<Service name>
Employment of Child Care Professionals Policy
To create an environment that supports and promotes diversity and equity, it is
crucial that services establish legal and ethical recruitment and selection policies
and practices.
Comprehensive written policies and procedures provide clear guidance of a
service’s understanding of equal employment opportunities legislation, national
standards and state or territory children’s services licensing regulations. It also assists
in developing decision making processes that are transparent and which clearly
define accountability.
Policy Number
<number>
Link to CCQA Principles
Family Day Care Quality Assurance (FDCQA)
Quality Practices Guide (2004) – Principle 5.1, 5.3, 6.1 - 6.3
Outside School Hours Care Quality Assurance (OSHCQA)
Quality Practices Guide (2003) – Principle 8.1, 8.4, 8.5 /
Quality Improvement and Accreditation System (QIAS)
Quality Practices Guide (2005) – Principle 1.6, 2.1, 7.2 - 7.4
Policy statement

The purpose of the Employment of Child Care Professionals Policy is to:
o reflect an ethical and legal responsibility towards the recruitment and
selection of child care professionals1;
o obligate equal employment opportunities legislation2;
o effectively communicate information to the service’s stakeholders
about changes to staff/carers;
o ensure the continuity of staff/carers to maintain the quality of care for
children and families;
o commit to the induction process of child care professionals;
o strengthen and maintain the staff/carer team morale during times of
change;
o develop opportunities for professional development and training; and
o ensure that management policies and procedures are transparent and
clearly accountable.
For the purpose of this policy, ‘child care professional’ is defined as any adult involved in caring directly or indirectly
for children at a service in a paid capacity and does not include students, volunteers or visitors to the service. Where
the term staff/carers is identified in the policy, it can be interpreted as ‘child care professional’.
2 There is equal employment opportunities legislation protecting the rights of individuals through the recruitment and
selection of child care professionals. Services are advised that their policy and procedures should reflect the relevant
federal, state or territory legislation.
1
Page 1 of 10

It is understood that there is a shared legal responsibility and accountability
between, and a commitment by, all persons3 to implement the service’s
Employment of Child Care Professionals Policy, procedures and practices.

The Occupational Health and Safety Act4 states that employers have a duty
of care to their employees to ensure that the working environment supports
emotional and mental wellbeing.
It is important for services to recognise their duty of care and how the
recruitment and selection of child care professionals affects the health and
wellbeing of children, families and peers. The service can question how the
employment of a person with prejudicial and bullying behaviour affects the
psychological health of others.
Rationale
The rationale represents a statement of reasons that detail why the policy and/or
procedures have been developed and are important to the service.
Please refer to:
 <title of federal/state/territory legislation and regulations>
Please refer to the relevant federal, state or territory legislation.

The service also complies with the <title of state/territory children’s services
licensing regulations or national standards> which outline the requirements
that need to be met for licensing when employing child care professionals.

Services can link this section by stating:
Please refer to the service’s Diversity and Equity Policy.
Please refer to the service’s Privacy and Confidentiality Policy.
Strategies and practices
These are examples. Services are encouraged to develop and adapt the following
strategies and practices as required to meet their individual circumstances and daily
best practices.
Recruitment
The recruitment process can be perceived as a short term procedure. However,
recruitment should be seen as a holistic process, which is addressed weekly, monthly
and seasonally, regardless of whether there is a need to employ a child care
professional or not.
For the purpose of this policy, 'persons' include <children, families, staff, carers, carers' family, management,
coordination unit staff, ancillary staff (administrative staff, kitchen staff, cleaners, maintenance personnel), students,
volunteers, visitors, local community, school community, licensee, sponsor and/or service owner>.
4 There are legislative Acts and regulations for each state and territory that address the issue of Occupational Health
and Safety. Services are advised to seek information that is relevant to their jurisdiction.
3
Page 2 of 10
Recruitment should be considered as a process that assists services to create
management procedures that are ongoing. From identifying the staff/carers’ roles
and advertising for applicants, to the selection and induction process, the
recruitment process should be a long term goal which complements performance
reviews and professional development opportunities.
While recruitment strategies and plans need to adhere to antidiscrimination
legislation, they should also reflect the uniqueness and individuality of the service’s
stakeholders.
Identifying the need for recruitment
 Brief and concise detail of the service’s strategy.
 Services can state the criteria that indicate why the recruitment process
needs to occur. This may be due to the:
o resignation or departure of a child care professional;
o state or territory licensing requirements such as adult/child ratios;
o need for specialised skills or knowledge such as managers, cooks, end
of day cleaners or office assistants;
o quality of care provided. Employing additional staff/carers such as
‘floaters’ over the licensed adult/child ratios during busy periods of the
day;
o development of a list of reliable relief staff/carers that may be required
when permanent staff/carers are unable to work; or
o result of change management. For example, a long day care service
applies for outside school hours licensing and needs to employ
additional staff.
Licensing requirements and obligations
 Brief and concise detail of the service’s strategy.
 The service should identify the state or territory licensing requirements for
employing child care professionals. This can include:
o qualifications including degrees, diplomas, first aid certificates;
o child protection requirements such as ‘working with children’ or national
police checks;
o evidence of additional professional development courses such as
behaviour guidance, children with additional needs; and
o age of applicant.
Important: While there is legislation protecting people from being
discriminated against during the employment process, some state/territory
licensing specifies the minimum age for employing child care professionals in
relation to their responsibilities. Services should be mindful not to confuse
licensing requirements with discriminating against an individual based on their
age.
Position descriptions including roles and responsibilities
 Brief and concise detail of the service’s strategy.
 Services should consider the following reflective questions:
o Is the position description, roles and responsibilities up to date and
current?
o How does the language accurately describe the requirements of the
position? Does it reflect the characteristics of the person who previously
filled the position?
Page 3 of 10
o
o
o
o
o
How does the language respect diversity, inclusion and equity?
Have the roles and responsibilities changed since the position was last
filled? How are those changes reflected in the position description?
How is the position description written? Does it clearly outline the role,
responsibilities and accountability?
Are there responsibilities that require proof? For example, this may
include first aid qualifications for child care professionals caring for
babies.
In family day care, are the roles and responsibilities of the carer’s family
detailed?
Selection criteria
 Brief and concise detail of the service’s strategy.
 Selection criteria are important because they inform the applicant about the
requirements of the position.
 The selection criteria for a position may change due to the circumstances of
the service. For example, a service with less experienced staff/carers may
seek someone with training qualifications to act as a mentor and facilitate inservices and the exchange of knowledge and skills. Alternatively, a service
who employs non-English speaking staff/carers, may seek someone with
additional skills in translation.
 Services should consider the following reflective questions:
o Is the selection criteria up to date and current?
o Does the selection criteria complement the job description, roles and
responsibilities?
o Is the selection criteria free from jargon and unrelated terminology?
o How can the selection criteria assist the service in performance reviews
and professional development opportunities? Using words that are
performance based such as applies, builds, discusses, empowers,
interprets, links, plans, prepares, supports and understands, can assist in
the review process.
o How can staff/carers assist the service to develop selection criteria?
Advertising
 Brief and concise detail of the service’s strategy.
 Services should consider the following reflective questions:
o Where does the service advertise for child care professionals? For
example, newspapers, websites or community newsletters.
o Is there a template for all advertisements? Is it up to date?
o How does the service ensure that the language in the advertisement
reflects diversity and equity legislation?
o Does the service set realistic timeframes between advertising and close
of applications for the position?
o Are there opportunities for applicants to apply in a variety of ways such
as by post, e-mail or website?
o What are the components of the advertisement? For example, position
title and responsibilities, qualifications and employer contact details.
Page 4 of 10
Selection process
 Brief and concise detail of the service’s strategy.
 Services should consider the following reflective questions:
o What is the selection process? How are applicants contacted for an
interview?
o In family day care, does the carer’s family need to attend the interview?
Is it a separate interview?
o Who comprises the interview panel? What is their role? Is there a
minimum number of interviewers required?
o How does the service ensure that interviewers are sensitive and aware
of equal employment opportunity legislation and requirements?
o Are there a diverse range of interviewers on the selection panel? What
are the risks of only one person interviewing an applicant?
o Are there disciplinary actions if an interviewer discriminates against an
applicant during the interview process? What are the procedures and
disciplinary actions? Does the applicant have the right to another
interview?
o What are the obligations from the applicant? Do they need to provide
any additional information on the day of the interview such as working
with children checks, first aid certificates or proof of qualifications?
o What types of questions are asked during the interview?
o How can the service’s current philosophy, policies and practices assist in
developing questions during the interview? For example, the service’s
hygiene practices can establish the question: “Can you describe the
recommended practices for changing a nappy?”
o How, and at what point, does the service complete a referee check?
o What types of questions are important to ask a previous employer?
o How does the service verify qualifications and employment history?
 The following is a list of suggested sub-headings to accompany this section of
the policy:
o Interview procedure and protocols
o Interview panel procedure and protocols
o Role of the interviewer(s) and interviewee
o Interview questions
o Referee checks procedure and protocols
Selecting the successful applicant
 Brief and concise detail of the service’s strategy.
 Services should consider the following reflective questions:
o How does the service decide upon the successful applicant?
o How are successful and unsuccessful applicants informed of the
service’s decision? What is the service’s response when contacted by
an unsuccessful applicant?
o What is the procedure when more than one applicant is successful?
Can the service utilise more than one successful applicant?
o What is the procedure when no applicant is successful?
The employment of casuals
 Brief and concise detail of the service’s strategy.
 Services are often faced with the employment of casuals on a daily basis or
over a set period of time such as vacation care.
Page 5 of 10

Services need to decide what type of recruitment, selection and induction
processes are relevant to casual staff/carers. This is of particular importance
for induction, which may not be as detailed as the process for full-time
staff/carers due to the transient nature of casual work.
The use of employment agencies
 Brief and concise detail of the service’s strategy.
 Services may utilise an external employment agency for recruiting permanent
or casual staff/carers.
 It may be important for services to state the information agencies collect and
the selection criteria the service provides.
The service’s relief list
 Brief and concise detail of the service’s strategy.
 A service’s relief list is a document that requires constant review and regular
updating due to the importance of maintaining adult/child ratios when
staff/carers are suddenly unable to care for children.
Induction
Staff and carers
 Brief and concise detail of the service’s strategy.
 Staff/carers require comprehensive inductions to ensure the continuity of care
for children and families and the consistency of practices.
 While induction processes may occur over several weeks or months,
staff/carers should first complete the service’s induction procedure before
caring for children.
 There are several documents that staff/carers can receive when being
inducted into a service:
o the position description and conditions of employment;
o relevant information about state or territory licensing regulations or
national standards;
o a copy of the service’s philosophy statement, policies and procedures;
o privacy and confidentiality declaration;
o information about the service’s commitment to child protection;
o the staff/carer’s occupational health and safety obligations;
o if the service is part of a larger organisation, such as an incorporated
body or local council, there may be additional information and
obligations the staff/carer may receive and commit to; and
o information about the service’s commitment to Child Care Quality
Assurance (CCQA).
 Services should consider arranging for new staff/carers to:
o meet other staff/carers to share ideas about the children in care;
o work or ‘shadow’ with an experienced colleague;
o meet regularly with relevant staff/carers in the early days and weeks to
clarify roles, responsibilities, practices and provide feedback; and
o attend an appraisal meeting with management after a probationary
period to identify new staff/carers’ strengths and to plan for
professional development opportunities.
Page 6 of 10

In family day care, the policy can state how the coordination unit supports
carers when they begin employment. Carers are often the only adult in their
home when caring for children and they may require additional home visits
during the first weeks of operating a family day care service.
Policies
 Brief and concise detail of the service’s strategy.
 Services can state how staff/carers are introduced to the procedures and
practices relating to policies.
 Services can link this section by stating:
Please refer to the ‘Links to other policies’ section in the Employment of Child
Care Professionals Policy.
Routines and supervision
 Brief and concise detail of the service’s strategy.
 Services can state how staff/carers are introduced to the routines of the
service.
 In family day care, the policy can state how carers are supported to develop
routines.
Experiences
 Brief and concise detail of the service’s strategy.
 Services can state how new staff/carers are introduced to the process of
planning for play and learning experiences.
 Services should consider the following reflective question:
o How willing is the service to listen and experiment with ideas or current
theories of play and learning from a new staff/carer?
Excursions
 Brief and concise detail of the service’s strategy.
 Services can state how new staff/carers are introduced to the process of
planning for and undertaking excursions.
Relief staff, students and volunteers
 Brief and concise detail of the service’s strategy.
 A full induction for relief staff, students and volunteers is not always easy to
arrange, so there may be a shorter process for them. Experienced staff/carers
should support and supervise relief staff, students and volunteers to ensure the
standards of practice and the continuity of care for children and families are
maintained.
 Management, in consultation with staff/carers, is responsible for reviewing and
updating the service’s induction process. This ensures that relief staff, students
and volunteers are consistently and accurately informed of the service’s
practices.
 The service may decide to highlight in a shorter version of the induction
process, specific health and safety policies, procedures and practices they
feel are important.
 There are staff/carers who may only be available as relief staff. By developing
a list of permanent relief staff/carers, services can induct individuals over a
long period of time.
Page 7 of 10
Protective behaviours and practices
Staff/Carers, students and volunteers as role models
 Children learn through example and modelling is an important way to teach
children about the values that support diversity and equity.
Staff/carers are important role models in guiding and educating all
stakeholders in relation to diverse and equitable behaviours and practices.
Staff/Carer professional development opportunities
 Brief and concise detail of the service’s strategy.
 The service can describe how it aims to maintain and strengthen the skills and
knowledge of staff/carers in relation to equal employment opportunities and
the recruitment and selection process.
 The service can state how job descriptions, roles, responsibilities and selection
criteria relate to performance reviews and professional development
opportunities, and how this can assist the service to set goals for staff/carers.
Communication with different stakeholders
Children and families
 Brief and concise detail of the service’s strategy.
 Services should consider the following reflective question:
o How does the service communicate and introduce to children and
families the employment of a new child care professional?
Staff/Carers
 Brief and concise detail of the service’s strategy.
Management/Coordination unit staff
 Brief and concise detail of the service’s strategy.
 Services should consider the following reflective questions:
o Who does the service need to contact when staff/carers are
employed? Are there state/territory licensing or child protection
agencies that need to be informed?
o How does the service communicate with the new employees?
o How does the service communicate with NCAC if new staff/carers
become the point of contact?
Policy review



The service will review the Employment of Child Care Professionals Policy and
guidelines every <timeframe>.
Families are encouraged to collaborate with the service to review the policy
and procedures.
Staff/carers are essential stakeholders in the policy review process and will be
encouraged to be actively involved.
Page 8 of 10
Procedures
The following are examples of procedures that a service may employ as part of its
practices.
Examples:
 Employee induction procedure.
 Policy development and review procedure.
 Procedure for non-compliance of the Employment of Child Care Professionals
Policy and procedures by a:
o staff/carer;
o parent or family member;
o student/volunteer; or
o visitor.
 Student and volunteer induction procedure.
Measuring tools
The service may further specify tools that assist in measuring the effectiveness of the
policy.
Links to other policies
The following are a list of examples:
 Behaviour guidance
 Child protection
 Clothing and comfort
 Dangerous products
 Diversity and equity
 Emergency
 First aid
 Food safety
 Grievances and complaints management
 Healthy eating
 Hygiene and infection control
 Illness
 Immunisation and health related exclusion
 Maintenance of buildings and equipment
 Medication
 Occupational health and safety
 Planning and evaluating children’s experiences
 Privacy and confidentiality
 Rest and sleep
 Smoke free environments
 Staff/carers as role models
 Sun protection
 Supervision
 Supporting children’s individual needs
 The role of carers’ families in family day care
Page 9 of 10
Sources and further reading






Albrecht, K. (2002). The right fit: Recruiting, selecting and orientating staff.
Illinois: New Horizons.
Bloom, P.J. (1991). A great place to work: Improving conditions for staff in
young children’s programs. Washington D.C: National Association for the
Education of Young Children.
Early Childhood Australia (ECA). (2005). The Code of Ethics. Retrieved April 4,
2007, from http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/code_of_ethics/
early_childhood_australias_code_of_ethics.html
Ebbeck, M., & Waniganayake, M. (2003). Early childhood professionals:
Leading today and tomorrow. NSW: MacLennan + Petty.
Maddox, R.B. (2000). Effective performance appraisals: A practical guide.
California: Crisp Publications.
Wood, R., & Payne, T. (2003). Competency based recruitment and selection:
A practical guide. England: John Wiley & Sons.
Legislative Acts5
 Age Discrimination Act 2004 (Cwlth)
 Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cwlth)
 Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act 1986 (Cwlth)
 Privacy Act 1988 (Cwlth)
 Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cwlth)
 Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cwlth)
Policy created date
<date>
Policy review date
<date>
Signatures
<signatures>
These are Commonwealth Acts and services may need to consider state or territory legislation that is relevant to
their jurisdiction.
5
Page 10 of 10