National Quality Framework
Assessment & rating overview
and authorised officer training
Podcast Series: 4
October 2012
Presentation overview
1. Role of the authorised officer
2. Ensuring reliability
and consistency
3. Authorised
officer training
4. Assessment and
rating visit
Overview
of the role of an authorised officer
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.
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.
1. AO role overview
How has the role of the authorised officer
changed under the NQF?
From
assessing
against
minimum
standards
From
licensing/
compliance
focus
To
assessment/
improvement
focus
To assessing
against
NQS and
regulatory
standards
Enhanced
quality
outcomes
High
expectations
The
benchmark
has been
raised
Reliability/consistency
of the assessment and ratings
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
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
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
Authorised Officer (AO)
training program
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
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
3. AO training
Overview of learning modes
• Group discussion
• Group work
• Role-play
• Presentations
• DVD vignettes
• Practice at assessing and rating services
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
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
Before, during & after
the assessment and rating visit
Before the visit
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
o Quality Improvement Plan
o Compliance history
o NCAC history (if applicable)
 Plan time management during the visit
 Evidence planning
 Negotiate time for discussion with service
(*approximate time frames)
Conducting the visit
3. AO training
Conducting the visit
Types of evidence
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.
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
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
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)
The end of the visit
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.
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
Finalising the report
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.
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
Resources
www.dete.qld.gov.au/earlychildhood
www.acecqa.gov.au
Education and Care Services
National Law
Education and Care Services
National Regulations
1
Guide to the
National Law
and National
Regulations
Source
Documents
2
3
National Quality Standard
Early Years Learning
Framework &
Framework for
School Age Care
(or other approved learning framework)
National Quality
Standard
Assessment and
Rating Instrument
Guide to the
National Quality
Framework
Guide to
Assessment and
Rating for Services
Support
Documents
Guide to
Assessment and
Rating for Regulatory
Authorities
Guide to the
National Quality
Standard
4
Guide to
Developing a Quality
Improvement Plan
Thank you
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