From the NQF
1. Changes to some of the Regulations took effect from 1st June 2014. The main changes for Queensland Centre-based services were:
• Streamlining the supervisor certificate application process
• 3-month probationary period available for new educators without a qualification – these educators may be counted as Certificate III level educators at centre-based services with children under school age only
• Until 2018, services in remote or very remote areas may access an ECT, rather than have an ECT in attendance, regardless of how many children are being educated and cared for
• Extension of provision for educators actively working towards an approved early childhood teacher (ECT) qualification to be taken to be an ECT until 1 January 2018
• More practical approach to submission of Quality Improvement Plans for new services
• Staff members other than educators can meet the first aid qualification and asthma and anaphylaxis management requirements if immediately available in an emergency for services operating on a school site.
2. Main changes for Queensland family day care services
• Streamlining the supervisor certificate application process
• Fencing requirements no longer apply to FDC residences or venues where education and care is only provided for children over school age
• Safety glass requirements now align to the Australian Standards requiring services approved after 1 June 2014 to have glazed areas one metre above floor level or less.
3. A number of changes are being rolled out in regards to the Assessment and Rating process and Queensland introduced the following on 1 June 2014:
• more flexible timeframes to reduce the time services have to wait between the start of the assessment process and finding out the quality ratings
• the assessment and rating report will automatically become the final report if no feedback from a service is given.
4. Changes to the supervisor certificate application requirements
a. Responsible persons
Under the National Law, a responsible person must be present at all times education and care is being provided in a centre-based service.
In a family day care service, the responsible person must be available to provide support to the family day care educators.
A responsible person may be:
• the approved provider if the provider is an individual – in any other case, a person with management or control of the service
• the nominated supervisor
• a certified supervisor placed in day-to-day charge of the service.
Previously, individuals applied to the department for a certified supervisor certificate. The department will now grant a service supervisor certificate to each service.
5. Service Supervisor Certificate
The service supervisor certificate will apply to any person working at the service who has been identified by the approved provider as:
• responsible for the day-to-day management of the service OR
• exercising supervisory and leadership responsibilities for part of the service OR
• a family day care coordinator.
A person working in one of the above roles can be covered under the service supervisor certificate.
If covered under the service supervisor certificate, the person may consent in writing to be the nominated supervisor which has specific obligations under the National Law. The approved provider must notify the department of any changes to the nominated supervisor.
They may also give written consent to be placed in day-to-day charge if the nominated supervisor or approved provider is absent.
Approved providers will receive a copy of their service supervisor certificate by email in July 2014 and do not need to apply. Approved providers can implement this provision now, before receiving their new service supervisor certificate.
6. Staffing requirements
Your service must continue to meet all relevant qualification and ratio requirements under the National Law and National Regulations at all times education and care is being provided to children, or risk being in breach of the legislation.
Example:
If only 1 educator is present to open a centre-based service and is educating
and caring for 4 children under school age, the educator must:
• hold or be actively working towards an approved Diploma-level qualification or higher
• be covered by the service supervisor certificate
• have given written consent to be placed in day-to-day charge of the service
• hold an approved first aid, anaphylaxis and asthma management training qualification.
Educators under 18 years of age must be supervised at all times education and care is provided at a centre-based service.
Educators must be at least 18 years of age to work as an educator or educator’s assistant in a family day care service.
Therefore, educators under 18 years of age should not be placed in day-to-day charge of the service.
A fact sheet with further details is attached to this update.
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