Governance Policy

Policy Content

The Governance Policy provides the overall direction, effectiveness, supervision and accountability of a School. Management are responsible for guiding the direction of the school, ensuring that its goals and objectives are met in line with the philosophy, and all legal and regulatory requirements governing the operation of the school.

National Quality Standard (NQS)

QUALITY AREA 7: Governance and Leadership

7.1	Governance	Governance supports the operation of a quality school.
7.1.2	Management Systems	Systems are in place to manage risk and enable the effective management and operation of a quality school.
7.1.3	Roles and Responsibilities	Roles and responsibilities are clearly defined and understood and support effective decision-making and operation of the school.
7.2	Leadership	Effective leadership builds and promotes a positive organisational culture and professional learning community.
7.2.1	Continuous improvement	There is an effective self-assessment and quality improvement process In place.
7.2.2	Educational leadership	The educational leader is supported and leads the development and implementation of the educational program and assessment and planning cycle.
7.2.3	Development of professionals	Educators, co-ordinations and staff members performance is regularly evaluated and individual plans are in place to support learning and development.

Purpose

Our School aims to ensure all legal and financial requirements are implemented and recognised through appropriate governance practices, providing quality education and care, meeting the principles, practices and elements of the Early Years Learning Framework and the National Quality Standard.

Scope

This policy applies to children, families, staff, management and visitors of the School.

Implementation

Under the Education and Care Services National Regulations, the approved provider must ensure that policies and procedures are in place in relation to the governance and management of the school (regulation 168) and that they take reasonable steps to ensure those policies and procedures are followed (regulation 170). ACECQA 2021

Governance is the process that directs and controls our School, ensuring accountability, and supporting decision making. The Approved Provider and Nominated Supervisor of the School accept the legal responsibilities associated with establishing, administering, and maintaining the School. Our School has the following established positions:

Approved Provider	Michael Sebbag
Nominated Supervisor (School Director)	Laura Johnson
Educational Leader	Bianca Lawlor
Responsible Persons	Katelyn Goodbun, Samantha Mosely, Rachel Kang, Natasha Soni, Mira Kelsey, Adelene Goh, Bianca Lawlor
Studio Lead Educators	Mira Kelsey, Adelene Goh, Natasha Soni, Samantha Mosley

The Approved Provider is legally responsible for:

ensuring compliance with the Education and Care Services National Law and Education and Care Services National Regulations
complying with Family Assistance Law
appointing a Nominated Supervisor and an Educational Leader
displaying the prescribed information as listed in Regulation 173, including the current rating levels for each quality area stated in the National Quality Standard
ensuring background checks, including criminal history and Working With Children checks/clearance, are completed for all staff and educators
determining whether or not a person working in the school is a ‘fit and proper person’
provide information to the regulatory authority upon request in relation to being a ‘fit and proper person’
implementing a probation and induction orientation program to ensure employees are aware of their roles and responsibilities and understand the values and organisational culture of the school, policies and procedures, child protection law and other legislation
supporting the Nominated Supervisor in their role, providing adequate resources to ensure effective administration of the school
developing a clear and agreed philosophy, which guides business decisions and the work of management and staff
acting honestly and with due diligence
ensuring that families of enrolled children have access to enter the premises (regulation 157)
ensuring there is a sound foundation of policies and procedures that complies with all legislative and regulatory requirements and that enables the daily operation of the school to be in line with the school’s philosophy and goals
maintaining up-to-date and current policies and procedures for compliance by all educators
ensuring the health, safety and wellbeing of children and taking every reasonable precaution to protect children from harm or hazard
confirming incident, injury, illness or trauma records are stored and kept in a safe and secure place until the child is 25 years of age. In the event of a death of child while being cared for by the school or may have occurred as a result of an incident, the records must be kept until 7 (seven) years after the death.
being an employer, including all legal and ethical responsibilities that this entails
appointing staff and monitoring their performance
ensuring educator qualification requirements are current
ensuring all educators and staff have a clear understanding of the hierarchy of management
providing clear and direct written and verbal feedback and instruction that is suitable and appropriate to the task
ensuring the School remains financially viable and can meet its debts and other obligations
ensuring the school holds a current insurance policy for public liability with a minimum cover of $10m [or public liability provided by the Government of a State or Territory in respect for an education and care school]
managing control and accountability systems
reviewing the School’s budget and monitoring financial performance and management to ensure the school is solvent at all times and has sound financial strength
approving annual financial statements and providing required reports to government bodies and maintaining appropriate delegations and internal controls
complying with funding agreements where appropriate
reviewing the work process regularly
completing a Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) for the School and updating it at least annually
developing coherent aims and goals that reflect the interests, values and beliefs of all stakeholders of the school
establishing clearly defined roles and responsibilities for the members of the Management Committee (SOAPE) and staff, individually and as a collective, and clearly articulating the relationship between all stakeholders
evaluating and improving the performance of the Management Committee (SOAPE)
ensuring the educational program is based on an approved learning framework (EYLF) and contributes to each child’s sense of identity and wellbeing
complying with all other WA and Australian governments’ legislation that impacts upon the management and operations of a school
ensuring all notification and reporting requirements are met regarding the National Quality Framework and other legislation
ensuring that requirements relating to the physical environment, space, equipment and facilities are met
notifying families at least 14 days before changes to policy or procedures that:
- affect the fees charged or the way they are collected
- significantly impact the school’s education and care of children, or
- significantly impact the family’s ability to utilise the school.

The Nominated Supervisor (School Director) is responsible for:

adhering to the Education and Care Services National Law and National Regulations
developing ethical standards and a code of conduct which guide actions and decisions in a way that is consistent and reflective of the school’s expectations
undertaking periodical planning and risk assessments and having appropriate risk management strategies in place to manage risks faced by the School
ensuring that actions taken, and decisions made are clear and consistent and will help build confidence in all stakeholders
the day-to-day management of the school
ensuring all notification and reporting requirements are met regarding the National Quality Framework and other legislation
the effectiveness of the school’s well-defined partnership between the Management Committee (SOAPE) (also referred to as SOAPE) and the Nominated Supervisor. The partnership requires a clear understanding of roles and responsibilities and regular and open communication
producing outcomes together with educators and staff. Educators must agree on their responsibilities and work according to current policies and procedures
providing educators with training, resources and support
identifying and reporting if something significant occurs (for example: Work Health and Safety; Fraud Prevention; Complaint handling)
identifying work required for completion and delegating to the appropriate educator/staff
ensuring educators and staff do not delegate responsibilities for which they are accountable for or have been delegated to them by Management
delegate all tasks in writing with a clear due date
ensuring educators are adhering to school policies and procedures.

School Philosophy

The development and review of the philosophy and policies will be a continuous process on an annual basis or when required
The philosophy and associated statement of purpose will reinforce all other documentation and the practices of the school. The philosophy will reflect the principles of the approved national framework “Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia”.
There will be a collaborative and consultative process to support the development and maintenance of the philosophy that will include children, parents and educators. But must also be aligned with the School Founders ethos and belief of Early Childhood Education.
All documents will be dated and include nominated review dates.

Code Of Conduct

The standards of behaviour outlined in our Code of Conduct Policy provide guidance for all staff to make personal and ethical decisions related to confidentiality, recruitment, duty of care, record keeping, professional relationships and appropriate use of resources within the school.

Confidentiality

All members of the Management Committee (SOAPE)(SOAP) along with the Nominated Supervisor, Responsible Person, educators, and staff who gain access to confidential information, whether in the course of their work or otherwise, shall not disclose information to anyone unless the disclosure of such information is required by law and will respect the confidentiality of all documents and meetings that occur. Child Information Sharing may be mandated to promote children’s wellbeing and safety under state/territory legislation.

This also includes:

using information acquired for their personal or financial benefit, or for the benefit of any other person.
permitting any unauthorised person to inspect or have access to any confidential documents or other information
any information received or transmitted via mobile telephone (including text/SMS) or any other electronic device (e.g. email) shall be treated with the same confidentiality as any other written form of communication and must be stored confidentially.

This obligation, placed on a member of the Committee of Management (SOAPE), Nominated Supervisor, Responsible Person, educator, and staff shall continue even after the individual has completed their term and is no longer on the Management Committee (SOAPE) or employed by the school. The obligation to maintain confidentiality also applies to any person who is invited to any meetings of the Management Committee (SOAPE).

Ethical Decision-Making

Our school will make decisions that are consistent with our policies and procedures and that work in conjunction with the Education and Care Services National Law and National Regulations, our approved learning framework (EYLF), and the ethical standards within the ECA Code of Ethics.

Review And Evaluation Of The School

Ongoing review and evaluation will support the continuing development of the School. We will ensure that the evaluation involves all stakeholders.

The development of a Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) will form part of the reflection procedure. Reflection on what works within the school and what needs additional development will be included in the QIP.

Maintenance Of Records

The school will adhere to record-keeping requirements outlined in the National Regulations (177)
Records will be kept of all visitors to the school while children, as outlined in the National Regulations (165)
The school will adhere to the storage of confidential records outlined in the National Regulations (181-184)
The school has a responsibility to keep sufficient records about staff, families, and children in order to operate dependably and lawfully
The school will safeguard the interests of all children, their families, and the staff, using procedures to ensure appropriate privacy and confidentiality practices are upheld
The Approved Provider assists in determining the process, storage location, and timeline for storage of records, using the National Regulations as a minimum standard
The school's orientation and induction processes will include the provision of significant information to managers, educators, children, and families to comply with National Regulations and Standards
The Approved Provider will ensure that the record retention procedure meets the requirements of the following government departments and laws:
- Australian Tax Office (ATO)
- Family Assistance Office (FAO)
- Family Assistance Law
- National Law and Regulations

MANAGING CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

Conflict of interest, whether actual, potential or perceived, must be declared by all members of the Management Committee (SOAPE) (SOAPE)/Nominated Supervisor, Senior Staff and managed effectively to ensure integrity
Every stakeholder that is in a position of management has a responsibility to ensure their transactions, external business interests and relationships will not cause potential conflicts and to make such disclosures in a timely manner as they arise
The following process will be followed to manage any conflicts of interest:

Whenever there is a conflict of interest, the member concerned must notify the Approved Provider about the conflict
The member with a conflict of interest must not be present during the meeting of the Management Committee (SOAPE) (SOAPE) or Management meeting where the matter is being discussed, or participate in any decisions made on that matter. The member concerned must provide the committee / Licensee with any and all relevant information they possess on the particular matter.
The minutes of the meeting must reflect that the conflict of interest was disclosed and appropriate processes followed to manage the conflict
A Conflict of interest disclosure statement must be completed by each member of the Management Committee (SOAPE) / Staff member upon his or her appointment and annually thereafter. If the information in this statement changes during the year, the member shall disclose the change to the Approved Provider/ and revise the disclosure statement accordingly.

Source

Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority. (2014).
ACECQA. (2021). Policy and procedure guidelines. Governance and Management Guidelines.
Australian Government. Department of Education. Child Care Provider Handbook. (2019).
dese.gov.au/child-care-package/ccp-resour...
Early Childhood Australia Code of Ethics. (2016).
Early Learning Association Australia (ELLA) Employee management and development kit (2014)
Education and Care Services National Law Act 2010. (Amended 2018).
Guide to the National Quality Framework. (2017). (Amended 2020).
Revised National Quality Standard. (2018).
Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth).

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