Aussie Childcare Network Forum

hi, can anybody help me? please
CHCLEG001 work legally and ethically

Ethical Dilemmas

Being Superhero
Brody (3.6yrs) enjoys dressing up as a superhero. He attends the service 3 days a week and always wears his cap and mask. Brody's parents allow him to dress as a superhero as they believe that he is old enough to make his own decisions. The educators have tried to support Brody's decisions, but there have been times when he has put himself and others at risk. On one particular occasion, Brody jumped off the table pretending to fly and landed on another child, injuring both himself and the other child. when educators brought this to his parents attention they dismissed the educators concerns and said"Broody is just a little boy,he wants to make his own decisions and we support that". The Educators were unhappy with his parents lack of concern for his well-being and safety of others.


Q1 Identify the ethical dilemmas in this situation.

Q2 Suggest one way you can support Brody to make his own decision, but maintain a duty of care to Brody and others.

Thank you for your support.

Hi. I think that the family is correct in that children's decisions are important to their self identity, however the safety of the group is paramount.
Last year I had a huge issue with star wars role-play. The use of swords etc. You cannot tell a family that the way they bring their child up is wrong. Each family has their own 'culture' and in our quality areas we are told to embrace family culture.
Family culture does not mean ethnicity, it means the individuality of each family (which includes ethnicity, dietary requirements, etc)

It is your responsibility to provide room rule expectations for the children... Yes you can be a superhero, but keep your hands and feet to yourself... Yes to can jump, but do it outside and 'fly' onto a mat.
Consistent approach to behaviour guidance will ensure this does not happen again. Educate the families about your room rules. Ensure that staff enforce these rules, even if families are present. (I know some staff are reluctant to 'discipline' in front of a parent)

My question would be, do all your staff show that they are supervising correctly? because how did a child get the chance to climb onto a table before they were stopped, let alone jump off it? Food for thought