CHCIC511A: Implement and promote inclusive policies and practices

Support the development of inclusive policies

Contents

Conduct discussion on contemporary literature in regard to inclusive policies and practices 3

Key concepts of inclusion 4

Advocacy 5

Reviewing contemporary literature 5

Discussing the issues 6

Review service philosophy, policies and procedures to incorporate inclusive policies and practices 7

Philosophy 7

Policy 7

Procedure 7

Reviewing the service philosophy 8

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Conduct discussion on contemporary literature in regard to inclusive policies and practices

First, let us reflect on a few examples involving children being overlooked or excluded in a childcare environment.

Kerrie, four and a half years old, will not be going on the tram museum excursion. She never goes on any excursions. Her mother, Thao, usually has a reason — this time she says that Kerrie does not like trams and trains. The real reason is that Kerrie's mother is a struggling financially and cannot afford excursions. On the day after the tram museum excursion, the carer and the children spent time excitedly discussing what they had seen. Kerrie sat quietly at the back of the group.

Mandy, five years old, always wears clothes that cover her arms and legs (usually a shirt or jumper with long sleeves as well as long pants) as she has psoriasis. Today is a very warm day. The children have been painting for the past 30 minutes on easels set up on the verandah and now the carer wants to take them to the playground where they can play with water. The carer tells Mandy to remain on the verandah and continue painting. The children are wearing shorts and they have a lot of fun playing with water. Mandy feels left out.

Tomas is four years old was living in a small rural community where he was at home being cared for by his mother, Sue. Tomas and his family have moved to the city to start a new life. Tomas's caregiver has been observing his behaviour. He appears timid, anxious and rather unsure of himself.

Daisy is five years old and is new to child care. She is not used to using a fork and she ends up picking food up with her fingers at lunch-time. The carer says, 'Don't eat with your fingers! Everyone's got to use the forks!'

Paula, the carer, is reading a book at story-time. She shows the preschoolers a picture showing a mum mowing the lawn. Christina, four years old, exclaims, 'Oh, women can also mow lawns!' Paula realises that story books have been sending Christina the message that roles are gender-defined (ie, there are men's roles and there are women's roles). As she looks through the books in the centre's collection, Paula can see that the story books mostly reinforce these stereotypes.

Diploma of Children’s Services: CHCIC511A: Reader LO 9364 3© NSW DET 2010

It was Johann's fourth birthday and the children sang 'Happy Birthday' and Johann blew out the candles. Each child was given a piece of the cake, except Amir. Amir, three years old, has an allergy to nuts and the carers did not want to risk any reaction. Amir felt rejected.

Ana, four years old, does not have a dad in her life but she made a Father's Day card nonetheless at her childcare centre that day. Her mum finds the card in her bag. How can the centre be so insensitive? she thinks.

As you read through the situations, ask yourself, what does it mean to include, what does it mean to exclude, and who do we include?

We saw examples of the child’s needs being overlooked (eg, child whose mother cannot afford to pay for excursions). We looked at an example of where the staff were unaware or were sensitive to a child’s family structure (the child with no dad in her life). We saw staff not providing alternatives to meet child’s needs (eg, the child with the allergy is not provided with an alternative food such as fruit). We also looked at stereotypes about gender roles in children’s books (child being surprised that lawn-moving can be done by women).

Hopefully, by reflecting on these examples, you have gained more awareness of the concept of inclusion as well as of exclusion. Did you see from the examples that bias and exclusion are not always direct or obvious?

Story books, for example, do not actually say that women should be doing the cooking and not mowing the lawns. Bias and exclusion, you will find, are mostly indirect, subtle or covert. Bias can also be built into or inherent in a centre’s practices; for example, staff may not take into account that some parents cannot afford expensive excursions.

I often find myself chatting with people about the core concepts of inclusion. Sometimes this may be in response to a media article, a current event or just over coffee with my colleagues. Why do you think this is? I believe it's because we, as a society, are still ‘working through’ many of the key concepts of inclusion.

Key concepts of inclusionActivity 1a

Activity 1b

When we look at many of the events and happenings in our communities unfortunately we don’t always see these key concepts put into practice, do we? For example, we might hear about a racial comment made to a high profile Indigenous footballer or people from a certain religious group targeted due to world unrest.

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Activity 1c

You may have heard about PlayCARE. If you have not, it is a Commonwealth Supplementary Services (SUPS) Program, which aims to assist childcare services with improving the access and inclusion of children with additional needs. Access their website to read about more about inclusion. http://www.playcare.ucaqld.com.au/index.html

AdvocacyOne of the responsibilities of being an effective early childhood educator is to be a strong advocate. We advocate for children's rights, family support and our own working conditions. However, advocacy goes further than this! We need to engage people in discussions on what is right or appropriate. We need to encourage people to adapt their practices in line with current research and thinking! Sounds like I want you to get out there and change the world? Absolutely—why not?

Reviewing contemporary literatureHave a look at the NSW Curriculum Framework. If you do not have a copy, you can view it online at www.community.nsw.gov.au

Activity 2a

Activity 2b

Activity 2c

Activity 2d

Activity 2e

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Discussing the issues The previous activity has enabled you to critically reflect contemporary ideas and readings. If you are currently working in a service (or have experience working in a service), what could you do next? Quite simply, you can start talking about your ideas, the information you have read and what challenges you are presented with. Of course, not everyone may be as willing to discuss these topics as you. Respect their choice to avoid discussion of such issues—they may not be ready yet. Good luck!

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Review service philosophy, policies and procedures to incorporate inclusive policies and practices

As we begin this next section, let us define some terms.

What is a philosophy and how does it differ from a policy? And what distinguishes a policy from a procedure?

PhilosophyWhat is a philosophy? Broinowski (2004) claims that the philosophy of a children’s service refers to the:

...general beliefs and values adhered to by the organisation with regard to the care and education of children.

PolicyWhat is a policy? According to Community Child care Co-operative and Child Care NSW (2004) a policy is:

...a statement on how the centre will run and the way that decisions will be made in specific areas.

ProcedureFinally, a procedure is the nitty-gritty of what you will do to implement the policy. Early childhood services have countless procedures—nappy changing; hand washing; administering medication and lots more!

Diploma of Children’s Services: CHCIC511A: Reader LO 9364 7© NSW DET 2010

Reviewing the service philosophyChildcare services frequently review the philosophy. As Arthur (et al) (2005) notes:

‘While the philosophy is less likely to change dramatically that perhaps goals and practices in the short term, it will need to be evaluated at regular intervals or whenever there is substantial change’.

Activity 3

Making sure the philosophy is accessibleOne of the keys features of philosophy review is to make the document accessible to everyone. If it is clearly displayed, then staff, families, volunteers, students and members of the community are able to read and comment on the philosophy. Another benefit of having the philosophy on display is that it invites questioning on current practices and beliefs—in other words, it invites feedback which hopefully will lead to a review or evaluation. As we know, the purpose of evaluation is to ensure that the philosophy is relevant and also that it is reflected in the everyday practices of the service.

This leads us on to the actual practices of the service. How do we (as staff) know what to do each day?—by referring to the policies and procedures of the centre. In the same way, if a parent wants to know how she can raise a concern about her child she refers to the policy.

Of course, there are certain requirements on polices in early childhood. However, services can choose to include additional polices also.

Activity 4

Reviewing policiesWhen we review policies, the main points to remember are:

The policy must be in line with the service philosophy. There should be clear and visible links between both documents.

The policy must be realistic and achievable for all stakeholders. The policy must adhere to the requirements of relevant laws or governing

bodies. The review should invite all interested stakeholders to be involved. Finally, there must be a plan/timeline on how a new or amended policy

will be formulated and introduced.

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