1 / 32

October 2012

National Quality Framework Assessment & rating overview and authorised officer training Podcast Series: 4 . October 2012. Presentation overview. Role of the authorised officer Ensuring reliability and consistency Authorised officer training Assessment and rating visit.

aitana
Download Presentation

October 2012

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. National Quality Framework Assessment & rating overview and authorised officer training Podcast Series: 4 October 2012

  2. Presentation overview • Role of the authorised officer • Ensuring reliability and consistency • Authorised officer training • Assessment andrating visit

  3. Overviewof the role of an authorised officer

  4. 1. AO role overview • The Department of Education, Training • and Employment • The department is the regulatory authority in Queensland • There are almost 100 authorised officers (AOs) including 20 Early Childhood Managers and Team Leaders across the state responsible for: • assessing and rating early childhood education and care services • monitoring compliance with regulatory standards and supporting continual quality improvement.

  5. 1. AO role overview • Authorised officer role • Authorised officers have knowledge, expertise, professional values, integrity and the ability to develop respectful working relationships, which will give them credibility with the services they are assessing and monitoring, the families of the children in those services, and the broader sector. (ACECQA) • The introduction of national learning frameworks provides common understandings, especially about education and relationships • Assessment is through • observing practice • discussing practice • sighting of documents.

  6. 1. AO role overview How has the role of the authorised officer changed under the NQF?

  7. Reliability/consistencyof the assessment and ratings

  8. 2. Reliability / consistency • Steps to ensure reliability and consistency • Before the assessment and rating: • Training and reliability testing • During assessment and rating process: • Quality checking by Early Childhood Manager or Team Leaders • Future measures: • Drift testing • Ongoing training • Nationwide practice principles

  9. 2. Reliability / consistency • External validation • Before ratings published • Validation of assessments from June-October across Australia • Ratings only published when ministers are satisfied process is valid and reliable • Not published until early 2013

  10. 2. Reliability / consistency • Assigning AOs to services • Regions determine how visits are scheduled and AOs are assigned • Considering: • minimising risk of conflict of interest • using available resources effectively • Goal to achieve consistency in ratings irrespective of who assesses a service

  11. Authorised Officer (AO)training program

  12. 3. AO training • National training program • Consistent application of the NQS means that two people trained to use the NQS should draw the same conclusions • AO training program • Rigorous assessment process • Lead assessors trained by Professor Collette Tayler(University of Melbourne) • Lead assessors trained AOs • Additional training and assessment to ensure all AOs are reliable at assessing and rating

  13. 3. AO training • Overview of training topics • Developing a common lens • Planning for a visit • Desktop review • Conducting the assessment and rating visit • Collecting the evidence • The rating process • Finalising the rating • Reviews and re-rating

  14. 3. AO training • Overview of learning modes • Group discussion • Group work • Role-play • Presentations • DVD vignettes • Practice at assessing and rating services

  15. 3. AO training • DVD vignettes • Underpin training • Early Childhood Australia (ECA) was funded to collect examples of practice at varying quality across range of services and activities • Practice at assessing and rating services • Assist participants to see through the NQS lens

  16. 3. AO training • Using a common lens • NQS is the lens that allows unbiased observation • Common lens not about ‘doing exactly the same thing’ but: • applying the standards consistently • recognising the context • recognising that quality can be achieved in different ways

  17. Before, during & afterthe assessment and rating visit

  18. Before the visit

  19. 3. AO training Before the visit Planning the visit • 12 weeks before* – request Quality Improvement Plan • 6 weeks before* – set date for the visit • Leading up to visit: • Desktop review • Quality Improvement Plan • Compliance history • NCAC history (if applicable) • Plan time management during the visit • Evidence planning • Negotiate time for discussion with service (*approximate time frames)

  20. Conducting the visit

  21. 3. AO training Conducting the visit Observe practice Discuss practice & procedures Sight policies and procedures AOs collect evidence using a combination of these three modes to determine if elements have been met, and when deciding the ratings to assign to standards and quality areas. Types of evidence

  22. 3. AO training Conducting the visit • AOs required to • gather evidence using observe, discuss, sight • write behavioural notes • ask incidental questions • schedule time to gather further information • Visit should • be collaborative in nature • provide many opportunities to demonstrate quality

  23. 3. Authorised officer training Conducting the visit • Collecting evidence • To ensure evidence collected is fair and valid, AOs are required to: • take detailed notes • be careful not to weight things that happen toward the end of the visit more heavily • ensure time is used efficiently • for sight evidence, use random sampling as there is not sufficient time to read everything

  24. 3. Authorised officer training Conducting the visit • AOs need to consider: • if there are different levels of service delivery across a service including in different rooms, sessions, residences or venues. • the impact this has on the experiences of each child in the service will inform the final rating. • AOs will… • collect additional information • evaluate the influence on the child • decide the impact on the final rating(acecqa.gov.au)

  25. The end of the visit

  26. 3. Authorised officer training At the end of the visit • Making minor adjustments • Ratings shouldn’t be affected by minor matters that can be rectified quickly and easily, and do not seriously impact on a service’s quality or outcomes for children. • Adjustments may be made when they: • pose no risk to the safety, health or wellbeing of children • have minimal impact on the quality of the service provided • can be quickly and easily rectified • are not one of numerous other minor matters • may, if rectified, result in the service receiving a higher rating against the standard.

  27. 3. Authorised officer training At the end of the visit • At the end of the assessment visit, AOs will: • provide feedback, but not an indication of rating • advise if they require additional information • discuss any minor adjustments required • advise the process going forward

  28. Finalising the report

  29. 3. Authorised officer training Finalising the report The report: • indicates how a service has performed against the NQS at a particular point in time • supports the service to identify areas for continuous improvement • draws on evidence obtained during the desktop review and assessment and rating visit Following receipt of the draft report services have the opportunity to provide feedback before the report is finalised.

  30. Report process Visit undertaken and Minor adjustment policy implemented (if applicable) Report prepared by AO Early Childhood Manager/Team Leader reviews report Draft report sent to service Service provides feedback (if they choose) Early Childhood Manager/AO review service feedback Report finalised

  31. Guide to the National Quality Framework 1 Guide to the National Law and National Regulations 2 www.dete.qld.gov.au/earlychildhood www.acecqa.gov.au Resources Education and Care Services National Law National Quality Standard Assessment and Rating Instrument Guide to Assessment and Rating for Services Education and Care Services National Regulations Support Documents Source Documents Guide to the National Quality Standard Guide to Developing a Quality Improvement Plan Guide to Assessment and Rating for Regulatory Authorities 3 4 National Quality Standard Early Years Learning Framework & Framework for School Age Care (or other approved learning framework)

  32. Thank you Subscribe to A-Z of Early Childhood for important updates: http://deta.qld.gov.au / earlychildhood / office / subscribe.html

More Related