HELP with Cert III assignment legal/ethics (OTEN)

[Marakins]

Hi all
O.K. So I've gone through so many readings and just simply can not find whether or not an untrained worker is allowed to do this. I assumed that without supervision and someone checking over the programme you would not not be able to but with it I don't see why not. Hence the frustration on my part lol
any help would be greatly appreciated

The room leader is going on holidays and Nikki (the director) has asked you to be responsible for the children’s programme whilst she is away. The room leader will be absent for a month.
1. How does this request fit within your job description as an untrained child carer?
2. Based upon this, what would be your response to Nikki? What issues would you need to discuss and agree upon?

I would love any thoughts and ideas on the other questions in the assignment for reference more than anything, sometimes it's nice to know if your thinking along the right lines.

Jill arrives one afternoon very upset. She tells you that she has been phoning schools in the local area looking for a place for Fleur for next year. Jill feels that as soon as she mentions Fleur’s disability the schools become less welcoming.
1. How would you respond to Jill in this situation?
2. How would you support Jill in approaching appropriate services?

Jennifer Baker has a new partner. Ian, who has been living with her and the children for the past three months. You have noted changes in both Jack and Jesse’s behaviour during this time. Jack’s anxiety about loud noises has become more pronounced over this time and he has some slight bruising on his upper limbs which his mother puts down to his developmental stage and increased mobility. When Ian arrives one day to collect the children. (Jennifer has made him an authorised contact person), Jack clings to you and screams. He eventually settles and both children go home with him. You feel a little unsettled about the situation however and wonder if the children are at risk of, or are being significantly harmed.

1. What are the legal requirements you need to comply with? How would you monitor the situation while ensuring confidentiality? Who could you discuss this with?

A week later, Jesse attends the centre wearing a jumper even though the day is very warm. As the day gets warmer, you offer to take his jumper off but he is reluctant. At sleep time, you convince him to remove it. As he gets into bed you notice bruising under his t-shirt sleeves. You ask if you could see his arms and not bruising to both upper arms, one at the front and three on the soft underarm, resembling finger marks. You ask Jesse how he got the marks and he replies “Ian got cross at me for telling a lie”. You immediately tell him that you would have to tell someone who could help because it was not ok to hurt children. You reassured him and settled him into sleep before going to the office to inform Nikki and contact DoCS.
2. Follow the Centre’s and DoCS’ protocol and make a report. Remember to outline your reasons for concern and include any concerns you have concerning Jesse’s siblings.

I know it's a lot that I've put up here but help with one question or all would help significantly. If it's a tiny piece of help or a rather large chunk, it goes a long way.
Thank You so much.
Marakins

[Lorina]

Hello Marakins,

Through my experience I’ve known many “untrained workers” who have been responsible for observations, programming and planning etc. Some of the “untrained workers” I have known were room leaders at some centers.

As an untrained worker ideally it is not your responsibility to be in charge of the program. In the job description it does state “contribute to the development and implementation of the child care program”. This means sharing your thoughts and ideas with your room leader about activities and experiences which can be written up on the program.

Being part of a team and being an untrained worker, situations like this does arise. The room leader should be training the unqualified worker on how to program so if the room leader happens to be away the assistant can step up and take over. It’s a good idea to come up with an arrangement where the untrained child care worker can work on the program with a room leader from another room or even the director just to make sure that they are on the right track. Since the untrained worker is taking on higher responsibilities over the next month I also think that a negotiation of pay will be required over the period of the month, since the unqualified worker will step up and be the room leader. Also another point I’d like to mention that I think most untrained workers will be more than happy to take on this responsibility and are more than willing to be in charge of programming even though it may not be part of their job description. We all need to be a little flexible when working within the child care industry.

When responding to Jill it’s important to show empathy and acknowledgement for this situation. There are many reasons why schools often become less welcoming in enrolling children with a disability simply because they don’t have the resources/teachers/equipment to enable a child with a disability to attend their school. HOWEVER this is changing and I’m sure that almost all schools enable all children to enroll with or without a disability. The best thing to do is to provide relevant information to assist Jill in finding a suitable school. The links below should provide you with more info.

Link 1: http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/studentsu ... bility.php

It’s also appropriate to contact the Department of Education and speak to someone from there. They will provide you with the info you need on enrolling a child with a disability into a school and the necessary steps to take.

The link is: https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/parents

All children’s services should have policies and procedures put into place that provides staff with guidelines on what to do if they are concerned that a child is being abused. At this stage, it seems like Jack is displaying signs of emotional abuse. The best way to monitor the situation is to record the evidence you have observed (including the situation, Ian’s reactions, Jack’s reaction, date etc.) and discuss it with your director.

As a mandated reporter it’s important to make the report directly to DOCS. If you are unsure of whether or not your evidence or suspicions are reasonable you don’t feel confident to make a report, you can consult with the department and talk to someone about what you had seen or heard. They will advise you whether you have enough evidence to establish reasonable suspicion.

I really hope I’ve provided you with some information that you could use and yes I agree a tiny piece of help goes along way (nicely said),

Cheers ,
L.A

[LindyT]

Just a poste script to L.A's answer in regards to Child Abuse.

In NSW making a decision about Child abuse it can be useful and is encouraged to use the NSW Online Mandatory Reporter Guide http://www.sdm.community.nsw.gov.au/mrg ... mmary.page
By using this decision tree it does not report directly to DOCS it guides you through the process and at the end recommends a course of action. (You print this out and add it to the childs file and if you report a matter to DOCS there is space to write the reference number DOCS will give you upon reporting.


I'll locate the other states links later on my internet is on a go slow atm.

[Sweta]

I need some help regarding my assignment please help. My questions are

For each situation suggest how carer might respond.

1. 2 year old harry is still waking 2-3 times every night.
2. Kamilah (10mths) is not crawling . Her mother is extremely worried.
3. kael (4 yrs) has a very fiery temper . His mother is worried that he is becoming increasingly aggressive.
4. Janan (4.9 yrs) has not made any special friends at childcare. She is rarely invited to birthday parties.
5. Kent (18 mths) is boardering on abese. He always eats everything that is offered and often cries for more. His mother is very concerned about his weight.
6. Jonty (4.7 yrs) is an extremely bright child. He has taught himself to read and write. Jonty is extremely shy and tends to stutter if asked a direct question. His parents are concerned that he won't cope at school next year.

please help everyone.

[fchaudari76]

Sweta you need to start a new topic if you want help
Please read the forum rules for assignment questions
When you re post as a new topic please try and answer these questions as best you can so we can see what you are understanding from these and then guide and help u accordingly

[lien]

implement the 3 work activities and provide details in relation to the following
a-the resources required to carry out the task
b-the person you need to report to
c-the person you need report to if you were unable to carry out the task or requires support