CHCORG303C session one ppt

Session One – 21/03/14

Participate effectively in the work

environmentCHCORG303C

Overview

Unit Purpose - to enable learners to work effectively as an individual and in work groups to contribute to achievement of organisation objectives.

Unit ElementsContribute to the effective operation of the workgroup

Review and develop own work performance

Work cooperatively with others

Contribute to the development of policies, practices and structures of an organisation

Unit Assessment Guide

Let’s review the tasks!

Community Services

The Australian National Training Authority says that the Community Services Industry focuses on ‘providing a wide range of services to support the comfort and well-being of people’

Community Services

The main activities of the industry, according to the Industry Training Council of Western Australia are:

“Provision of a diverse and complex range of services to support individuals, families and communities experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, social, family or economic difficulties.

Promotion of individual and community well-being … to protect the quality of life.”

Community Services

If the Community Services Industry includes a “diverse and complex range of services” the main role of which is to ‘support’ and ‘empower’, then what kinds of specific community service organisations do you think are included in this industry?

Community ServicesThey might include:

Welfare Organisation

s

Youth Agencies Child

Protection Organisation

Community Centres

Crisis Care

Disability Services

Children’s Services

Community ServicesWhat is the Community Services industry like for workers?

More than 70% of workers are women

Over 46% are volunteers

2% are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders

It is very fast growing (39% between 1997-1998)

It has a high dependance on government funding

Types of Children’s Services

Long Day Care (centre based care): Community based non-profit or private owned

Open long hours, usually 10-12 hours per day 49+ weeks per year

Care and education programs for 6 week to 6 year olds - may vary

Care available 1-5 days

Designed to suit working families

Meals often provided

Funded by Federal Government with fee subsidy incl. CCB & CCR


Preschool (centre based care): Often are community based non-profit

Open only school hours (some offer early and late starts)

Operate 41 weeks per year

Provide care and education programs for 3 - 5 year olds

Children bring their own lunch

Are funded by the State government

Do not attract Child Care Rebate (50% rebate) but do attract CCB

May have set days for set groups e.g. Monday/Tuesday group


Out of school hours care:Offer before school, after school and vacation care

Care and education programs for 5-12 year olds

Care available 1-5 days per week

Support working and studying families

Meals may be provided

Funded by the Federal Government with fees subsidies e.g. CCR & CCB


Family Day CareCare provided in a private home

Birth - 7 years old, as of 1 January 2014, ratio is 1:7 with no more than four children preschool age or under

A family day care educator must have, or be actively working towards, at least an approved Cert. III level education and care qualification

Family or Educator can provide meals

Hours of care can be arranged via a contract so therefore flexible e.g. weekend, evenings, overnight

Suits working and studying families

Fees subsidies available from Federal Government incl CCR & CCB


Occasional CareUsually open 6-8 hours

Care for various ages (6 weeks - 6 years)

Care can be irregular times and days

May suit non-working families

No meals provided

Federally funded

What do educators do?

Many people consider that early childhood educators have a great job that is about ‘playing’ with children and ‘minding’ them

However caring for children is much more than that!

Educators perform a wide range of tasks

Types of Roles in Children’s Services

Family DaycareCoordinatorEducatorChild Development OfficerAdministrative Assistant

Long Day Care & PreschoolDirector/CoordinatorEarly Childhood TeacherEducational LeaderNominated Supervisor/Certified SupervisorEducatorAdministrative AssistantCookCleaner

Outside of school hours careCoordinatorEducatorAdministrative Assistant

Occasional Care CentreCoordinatorRoom LeaderEducatorAdministrative Assistant

Skills and qualitiesActivity One - What do you think are some skills and qualities that would be necessary for people to be effective in community services?

Qualities include attitudes, values and ethics

Skills include abilities, and learned procedures

Standards of workWhen we begin a new job it is important to know what our employer expects of us

You can usually find this out by talking with your supervisor as well as consulting service specific and industry specific documents

Children’s services have a number of different types of formal and informal documents that will help you understand you role

Job descriptionsThese documents will usually tell you about your rights, responsibilities, the standard of work expected, the specific tasks you will need to do and the times that things need to be done

Formal Documents Informal Documents• job description• duty statements• industrial awards• workplace contracts• service policy and procedure documents• staff handbooks• industry codes and regulations• quality or accreditation standards• strategic plans

• staff rosters• time tables of routines/duties• service delivery programs and plans

Job descriptionsGives you an overall outline of your specific roles and responsibilities.

Sets down the boundaries of your responsibilities.

Outlines the chain of management/accountability (i.e. to whom each worker is responsible/reports to).

Is used as a basis for appraisal/review of work performance.

Relates to employees not students - some centres may have a student handbook that will assist you in understanding what is expected of you as a student.

Job descriptionsYou will also have job responsibilities that are not covered by the job description

Being on time.

Phoning in when you are sick.

Getting a medical certificate.

Making sure you report workplace hazards promptly.

Being positive and courteous to fellow workers and service users.

Treating your fellow workers respectfully.

Not using the work phone for private calls without permission.

Ensuring you return promptly from meal breaks.

Role Responsibilities

Accountability to the people who use your organisation—A job description is a way of trying to ensure parents and children receive a professional standard of service


Accountability to your employer—A job description lets you know what is expected of you by your employer (your role and responsibilities) and provides guidelines that clarify those expectations. Your employer may use this to monitor your work practices. They may also use it as a basis for negotiating changes to your role and planning for other positions.


Accountability to yourself—A job description is a reminder to you of your limits and provides a way of protecting yourself from exceeding those limits. It is a means of protecting you and preventing employers from exploiting you as a worker. It is also a way of checking that you are, in fact, fulfilling your responsibilities.


Accountability to your colleagues and your profession—By accepting your job description and working according to it, you are agreeing that it is a reasonable set of expectations for all workers in that position. Therefore, if you accept an unreasonable description or if you do not comply with a reasonable description, you are letting down your fellow workers.

Job description

Activity – Let’s look at a job description

Professional standards and quality standards

Children’s services have associated standards of conduct, a code of ethics and quality standards

These are different to service based documents – like job descriptions - in that that have been developed by particular groups within the broader profession or are legislated by government

National Quality Framework

A National Quality Framework for Early Childhood Education and Care services began on 1 January 2012

Aims to ensure that all children in Australia get access to high quality early childhood education and care and school age care services, regardless of their location


The Framework covers long day care, family day care, outside school hours care and preschools

Helps providers improve their services in the areas that impact on a child’s development and empower families to make informed choices about which service is best for their child


The NQF includes:

The National Quality Standards (NQS) set out ‘best practice’ standards for services and aim to ensure that organisations continually maintain a high standard of service delivery

• an assessment and rating system• a regulatory authority in each state and territory who will have primary responsibility for the approval,

monitoring and quality assessment• In NSW, the regulatory authority is the NSW Early Childhood Education and Care Directorate

Department of Education and Communities• the Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) is responsible for providing

oversight of the NQF system and ensuring consistency of approach

LegislationIn Australia we have a national legislative framework that consists of the Education and Care Services National Law and Education and Care Services National Regulations

The National Regulations detail legal requirements for the provision of services and are aimed at ensuring minimum standards for the care of children are maintained

ECA Code of ethics

Code of Ethics is a set of statements about appropriate and expected behaviour of members of the early childhood professional group in relation to services users, fellow workers, the community and the overall profession and, as such, reflects its values

Handout - Code of ethics

Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF)

EYLF provide guidance for the delivery of programs in children’s services and have a philosophical and theoretical basis

A curriculum is the program, including routines, our interactions and everything that we do to maximise opportunities for each child’s learning

Belonging, Being & Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF)

My Time, Our Place: Framework for School Age Care

Being safe and organised

Ensuring you have all the resources you need to complete your job.

Keeping yourself organised and on task.

Ensuring your work environment is safe for yourself and your fellow workers.

Managing resourcesWe have said that people are the primary focus of children’s service work

However, in any organisation there is a range of particular resources needed in order to complete tasks and ensure adequate service deliveryThese can be loosely categorised as:human resources (people/staff)material resources (equipment)adequate time.

Managing resourcesYou can make some contribution to the human resource management in your service by:

Completing all tasks assigned to you to the best of your ability.

Taking a positive and cooperative approach to your work.

Promptly reporting any difficulties that arise due to staff shortages to your supervisor.

Undergoing training or retraining to improve your skills regularly or as necessary.

Being prepared to be flexible in difficult or critical situations

Managing resourcesAs a worker your responsibilities are to:

Take care of and maintain any materials and equipment that are provided to you.

Use materials and equipment in a safe and ethical manner.

Promptly report any shortages of materials or problems with equipment to your supervisor.

Be aware of the ordering, inventory and storage systems in your workplace.

Ensure that any materials and equipment needed on a day-to-day basis are prepared, in place or easily accessible.

Appropriately store infrequently used materials and equipment

Being organised

As a worker you also have a personal responsibility to manage your work time effectively and stay on task

You need to practice basic time management strategies and prioritise and plan your work

Safe work areasBy law:

We may not work in unsafe environments.

We must identify, report and act to minimise any hazards or dangers.

ALL workers have a responsibility to report any hazards they observe.

There must be a first aid kit available.

Someone trained in first aid should always be available.

See the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 for more information: http://www.comcare.gov.au/

http://www.comcare.gov.au/

How do I prioritise my responsibilities

Sometimes you may feel that it is difficult to know how much emphasis should be placed on each aspect of the job

What are some ways you can prioritise your work load?

Awards and conditions

The term ‘Industrial Relations’ officially refers to the laws dealing with the arrangements that are made between workers and employers

These laws are developed by governments and based on the history of worker/employer relations over many years

Awards and conditionsThese laws cover different aspects of work, including:

setting basic minimum conditions about workers’ rights, such as pay rates, leave entitlements, and dismissal rules

regulations regarding the relationships between employees and employers

guidelines and rules in relation to Work Health and Safety issues

the handling of workplace disputes or infringements of the Industrial Relations laws

Awards and conditionsIndustrial Relations are the responsibility of both the Federal and State governments

Other key players, besides the government, in Industrial Relations are:

employers, whose main focus is producing adequate, or preferably excellent, goods and services, and ensuring that they make profits

industrial unions, the main focus of which is ensuring that workers have fair conditions

The Fair Work system

The Fair Work system started on 1 July 2009. It’s Australia’s national (federal) workplace relations system

The system is created by the Fair Work Act 2009 and covers the majority of workplaces in Australia

The Fair Work systemKey elements of the new system are:

a legislated safety net of 10 National Employment Standards

new modern awards

revised enterprise bargaining arrangements

streamlined protections dealing with workplace and industrial rights, including protection against discrimination and unfair dismissal

two new organisations to regulate the system: Fair Work Australia and the Fair Work Ombudsman

What are awards?Industrial Relations laws, known as Awards, cover most workers in Australia

Awards set minimum wages and conditions, such as:

hours of employment

pay rates

penalty rates

loadings

allowances

leave entitlements

employment protection provisions

part-time or casual work

Award Conditions and Pay

Most awards that cover child care workers who hold either a Certificate 3 or a Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care have similar conditions or pay

To determine exact entitlements you should refer to the appropriate award that you are employed under


Permanent Full-time:

38 hours per week

Sick leave

Annual leave

An average 38 hours per week over a one, two or four week cycle.

RDO rostered day off 40 hours per week + 1 day off (paid) per month

by agreement between an employer and an employee, an employee may be rostered to work up to a maximum of 10 hours in any one day


Permanent Part-time:

Less than 38 hours per week – can be shorter hours each day or can be full hours for less days in the week.

Sick leave – prorata - only for the days you work

Annual leave - prorata - only for the days you work


Casual:

Minimum 2 hours per day – no guarantee of work

No sick leave

No annual leave

Extra 25% loading on permanent hourly rate pay


Shift Work:

Ordinary hours may be worked between 6.00 am and 6.30 pm. Where broken shifts are worked the spread of hours can be no greater than 12 hours per day

Morning shift starting between 5 – 6am paid extra10% for the day

Afternoon shift finishing after 6.30pm and before midnight paid extra 15% for the day

Night shift means any shift finishing after midnight and at or before 8.00 am or any shift commencing at or before midnight and finishing before 5.00 am paid extra 17.5% for the day

Saturday paid at the rate of time and a half for the first two hours and double time thereafter Sunday paid at the rate of double time. Public holidays paid at the rate of double time and a half


Meal Breaks:

Generally between 30 – 60 minutes unpaid, may leave the premises during this time if desired, additional to your working hours

If required to stay on the premises for ratios and be available to return to classroom if needed – 20-30 minutes paid, included in your working hours

Should be taken in the fifth hour of working, if working less than 5 hours per day not entitled

Morning/afternoon tea break – 10 minutes, should be taken in 2 -3 hour working


Paid Personal/Carer’s Leave: Available for full and part-time employees

An employee may take paid personal/carer’s leave if the leave is taken because the employee is not fit for work because of a personal illness injury, or to provide care or support to a member of the employee’s immediate family who requires care or support because of illness, personal injury or because of an unexpected emergency

an employee is entitled to 10 days of paid personal/carer’s leave.

An employee is entitled to 2 days of unpaid carer’s leave when a member of the employee’s immediate family, or their household, requires care or support because of a personal illness or injury or an unexpected emergency Unused sick leave accumulates to following year

Need medical certificate if absent for more than 2 days

Does not get paid out when leave employerNew employer, new start to entitlements


Annual Leave:

Available to full and part-time employees

Entitled to 4 weeks after every 12 months service

Receive leave loading 17.5% additional to regular wage

Employer can say no when you request leave – so service can still operate, not all staff can take leave at same time

If employer wants you to take leave (eg Christmas closedown) you must receive 1 months notice

Unused leave paid out when leave employer


Non-contact time: staff responsible for programming get 2 hours/week

Uniform: employer must supply if compulsory

Superannuation: additional to wages at 9%

Pay: various levels depending on qualifications, experience, should be listed as gross on payslip

Payslips: required by law, can be paper or electronic

Personal Work Diary: good idea to document if problems arise, keep track of leave etc

Complaints and Queries: Contact the Fair Work Australia (FWA) Help Line on 1300 799 675

Develop own work performance

All workers need to evaluate themselves and think about possible changes in their work performance if they want to be effective workers and stay enthusiastic about their work

This is particularly so if you want a change in position or a promotion

Undertaking some form of professional development is part of working in most industries


Being aware of your own strengths and weaknesses assists you to know where to start with your professional development

It also helps you prepare for and monitor feedback you may receive from others

Refer back to the list of skills and qualities that you made last week... do you need to work on any of these?


In your workplace, you may undergo a performance appraisal

This is a formal process undertaken by your manager, team leader or supervisor. However, there is usually a more informal process going on in the workplace

However, there is usually a more informal process going on in the workplace as well, where your supervisor oversees what you are doing day-to-day and is able to evaluate your contributions and ascertain where you might need to improve


It can be helpful to build a relationship of trust and honesty with your supervisor so you can both seek and receive feedback on your performance

How can we feedback about our performance?

How can we receive feedback about our performance?

Working cooperativelyElement 3 Work cooperatively with others

1. Use problem solving when necessary so work is completed according to organisation policies and practices

2. Demonstrate respect for individual differences of workers in workplace relationship

3. Demonstrate understanding and application of the value of cultural differences and diversity when working with others

4. Identify and show respect for different roles and responsibilities

Working cooperatively

5. Behave appropriately in the workplace, in a manner likely to promote more cooperation

6. Share information with others in order to complete set activities

7. Report conflicts to the workplace supervisor

Working in a team

What are some skills that assist people to work as a team?

Working in a team

Workers in the Community Services Industry spend considerable time working in groups or teams either with services users, colleagues, community members or some combination of these

A work team is a group of people who work together with a common goal or purpose

They may work together temporarily or permanently, on single or multiple issues

Working in a teamWhy do people work in teams?

To achieve a common goal

To share ideas

To find out what colleagues think

To solve problems

To make recommendations

To make decisions

To develop a plan or program

Working in a teamThere are many different types of teams involved in a child care service:

teams who work in a room with a group of children

teams who work in the same service

teams from different services who work for the same organisation

teams comprising of management and staff representatives

They all need to be able to work effectively with each other in order to promote productive teamwork. A team does not necessarily mean teamwork!

Working in a team

In the children’s services profession staff teams in centres have a common goal – the provision of good quality care of children

If the care we provide is to be good, we not only need to work together as a team, we need to work together well!

Working in a teamWhat are some advantages and disadvantages of working in teams?

Advantages Disadvantages

Working in a teamAs a worker, you need to:

Be clear and direct in your communication

Deal with any lingering misunderstandings or conflict you may have with other team members

Clarify your purpose

Be honest if you can’t make a commitment to the group

Clarify your role within the team

Participate in decision making

Notify your supervisor if you are having problems/concerns within the team

Working in a teamThe team has a responsibility to:

Clarify the team’s purpose or goals and prioritise these

Clarify each member’s roles and responsibilities

Decide if the team is feasible

Encourage a sharing of roles and knowledge

Set aside regular meeting and discussion times

Address any conflict which may arise

Work at ways of developing decision making and member participation.

Identify and resolve issues that may be impinging on team work, e.g. lack of time or lack of skills.

The team leader should take ultimate responsibility for trying to ensure these responsibilities are fulfilled

Working in a teamThe following indicators let us know that a team is effective:

The team has clear goals and a purpose

The team has members with the skills to get the job done

There is a commitment to or belief in the group and/or the project

Team members have clear roles and responsibilities

There is clear and direct communication between team members

There is an acceptance of and willingness to deal with conflict

All members participate on an equitable basis

Effective communication and information sharing

Communicating effectively

In order to effectively communicate in any situation you need to:

Demonstrate respect for others and yourself

Express yourself in a clear and open ended way

Understand and take others’ points of view

Resolve conflict and make compromises over disagreement


The particular skills involved in effective communication include:

Attending – Focusing your attention on what the other person is saying or doing. This is often conveyed through open body language and appropriate eye contact

Active listening – This includes taking into account:

Who is sending the message.

The context of the message.

Our reactions and feelings about the message.

The purpose of the message.

Possible barriers to effective communication and acting to overcome them


Reflecting – Involves confirming the message by repeating it back to the sender to avoid misunderstandings

Responding assertively – This means responding in a way that signals respect for the sender and the information without being overly apologetic or defensive (submissive) or negative (aggressive)


Ways to convey respect when communicating with others include:

Using the person's name

Indicating your interest through appropriate body language and eye contact

Avoiding making judgements and jumping to conclusions

Listening to the whole message without interrupting

Acknowledging and working to understand the other person's point of view

Observing appropriate confidentiality


‘I’ Messages are effective and positive ways of communicating in the workplace

Using ‘I’ messages signals that the speaker is taking responsibility for the communication and their feelings in any given situation


‘I’ messages usually have three parts:

The behaviour or situation is identified

The speaker's feelings are identified

The consequences of the behaviour for the speaker are identified


‘I’ messages are usually formulated in the following manner:

I feel … (disclose feelings)

When … (describe the situation)

Because … (effect of situation on you)

You can also add a fourth part:

And I want …


Scenarios. In groups of two work through the scenarios using the ‘I’ messages

Sharing information

In children’s service organisations some of the most important information we need to share is about our children and families

Educators receive a lot of information about others in order to appropriate levels of care and support

Sharing informationWorkers need to be aware of:

The relative importance of the information received

The consequences of the information

Who else within the organisation ‘needs to know’

The best way and time for sharing particular types of information

Sharing information

In sharing information two particularly important things to consider are:

Ensuring appropriate confidentiality.

Passing essential information on promptly and to the right person/s

Conflict resolution andproblem solving

Just as you will have bad days at work, when you might feel upset, angry, frustrated and annoyed, so will your colleagues

Often when we feel like this, we find it hard to hear others and tend to take things very personally, becoming easily offended and defensive

Conflict resolution andproblem solving

What is the problem?Think about what it is that each person involved in the conflict needs or wants.

What has triggered it? Think about any issues which contributed to the problem and which may still exist.

How ‘bad’ is it? Think about how long it’s been going on, how big the issues are which contributed

to it, whether it seems able to be ‘fixed’.

How might it be solved? Brainstorm every possible solution you can think of, even those you might think

are unachievable.

What are the on sequences? Look at each brainstormed suggestion and list the positive and negative outcomes

of following each ‘solution’.

Which solution will I choose? Rank the suggested solutions in relation to how many positive and negative

outcomes they have, i.e., the solution with the most positive outcomes would be

ranked number one.

How will I carry it out? Think about who will do what, where and when? What resources will I need, how

will they be gathered and by whom?

Now, do it! Put your plan into action.

Respecting other workers

Two important ways that you can ensure a cooperative workplace are:

By respecting the individual differences of others

By valuing cultural differences and diversity

Respecting other workers

We all have different ideas, beliefs and values

As long as these do not conflict with the aims and practices of the organisation we should be able to work in a way that does not compromise our own or other’s values and beliefs

The workplace or organisation needs to be inclusive and ensure that people of different gender, cultures, abilities and lifestyles can work together

Discrimination

Discrimination in the workplace occurs when a person is treated unjustly at work

Think of a time when you may have been discriminated against either at work or in another situation. On what grounds were you discriminated against (e.g. your sex, age, etc.)? How did you feel? What was your response?

Discrimination

It is important that you recognise what it feels like to be discriminated against as it may assist you in reminding yourself not to discriminate against others

DiscriminationIt is also important that you know that discrimination is illegal on the following grounds (NSW Anti-Discrimination Act, 1977)

gender (including pregnancy)race, colour, ethnic or religious background, descent or nationality marital status

disability (including past, present or future physical, intellectual or psychiatric disability, learning disorders, or disease, e.g. HIV) sexual preference

age

transgender (that is, anyone who lives, has lived or wants to live as a member of the opposite gender to their birth)

DiscriminationDirect discrimination is where someone is treated unfairly or unequally on the basis that they belong to a particular group of people

For example, an employer who refuses to employ someone because they are homosexual or because they are Vietnamese is directly discriminating against that person

DiscriminationIndirect discrimination is where there is a workplace policy or rule which applies to everyone, but which has an unequal effect on different groups of people according to their race, gender etc.

For example, an employer who says that they need a person who is 180cm tall to do a job is likely to be discriminating against women and some ethnic groups

Discrimination

In certain jobs, employers are allowed to employ people of one gender rather than the other, or people of particular races or ethnic groups or people of particular ages, where that characteristic is considered essential for the job to be carried out effectively

DiscriminationIt is also not considered discriminatory according to the law to:

make young employees follow different rules or receive different benefits, including wages, as long as they are under 21 years old

give women extra rights or privileges in connection with pregnancy or childbirth

make special provisions for people with disabilities

have provisions for the special needs of particular age or racial groups

DiscriminationSenario Discrimination

YES No

A woman applies for a position in an OOSH service and she is told she is not suitable

because she is too overweight to keep up with the children

A woman applies for an educator’s position. She has recently been married and, in the

interview, the employer says “I suppose you’ll be wanting to have a family soon?”

A male educator is told by a parent that they don’t want him to change their infant’s

nappy because he is a man

An applicant for a position in a service is told they are not suitable as they are not

Chinese.

An educator at a child care service is ‘suspended’ while his/her employer checks out a

rumour they’ve heard about the employee’s drug use history.

Harassment

Harassment is any form of behaviour that is not wanted and not asked for and that humiliates someone, offends them and/or intimidates them

HarassmentThe NSW Anti Discrimination Act 1977 makes it illegal for employees to be harassed during their work because of their:

gender

race (including colour, nationality, descent, ethnic or religious background)

disabilitysexual preference or transgenderagemarital status

pregnancy

association with a person of a particular race, gender, sexuality, etc

Harassment

Usually, harassment is ongoing or a series of events

However, legally just one act can be determined as harassment

Harassment can take many forms

Harassment

How can I stop harassment and discrimination at work?

establish an atmosphere of trust and open communication

treat everyone equally and with respect and appreciate individual differences

try to ensure comfort and safety at work

Harassmentbe committed to eliminating discrimination and harassment

survey employees to see if discrimination or harassment has occurred

develop anti-discrimination and harassment policies and make sure all employees are familiar with them

develop appropriate mechanisms for handling complaints including keeping records about complaints

ensure employment, promotions, and training opportunities are based on merit

Summary of key points

What is a team and why are they importantTeams in child care servicesYour role and responsibilities when you are a part of a teamWhat makes a team effectiveCommunicating effectivelyUsing “I” messagesConflict resolution and problem-solvingThe importance of respecting othersDefined discrimination and harassment and how to combat it

Goals and reflection

Let’s work on task 1

CHCORG303C session one ppt

Documents

Transcript of CHCORG303C session one ppt