This is my answer
Guide 3: Guide to the National Quality Standard is a useful tool for the self-assessment process. It is designed to assist educators and management to understand the detail of each of the quality areas, standards and elements that make up the National Quality Standard.
Services can use the guide to:
Check that they are meeting the requirements of the National Law and National Regulations within each quality area
Evaluate current practices against each of the standards and elements of every quality area
Recognise and note areas of practice that the service sees as strengths
Note which policies, practices and procedures need to be established or improved
Engage in deeper thinking about practice (by discussing the list of reflective questions provided in the guide under each standard)
Recognise the links to the EYLF and MTOP by reading the related quotes that are included under each of the elements in the guide.
Review examples of what the assessor (authorised officer) may observe, discuss and sight.
The following are two examples of including different perspectives:
In assessing Element 1.1.2 (Each child's current knowledge, ideas, culture, abilities and interests are the foundation of the program) an educator might decide that there are many play experiences available in the program that meet the interests of children. However, if children are asked about the program, they might say that it is boring.
In relation to Element 6.1.1 (There is an effective enrolment and orientation process for families) a service might assess that their enrolment and orientation procedures work well. However, if families were asked for feedback, some might say that they have felt pressured to leave before they were ready to farewell their child, or that they were given too much or too little information during that time.
The following are examples of how people leading the self-assessment process use 'Guide 3: Guide to the National Quality Standard' to foster critically reflective, honest self-assessment. The examples are from a range of different service types.
Circulate the summary table of quality areas, standards and elements so that each educator knows exactly what is expected under the National Quality Standard.
Ask each educator to assess whether their own practice would meet all the elements and, if it wouldn't, identify any improvements needed.
Display one standard at a time and ask educators to write examples (on a shared poster) of how they are meeting it; the poster is regularly replaced so that educators can review different standards and share ideas with each other. This approach has been described as 'eating the elephant one bite at a time'.
Email educators asking them to reflect on a particular element and to provide examples of how their practice meets the National Quality Standard. Over time, all elements are covered.
Before staff meetings, add reflective questions from the guide to meeting agendas so that educators have time to consider them.
Allocate different elements from the guide to individual educators. Ask the educators to read the examples of what the assessor may observe, discuss and sight, and determine whether or not improvements are needed within the service. Findings are then shared and discussed at a staff meeting.
Seek children's views by talking with the children about what they like about coming to the service, what they don't like and what they would like changed. Invite the children to draw or write their ideas onto a large piece of fabric. Together, educators and children make the fabric into a flag and invite the families to a flag-raising ceremony. At the ceremony, families also contribute suggestions and comments.
Ask families for specific feedback about aspects of practice – for example, via email, via a survey, on large posters, on clipboards placed in the foyer and through conversations.
Source
http://www.ecrh.edu.au/quality-improvem ... assessment