CHCCS400C - Role Of Legal & Ethical Issues For New Staff

[Lillypad88]

Your Assignment Module Number and Heading: Activity 21 (CHCCS400C) 21.1
Your Assignment Type: Standard Question
Currently Working in Childcare? No
Your knowledge: Beginner

Your Question?
Question/Task: Prepare a document for a new staff member to give her a quick lesson on legal and ethical issues within their role
and that will cover the following areas:
1. Overview of the legal system
2. Types of Law
3. Importance of ethics in practice
4. Strategies for addressing common ethical issues (grievances and complaints management
5. How to work within legal and ethical framesworks
Child Protection/Mandatory Reporting responsibilities
Centre policies and procedures
Job Description
Principles and practices of confidentiality (privacy)

I am confused with the question, could you please let me know if I am on the right track?
6. Principles and practices of confidentiality

What is your answer so far or What have you done so far as an attempt to solve this question?
Overview of the legal system:
In Australia we have a legal system that operates at many different levels to enable decisions to be made to ensure a relatively comfortable and safe environment in which we can live:
Federal, state and local governments make decisions which result in Acts and Regulations
Court judges make common law decisions
Industries and workplaces set policies, procedures and ethical guidelines
Even our families pass unwritten laws regarding expectations within the home

Types of Law:
Child Protection Act
Early Childhood Education and Care Services Regulations
National Law
Food Safety Act and Regulation
Occupational Health and Safety Act

Importance of ethics in practice (Code of Ethics)
Many professions develop a code of ethics-a set of statements that outline the appropriate behaviour expected of member of the profession, and which reflect the professional values of the group. Children’s services code of ethics was developed by The Australian Early Childhood Association (AECA) I tis now renames Early Childhood Australia (ECA)
http://www.aeca.org.au
Code of ethics
The intent of this Code of Ethics is to provide individuals who work in children’s services with clearly stated principles on which to base their practice. A Code of Ethics does not give right and wrong answers to ethical dilemmas, but is serves as a useful basis for resolving conflicts and provides a valuable professional reference when you need to make decisions about appropriate practice.
The ACA Code of Ethics
This plays a number of important roles in children’s servies including the following:
Providing guidelines for appropriate practice
Maintaining high standards fo behaviour for workers
Protecting workers and clients
Protecting children, taking into account their vulnerability
Increasing the status of the profession
The principles in the Code of ethics should be reflected in all plicies that services develop as a guide to their daily practice.
Early Childhood Australia adopted its first
Code of Ethics in 1990. After extensive national
consultation a revised edition was published
in 20061. The Code’s preamble states that it is
‘a framework for reflection about the ethical
responsibilities of an early childhood professional.’
The Code of Ethics is best used by child care
professionals as a supporting document for
reflecting on practice or for guidance on difficult
issues that may arise in child care settings.
While the ECA Code of Ethics was developed
primarily for practitioners working with children
aged from birth to eight years, the principles are
relevant for professionals who work in outside
school hours care programs. Core values which
underpin the Code including respect, integrity
and honesty, can be regarded as important
for every service and every person working
with children and families. The commitments
in the Code concerning children, families
and colleagues may be used by professionals
working in outside school hours care programs
as a way to reflect on their practices with the
aim of continuous improvement. Providing new
staff with a copy of the ECA Code of Ethics in
their induction package can help to convey the
importance of working in child care and the high
level of professionalism which is required to do it
ethically.

http://ncac.acecqa.gov.au/educator-reso ... _Mar09.pdf

Description and Message:

[Lorina]

It seems like you're on the right track with your response... Just keep the information you provide simple and easy to follow...

,
L.A

[Lillypad88]

Thank you Lorina
Warm Regards
Lillian

[jessiedryw]

Needing some help on this question,
only stuck on the child protection/mandatory reporting responsibilities part.

so far I have written
instances will occur when information will need to be shared with other Early Childhood Educators. These instances can include:
- a change to who will be picking up the child or who is allowed to pick up a child
- a change in the child's home situation (eg divorce, death, parents remarried)
- a change in the child's health (eg a child has been diagnosed with an allergy)
- a change in a child's behaviour

and my assessor has asked me to find more information but I am stuck on what to say.
would someone be able to give me a hand.
please and thankyou

[Lorina]

Needing some help on this question,
only stuck on the child protection/mandatory reporting responsibilities part.

so far I have written
instances will occur when information will need to be shared with other Early Childhood Educators. These instances can include:
- a change to who will be picking up the child or who is allowed to pick up a child
- a change in the child's home situation (eg divorce, death, parents remarried)
- a change in the child's health (eg a child has been diagnosed with an allergy)
- a change in a child's behaviour

and my assessor has asked me to find more information but I am stuck on what to say.
would someone be able to give me a hand.
please and thankyou

You have thought of almost everything! Only few thing s I could think of:

- a child needs to be given medication

- any court orders issued to a parent

- suspected abuse: Educators need to be informed if a child is expected of being abused. Educators should be given an opportunity to share any of their observations they have made in the past or recently regarding the child/family and this should be noted. Also, Educators need to place the child's health and well being as a priority so a plan needs to be considered on how all educators are to approach the family and the child and to continually observe the child and family for suspensions of abuse.

Hope this helps,

,
L.A