other better when we celebrate together. Our celebration of all things such as birthdays, Grandparents day, and Mothers and Fathers days brings us together through shared understandings.

We will3. Support research-based education and care

programs. In particular the Early Years Learning Framework will guide educator-driven practice

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Support NAIDOC week with a particular focus on Aboriginal languages, customs and newly developed traditions

• With support from Council’s Multicultural and Indigenous Officer, we will develop activities that explore Aboriginal and Torres Strait languages and customs. Invitations will be extended to members of the Aboriginal community to visit our services and talk about contemporary Aboriginal traditions and customs.

Provide visual, musical and cognitive resources that reinforce positive contemporary and traditional images of Aboriginal culture

• Areas of interest will be created in each service that support positive images of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. Puzzles, art works, instruments, fabrics, cushions, maps and books will support a growing understanding. Musical references to Aboriginal culture play intermittently throughout the day. During NAIDOC week, modern and traditional Aboriginal music will be featured throughout the day.

Provide training for our staff in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Competence

• The Centre for Cultural Competence provides extraordinary learning experiences for adults. Courses range from short courses lasting several hours to diploma style courses. Over the next three years, all coordinators and room leaders will undertake a minimum of one of these courses.

Georges River Council acknowledges that Aboriginal People are the original inhabitants and custodians of all the land and water in the LGA, and recognises Aboriginal spiritual, social and cultural connections to the Council’s land and waters.

We will4. Explore Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture

and traditions

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Image: Gunyah - created by Penny and the children of South Hurstville Kindergarten.

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We will5. Invite external agencies to discuss strategies that

support young children with additional needs

6. Support staff to undertake further education

Agencies including The Shepherd Centre, Cerebral Palsy Alliance, Autism Spectrum Australia and KU Inclusion Support Agency will be invited to our Childcare Centres when required

• We believe that good strategies happen when we collaborate with others. Over the next three years, we will invite agencies into our services to discuss important strategies as they relate to children that require support with additional needs.

• Georges River Council Childcare Staff are committed to strengthening existing relationships with partner agencies to develop strong multidisciplinary networks of professionals that can provide children with additional needs with tailored programs of support.

• Children who are at risk will be given first priority in our services; not just because it is a requirement of the Department of Education and Communities but because Council’s Children’s Services consider it a vital part of supporting positive outcomes for young children and their families.

Ensure that best practice principles are implemented to develop well informed educators

• Educators will review the National Quality Standards at each staff meeting. This will ensure that educators will be well versed in best practice principles and apply these to their work.

• Implementation of best practice will occur through open, genuine discussion with families as well as reviewing the standards.

Ensure that our future leaders have the best training possible

• Opportunities for further education will be supported yearly through sponsored study programs. Our staff will be invited to undertake leadership programs, tertiary and diploma study, and short courses.

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6. Support staff to undertake further education

7. Develop affordable, quality service provision

Affordability will be reflected in each service through sustainable budget-neutral targets

• One of our KPIs is to achieve greater than 95% occupancy rates in our services at all times. We will monitor this KPI consistently and report on it every quarter, as it bears a direct relationship to affordability. Our budgets will be developed with the view to ensuring that at the end of each financial year, we are at budget neutral or better.

• Each service’s income and expenditure will be closely monitored throughout the year by Service Coordinators and the Children’s Services Manager to ensure affordability for families.

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8. Develop sustainable, unique environments for the children

Provide sustainable, unique environments that are responsive to children and their emergent needs, interests and cultural diversity

• We actively maintain our environment to reflect the communities we serve. Each service is different precisely because we are responsive to the needs of our families. We will achieve this through daily informal conversations with families and bi-annual surveys.

The aesthetic of the outdoor environment will be nature focused, in line with community expectations and current philosophies of play and associated risk standards

• “Carefully chosen resources and materials contribute to a sense of belonging and challenge children to explore new possibilities. These resources play a part in fostering children’s knowledge of and connections with the natural environment.” (National Quality Standards 2011) With this in mind, and with the help of our families, we will develop strong connections to nature.

• Learning about biodiversity, sustainability, natural elements in the play space and what it means to focus on sustainable practices will be the context in which children will explore, discover and learn. We will evaluate our success in understanding and delivering environmental education among children and their families every quarter.

We will

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9. Strive to exceed compliance requirements with the Regulatory Authority and the National Quality Framework

Examine our compliance requirements and where we can improve on the requirements. For example, we insist that all staff hold a senior first aid qualification and a child protection qualification, which is above regulatory requirements

• We will develop staff and support them in further education by offering short courses through our sponsored study program. Our staff will complete mandatory training in First Aid, Asthma/Anaphylaxis and Child Protection every three years.

• Throughout each year, staff will also be required to undertake a minimum of two interest-based short courses. This will ensure that our educators are well trained professionals.

Policies and Procedures will be continuously monitored and evaluated for their efficacy and innovation. All Policies and Procedures will be renewed every three years

• Every year our educators will examine our processes and procedures through discussion at staff meetings. By adopting this approach, every year there will be a wealth of information gathered, which will be factored into the renewal of Children’s Services Policies and Procedures.

Council strives to actively look for opportunities to engage with the community in order to gauge a better understanding of their thoughts and ideas.

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We will10.

Conduct community surveys.

• Over the next 20 years the Georges River LGA will develop to ensure housing and employment opportunities are in line with projected growth targets from the Greater Sydney Commission, as outlined in the Southern District Plan. This growth will occur within areas accessible to public transport and services. With increased growth, additional infrastructure and services will be required to meet the needs of those new residents. This may include increased capacity in schools, new recreation facilities and additional childcare centres. Community analysis will take place as development occurs to help inform Council of childcare needs within these developing areas. This analysis may result in new centres being established, which may include the need for services with a greater spread of opening hours (up to 24 hours) or closing a smaller centre currently in operation and relocating that centre into an area that has a greater need for such a service.

Prepare a demographic study.

• Demographic Studies will be conducted in order to support the community surveys to understand community needs, expectations and the economic viability of new or improved childcare services necessary to future proof the LGA. A range of mechanisms to deliver these additional services will be explored, and may include the use of the planning system through rezoning of land and height/density increases and development contributions

Be proactive in analysing the community’s future childcare needs within developing areas of the Georges River LGA

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11.

Develop a knowledge matrix by conferring with staff, children, families and management to determine which information will be included

• Coordinators of each service will determine a baseline of information about service operations, which must be continuously monitored and updated where necessary on a quarterly basis.

• A detailed matrix will be developed with support of the Children’s Services administration team. This will inform new and existing staff on the complexity of Council’s Children’s Services, including information on knowledge, practices, processes, procedures and legislation that will ensure continuity and consistency across our services.

Focus on how we transfer knowledge in our organisation ensuring that knowledge management is always kept up to date, is relevant and dynamic

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that

are

refle

cted

with

in th

e pr

ogra

ms

of e

ach

serv

ice.

Sta

ff ar

e re

spon

sive

to c

hang

es in

de

mog

raph

y of

enr

olm

ents

.

Ong

oing

Ong

oing

Ong

oing

MEA

SUR

ING

OU

R O

BJE

CTI

VES

2017

- 20

20

Page 29: DRAFT Children’s Services Strategic Plan...Certificate III and above qualifications are employed in order to maintain high quality service delivery. This above-industry requirement

29Draft Children’s Services Strategic Plan 2017 - 2020

OB

JEC

TIVE

AC

TIO

NS

MEA

SUR

AB

LEY

EA

R 1

YE

AR

2

YE

AR

3

4. Exp

lore

Abo

rigin

al a

nd

Torr

es S

trait

Isla

nder

cu

lture

and

trad

ition

s.

Sup

port

NA

IDO

C w

eek

with

pa

rticu

lar f

ocus

on

Abo

rigin

al

lang

uage

s, c

usto

ms

and

new

ly

deve

lope

d tra

ditio

ns.

Pro

vide

vis

ual,

mus

ical

and

co

gniti

ve re

sour

ces

whi

ch re

info

rce

posi

tive

cont

empo

rary

and

tra

ditio

nal i

mag

es o

f Abo

rigin

al

cultu

re.

Pro

vide

trai

ning

for s

taff

in

Abo

rigin

al a

nd T

orre

s S

trait

Isla

nder

Cul

tura

l Com

pete

nce.

Liai

se w

ith C

ounc

il’s M

ultic

ultu

ral

and

Indi

geno

us D

evel

opm

ent

Offi

cer t

o pr

ovid

e ac

tiviti

es fo

r N

AID

OC

wee

k.

See

k gu

idan

ce/a

ppro

val o

n pl

anne

d ac

tiviti

es b

y su

bmitt

ing

repo

rts to

th

e A

borig

inal

Adv

isor

y C

omm

ittee

.

Ong

oing

Ong

oing

Ong

oing

Ong

oing

Ong

oing

Ong

oing

5. The

She

pher

d C

entre

, C

ereb

ral P

alsy

Alli

ance

, A

utis

m S

pect

rum

Aus

tralia

an

d K

U In

clus

ion

Sup

port

Age

ncy

will

be

invi

ted

whe

n re

quire

d.

The

Shep

herd

Cen

tre, C

ereb

ral

Pal

sy A

llian

ce a

nd A

utis

m

Spe

ctru

m A

ustra

lia a

nd K

U

Incl

usio

n S

uppo

rt A

genc

y w

ill b

e in

vite

d w

hen

requ

ired.

Info

rmat

ion

sent

to o

rgan

isat

ions

to

crea

te n

etw

orki

ng o

ppor

tuni

ties.

Link

s to

Geo

rges

Riv

er C

ounc

il D

isab

ility

Incl

usio

n A

ctio

n P

lan’

s co

mm

itmen

t to

incl

usiv

enes

s by

co

ntin

uing

to p

rovi

de c

hild

care

se

rvic

es to

chi

ldre

n w

ith d

isab

ilitie

s at

the

high

est l

evel

.

Mai

l out

to 1

0 lo

cal

orga

nisa

tions

Liai

se w

ith lo

cal

orga

nisa

tions

to

deve

lop

stro

ng

netw

orks

Hos

t a c

omm

unity

fo

rum

with

ne

twor

king

par

tner

s

6. Sup

port

staf

f to

unde

rtake

fu

rther

edu

catio

n.E

nsur

e th

at b

est p

ract

ice

prin

cipl

es

are

impl

emen

ted

to d

evel

op w

ell

info

rmed

edu

cato

rs.

Ens

ure

that

our

futu

re le

ader

s ha

ve

the

best

trai

ning

pos

sibl

e.

Teac

her a

ccre

dita

tion

requ

riem

ents

ar

e co

mpl

eted

with

in 3

yea

rs.

Edu

cato

rs e

xam

ine

the

requ

irem

ents

of t

he N

QF

requ

irem

ent.

50%

of s

taff

have

co

mpl

eted

teac

her

accr

edita

tion

50%

of e

duca

tors

un

derta

ke tr

aini

ng

spec

ific

to N

QF

75%

of s

taff

have

co

mpl

eted

teac

her

accr

edita

tion

75%

of e

duca

tors

un

derta

ke tr

aini

ng

spec

ific

to N

QF

100%

of s

taff

have

co

mpl

eted

teac

her

accr

edita

tion

100%

of e

duca

tors

un

derta

ke tr

aini

ng

spec

ific

to N

QF

Page 30: DRAFT Children’s Services Strategic Plan...Certificate III and above qualifications are employed in order to maintain high quality service delivery. This above-industry requirement

30 Draft Children’s Services Strategic Plan 2017 - 2020

OB

JEC

TIVE

AC

TIO

NS

MEA

SUR

AB

LEY

EA

R 1

YE

AR

2

YE

AR

3

7. Dev

elop

affo

rdab

le, q

ualit

y se

rvic

e pr

ovis

ion.

Affo

rdab

ility

will

be

refle

cted

in

each

ser

vice

thro

ugh

budg

et-

neut

ral t

arge

ts.

Enr

olm

ents

at g

reat

er th

an 9

5%

occu

panc

y th

roug

h ad

just

men

ts to

op

erat

iona

l stru

ctur

es.

Bud

gets

are

cos

t ne

utra

l

Enr

olm

ents

are

gr

eate

r tha

n 95

%

Bud

gets

are

5%

ab

ove

cost

neu

tral

Enr

olm

ents

are

gr

eate

r tha

n 96

%

Bud

gets

are

7.5

%

abov

e co

st n

eutra

l

Enr

olm

ents

are

gr

eate

r tha

n 97

%

8. Dev

elop

sus

tain

able

, un

ique

env

ironm

ents

for

the

child

ren.

Prov

ide

sust

aina

ble,

uni

que

envi

ronm

ents

that

are

resp

onsi

ve to

ch

ildre

n an

d th

eir e

mer

gent

nee

ds,

inte

rest

s an

d cu

ltura

l div

ersi

ty.

The

aest

hetic

of t

he o

utdo

or

envi

ronm

ent w

ill b

e na

ture

focu

sed

in li

ne w

ith c

omm

unity

exp

ecta

tions

an

d cu

rren

t phi

loso

phy

of p

lay

and

asso

ciat

ed ri

sk s

tand

ards

.

Sta

ff to

revi

ew c

entre

env

ironm

ents

an

nual

ly a

nd a

dapt

inte

rnal

en

viro

nmen

ts a

ccor

ding

ly.

Sta

ff to

car

ry o

ut c

omm

unity

co

nsul

tatio

n to

iden

tify

need

s.

Sta

ff to

con

duct

ann

ual r

evie

w o

f ex

tern

al e

nviro

nmen

ts a

nd a

dapt

w

here

nec

essa

ry.

Con

tinuo

us

com

mun

ity

cons

ulta

tion

cond

ucte

d vi

a

bi-a

nnua

l sur

veys

Con

duct

revi

ews

of in

tern

al

envi

ronm

ents

Con

duct

revi

ews

of e

xter

nal

envi

ronm

ents

Ong

oing

Ong

oing

9. We

striv

e to

exc

eed

com

plia

nce

requ

irem

ents

w

ith th

e R

egul

ator

y A

utho

rity

and

the

Nat

iona

l Q

ualit

y Fr

amew

ork.

Exa

min

e ou

r com

plia

nce

requ

irem

ents

and

whe

re p

ossi

ble,

im

prov

e on

thes

e re

quire

men

ts.

Pol

icie

s an

d pr

oced

ures

will

be

con

tinuo

usly

mon

itore

d an

d ev

alua

ted

for t

heir

effic

acy

and

inno

vatio

n. A

ll po

licie

s w

ill b

e re

new

ed e

very

3 y

ears

.

All

staf

f to

com

plet

e m

anda

tory

tra

inin

g in

Firs

t Aid

, Ast

hma/

Ana

phyl

axis

and

Chi

ld P

rote

ctio

n ev

ery

3 ye

ars.

All

staf

f to

com

plet

e at

leas

t 1 s

hort

cour

se p

er y

ear l

inke

d to

enh

anci

ng

thei

r ski

lls a

s C

hild

care

sta

ff.

100%

of a

ll st

aff

to c

ompl

ete

man

dato

ry tr

aini

ng

requ

irem

ents

100%

com

plet

e at

le

ast 1

sho

rt co

urse

New

sta

ff to

rece

ive

train

ing

New

sta

ff to

rece

ive

train

ing

Page 31: DRAFT Children’s Services Strategic Plan...Certificate III and above qualifications are employed in order to maintain high quality service delivery. This above-industry requirement

31Draft Children’s Services Strategic Plan 2017 - 2020

OB

JEC

TIVE

AC

TIO

NS

MEA

SUR

AB

LEY

EA

R 1

YE

AR

2

YE

AR

3

10.

Be

proa

ctiv

e in

ana

lysi

ng

and

unde

rsta

ndin

g th

e ch

ildca

re n

eeds

with

in

deve

lopi

ng a

reas

of t

he

Geo

rges

Riv

er L

GA

.

Und

erst

and

the

proj

ecte

d gr

owth

ta

rget

s fro

m th

e G

reat

er S

ydne

y C

omm

issi

on a

s ou

tline

d in

the

Sou

ther

n D

istri

ct P

lan,

and

con

duct

co

mm

unity

sur

veys

to g

age

thei

r ex

pect

atio

n of

nee

d fo

r chi

ldca

re

serv

ices

.

Con

duct

dem

ogra

phic

stu

dies

to

sup

port

com

mun

ity s

urve

ys in

un

ders

tand

ing

com

mun

ity n

eeds

, ex

pect

atio

ns a

nd e

cono

mic

via

bilit

y of

new

or i

mpr

oved

chi

ldca

re

serv

ices

to h

elp

futu

re p

roof

the

LGA

.

Mem

bers

hip

of C

ounc

il’s

Dev

elop

men

t Con

tribu

tions

C

omm

ittee

by

Sen

ior C

ounc

il st

aff

resp

onsi

ble

for d

evel

opm

ent a

nd

deliv

ery

of c

hild

care

ser

vice

s to

the

com

mun

ity.

Res

ults

of c

omm

unity

sur

veys

re

latin

g to

chi

ldca

re n

eeds

with

de

velo

ping

are

as o

f the

Geo

rges

R

iver

LG

A to

be

mad

e ac

cess

ible

to

publ

ic v

ia C

ounc

il’s w

ebsi

te.

Pub

lish

dem

ogra

phic

stu

dies

as

pap

er a

nd/o

r web

bas

ed

docu

men

ts, m

ade

avai

labl

e to

C

ounc

il an

d pu

blic

.

Res

ults

of

com

mun

ity s

urve

ys

Atta

in m

inim

um o

f 20

0 re

spon

ses

to

com

mun

ity s

urve

y

Ong

oing

Initi

ate

dem

ogra

phic

st

udy

proc

ess

Ong

oing

Com

plet

ion

and

publ

icat

ion

of

dem

ogra

phic

stu

dy

11.

Focu

s on

how

we

trans

fer k

now

ledg

e in

our

or

gani

satio

n en

surin

g th

at

know

ledg

e m

anag

emen

t is

alw

ays

kept

up

to d

ate,

is

rele

vant

and

dyn

amic

.

Dev

elop

a k

now

ledg

e m

atrix

by

conf

errin

g w

ith s

taff,

chi

ldre

n,

fam

ilies

and

man

agem

ent a

nd

dete

rmin

ing

the

info

rmat

ion

to b

e in

clud

ed.

Dev

elop

men

t of m

atrix

docu

men

tatio

n.

Sta

ff m

aint

ain/

upda

te m

atrix

qu

arte

rly.

50%

of m

atrix

co

mpl

ete

75%

of m

atrix

co

mpl

ete

100%

of m

atrix

co

mpl

ete

Page 32: DRAFT Children’s Services Strategic Plan...Certificate III and above qualifications are employed in order to maintain high quality service delivery. This above-industry requirement

Thank you to the children, families and staff who contributed to the development of this document.

Acknowledgements:

Education and Care Services National Regulations 2011- National Quality Framework 2011- National Quality Standards

NSW Educator’s Guide to the Early Years Learning Framework for Australia

Georges River Council Operational Plan 2017- 2018.

GEORGES RIVER SERVICE CENTRE Corner MacMahon and Dora Streets, Hurstville Opening hours: Monday - Friday 8.30am - 5.00pm

HURSTVILLE LIBRARY AND SERVICE CENTRE Corner Queens Road and Dora Street, Hurstville Opening hours: Monday - Friday 9.30am - 9.00pm Saturday - Sunday 9.30 - 4.00pm

KOGARAH LIBRARY AND SERVICE CENTRE Kogarah Town Square, Belgrave Street, Kogarah Opening hours: Monday - Friday 8.30am - 7.00pm Saturday 10.00am - 4.00pm, Sunday 10.00am - 1.00pm

Phone: 9330 6400 24 hours, 7 days a week Email: [email protected] Web: www.georgesriver.nsw.gov.au

GEORGESRIVER COUNCIL


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