Participation of Volunteers and Students Policy

Mandatory – Quality Area 4

Purpose

This policy will provide guidelines for the engagement and participation of volunteers and students at [Service Name], while ensuring that children’s health, safety and wellbeing is protected at all times.

Policy statement

Values

[Service Name] is committed to:

supporting connections with educational institutions to provide opportunities for students to undertake practicum placements as part of their studies

building relationships with community members and providing suitable opportunities to engage volunteers to contribute to the programs and activities of the service

ensuring the health, safety and wellbeing of each child at the service through consistent compliance with this policy and procedures when engaging volunteers and students.

Scope

This policy applies to the Approved Provider, Persons with Management or Control, Nominated Supervisor, Persons in day-to-day Charge, educators, staff, students (refer to Definitions), volunteers (refer to Definitions), parents/guardians, children and others attending the programs and activities of [Service Name].

Background and legislation

Background

Students may participate in programs and activities at the service from time to time including observing and experiencing the provision of centre-based education and care. This will be encouraged and facilitated by [Service Name] wherever appropriate and possible.

[Service Name] values the participation of parents/guardians and other family members, and the voluntary contribution they make to the education and care of their own and other children. “In genuine partnerships families and educators value each other’s knowledge and roles, communicate freely and respectfully and engage in shared decision making” (Early Years Learning Framework – refer to Sources).

[Service Name] aims to provide a range of opportunities for family members, volunteers and students to participate in programs and activities while adhering to clear guidelines regarding appropriate interactions and communication with staff, and other adults and children at the service (refer to Code of Conduct Policy).

The role that volunteers play in education and care services varies and can include working with groups of children, preparing materials or food, assisting with administrative tasks or working one-on-one with individual children. The service is responsible for ensuring that volunteers are suitable to work with children, and that children’s health, safety and wellbeing is protected at all times.

Volunteers should only be engaged to complement, not replace, the work of paid staff. Accordingly, services should not engage volunteers to fill the place of an employee who is ill or on leave, or to fill a vacant budgeted position.

Volunteers must not be asked to perform tasks:

that they are untrained, unqualified or too inexperienced to undertake

that put the children or themselves in a vulnerable or potentially unsafe situation

where there is a conflict of interest.

Prior to participation at the service, a volunteer or student (aged 18 years or over) must be in possession of a Working with Children (WWC) Check.

Parents/guardians whose children usually attend the service are exempt from needing a WWC Check. However a service may decide, as a demonstration of duty of care, that all parents/guardians who volunteer at the service are required to undergo a WWC Check.

In line with Child Safe Standard 4 and the Child Safe Environment Policy, prior to engaging a volunteer or student an assessment should be undertaken of the nature of the responsibility to determine whether a position description is required, and based on that whether an interview and referee checks are required.

Legislation and standards

Relevant legislation and standards include but are not limited to:

Child Safe Standards

Education and Care Services National Law Act 2010

Education and Care Services National Regulations 2011

Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (Vic)

Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth)

National Quality Standard, Quality Area 4: Staffing Arrangements

Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic)

Working with Children Act 2005 (Vic)

Definitions

The terms defined in this section relate specifically to this policy. For commonly used terms e.g. Approved Provider, Nominated Supervisor, Regulatory Authority etc. refer to the General Definitions section of this manual.

Child-related work: In relation to the WWC Check, child-related work includes work with children which may involve physical contact, face-to-face contact, oral, written or electronic communication.

Conflict of interest: (In relation to this policy) refers to an interest that may affect, or may appear reasonably likely to affect, the judgement or conduct of the volunteer, or may impair their independence or loyalty to the service. A conflict of interest can arise from avoiding personal losses as well as gaining personal advantage, whether financial or otherwise, and may not only involve the volunteer, but also their relatives, friends or business associates.

Staff record: A record which the Approved Provider of a centre-based service must keep containing information about the Nominated Supervisor, the Educational Leader, staff, volunteers, students and the Responsible Person at a service (Regulations 146–149). A sample staff record is available on the ACECQA website: http://www.acecqa.gov.au/

Student: A person undertaking a practicum placement as part of a recognised early childhood qualification. This student will be supported by an educational institution in the completion of their placement.

Volunteer: A person who willingly undertakes defined activities to support the education and care programs at a service in an unpaid or honorary capacity. These activities may include child-related work (refer to Definitions), administrative tasks, or preparing materials or food.

Working with Children (WWC) Check: The check is a legal requirement for those undertaking paid or voluntary child-related work (refer to Definitions) in Victoria and is a measure to help protect children from harm arising as a result of physical or sexual abuse. The Department of Justice assesses a person’s suitability to work with children by examining relevant serious sexual, physical and drug offences in a person’s national criminal history and, where appropriate, their professional history. A WWC Check card is granted to a person under working with children legislation if:

they have been assessed as suitable to work with children

there has been no information that, if the person worked with children, they would pose a risk to those children

they are not prohibited from attempting to obtain, undertake or remain in child-related employment.

Sources and related policies

Sources

Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA): www.acecqa.gov.au

The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia: Belonging, Being, Becoming: www.acecqa.gov.au

A Guide for Creating a Child Safe Organisation (The Commission for Children and Young People) www.ccyp.vic.gov.au

Working with Children Check unit, Department of Justice & Regulation – provides details of how to obtain a WWC Check: www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au

Service policies

Child Safe Environment Policy

Code of Conduct Policy

Complaints and Grievances Policy

Delivery and Collection of Children Policy

Determining Responsible Person Policy

Inclusion and Equity Policy

Interactions with Children Policy

Occupational Health and Safety Policy

Privacy and Confidentiality Policy

Staffing Policy

Supervision of Children Policy

Procedures

The Approved Provider and Persons with Management or Control are responsible for:

developing guidelines for accepting applications from volunteers and students to work at the service in consultation with the Nominated Supervisor and educators and which are aligned with the Child Safe Environment Policy

accepting or rejecting a potential volunteer or student based on the circumstances of the service at the time, in consultation with the Nominated Supervisor

ensuring that children being educated and cared for by the service are adequately supervised, and the legislated educator-to-child ratios are complied with at all times (Regulations 123, 355, 360) (refer to Supervision of Children Policy)

reading the Working with Children (WWC) Check of volunteers and students where required, and ensuring that the details are recorded in the service register

ensuring that the staff record contains the name, address and date of birth of volunteers and students attending the service (Regulations 145, 149(1))

keeping a record for each day on which each student or volunteer participates with the date and the hours of participation (Regulation 149(2))

ensuring that volunteers, students and parents/guardians are adequately supervised at all times, and that the health, safety and wellbeing of children at the service is protected

ensuring that volunteers, students and parents/guardians are not left with sole supervision of individual children or groups of children

ensuring that the Nominated Supervisor, educators and other staff, volunteers and students on placement at the service are not affected by alcohol or drugs (including prescription medication) that would impair their capacity to supervise or provide education and care to children (Regulation 83)

ensuring that parents/guardians of a child attending the service can enter the service premises at any time that the child is being educated and cared for, except where this may pose a risk to the safety of children or staff, or conflict with any duty of the Approved Provider, Nominated Supervisor or educators under the law (Regulation 157)

developing a range of strategies to enable and encourage the participation and involvement of parents/guardians at the service

providing volunteers, students and parents/guardians with access to all service policies and procedures, and a copy of the Education and Care Services National Regulations 2011

ensuring that volunteers, students and parents/guardians comply with the National Regulations and all service policies and procedures, including the Code of Conduct Policy, while attending the service

developing an induction checklist for volunteers and students attending the service (refer to Attachment 1 – Sample induction checklist for volunteers and students) in consultation with the Nominated Supervisor and educators.

The Nominated Supervisor and Persons in Day to Day Charge are responsible for:

assisting the Approved Provider to develop guidelines for applications from volunteers and students to work at the service and which are aligned with the Child Safe Environment Policy

assisting the Approved Provider with decisions in relation to accepting/rejecting a potential volunteer or student based on the circumstances of the service at the time

ensuring that children being educated and cared for by the service are adequately supervised, and the legislated educator-to-child ratios are complied with at all times (Regulations 123, 355, 360) (refer to Supervision of Children Policy)

ensuring that, where required, the WWC Check has been read prior to the volunteer/student’s commencement at the service, and that details are included on the staff record

ensuring that volunteers, students and parents/guardians are adequately supervised at all times when participating at the service, and that the health, safety and wellbeing of children at the service is protected

ensuring that volunteers, students and parents/guardians are not left with sole supervision of individual children or groups of children

ensuring that parents/guardians of a child attending the service can enter the service premises at any time that the child is being educated and cared for, except where this may pose a risk to the safety of children or staff, or conflict with any duty of the Approved Provider, Nominated Supervisor or educators under the law (Regulation 157)

ensuring strategies are in place to enable and encourage the participation and involvement of parents/guardians at the service

providing volunteers, students and parents/guardians with access to all service policies and procedures, and a copy of the Education and Care Services National Regulations 2011

ensuring that volunteers, students and parents/guardians comply with the National Regulations and all service policies and procedures, including the Code of Conduct Policy, while attending the service

assisting the Approved Provider to develop an induction checklist for volunteers and students at the service (refer to Attachment 1 – Sample induction checklist for volunteers and students)

ensuring that volunteers and students have completed the induction checklist (refer to Attachment 1) and have been provided with a copy of the staff handbook, if applicable.

All other educators are responsible for:

assisting the Approved Provider and Nominated Supervisor to develop guidelines for applications from volunteers and students to participate at the service and are aligned with the Child Safe Environment Policy

ensuring that children being educated and cared for by the service are adequately supervised, and the legislated educator-to-child ratios are complied with at all times (refer to Supervision of Children Policy)

providing volunteers, students and parents/guardians with access to all service policies and procedures, and a copy of the Education and Care Services National Regulations 2011

ensuring that volunteers, students and parents/guardians comply with the National Regulations and all service policies and procedures, including the Code of Conduct Policy, while attending the service

ensuring that volunteers, students and parents/guardians are adequately supervised at all times, and that the safety, health and wellbeing of children at the service is protected

ensuring that volunteers, students and parents/guardians are not left with sole supervision of individual children or groups of children

enabling parents/guardians of children attending the service access the service premises at any time the child is being educated and cared for except where this poses a risk to the safety of children and/or staff

encouraging the participation and involvement of parents/guardians at the service

assisting the Approved Provider and Nominated Supervisor to develop an induction checklist for volunteers and students at the service (refer to Attachment 1 – Sample induction checklist for volunteers and students)

assisting volunteers and students to understand the requirements of this policy and the expectations of the service.

Volunteers and students, while at the service, are responsible for:

ensuring they have provided all details required to complete the staff record

undertaking a WWC Check and presenting a current WWC Check card or other notification, as applicable

understanding and acknowledging the requirement for confidentiality of all information relating to educators and families within the service (refer to Privacy and Confidentiality Policy)

complying with the requirements of the Education and Care Services National Regulations 2011 and with all service policies and procedures, including the Code of Conduct Policy, while at the service

undertaking the induction process and completing the induction checklist (refer to Attachment 1) prior to commencement at the service

following the directions of staff at the service at all times to ensure that the health, safety and wellbeing of children is protected.

Parents/guardians are responsible for:

providing information for the staff record as required

complying with the requirements of the Education and Care Services National Regulations 2011 and with all service policies and procedures, including the Code of Conduct Policy and Privacy and Confidentiality Policy while attending the service

following the directions of staff at the service at all times to ensure that the health, safety and wellbeing of children is protected.

Evaluation

In order to assess whether the values and purposes of the policy have been achieved, the Approved Provider will:

check staff records on a regular basis to ensure details of students, volunteers and where appropriate parents/guardians are maintained in line with all legislative requirements as outlined in the policy

regularly seek feedback from everyone affected by the policy regarding its effectiveness

monitor the implementation, compliance, complaints and incidents in relation to this policy

keep the policy up to date with current legislation, research, policy and best practice

revise the policy and procedures as part of the service’s policy review cycle, or as required

notify parents/guardians at least 14 days before making any changes to this policy or its procedures unless a lesser period is necessary because of a risk.

Attachments

Attachment 1: Sample induction checklist for volunteers and students

Authorisation

This policy was adopted by the Approved Provider of [Service Name] on .

Review date: //

Attachment 1

Sample induction checklist for volunteers and students

Name:	Date:

To be completed by all volunteers and students participating at [Service Name] and returned to the Nominated Supervisor prior to commencing at the service.

Please tick
I have been given access to all the policies and procedures of [Service Name],
I understand the content of service policies and procedures, including those relating to:
conduct while at the service (Code of Conduct Policy)
emergency, evacuation, fire and safety, including locations of fire extinguishers and emergency exits (Emergency and Evacuation Policy)
accidents at the service (Incident, Injury, Trauma and Illness Policy)
dealing with medical conditions (Dealing with Medical Conditions Policy, Asthma Policy, Anaphylaxis Policy, Diabetes Policy, Epilepsy Policy and Administration of Medication Policy)
good hygiene practices (Hygiene Policy)
dealing with infectious diseases (Dealing with Infectious Diseases Policy)
first aid arrangements for children and adults, including the location of the nearest first aid kit (Administration of First Aid Policy)
daily routines
the importance of OHS and following safe work practices (Occupational Health and Safety Policy)
interacting appropriately with children (Interactions with Children Policy)
reporting of serious incidents and notifiable incidents at the service (Incident, Injury, Trauma and Illness Policy, Complaints and Grievances Policy and Occupational Health and Safety Policy)
reporting hazards in the workplace (Occupational Health and Safety Policy)
handling complaints and grievances (Complaints and Grievances Policy)
child safety and wellbeing and child protection including how to respond to concerns (Child Safe Environment Policy)
privacy and confidentiality of information (Privacy and Confidentiality Policy)
I am aware of the non-smoking policy of the service
The expectations of my placement/engagement, my role and responsibilities (including attending to the requirements of children with additional needs) have been clearly explained to me by my supervisor
I am aware that I am expected to participate in general tasks, including maintaining the environment in a clean, safe and tidy condition

Volunteer or student name:

Signature:	Date:

Nominated Supervisor’s name:

Signature:	Date: