Quality Area 7 – Governance and Leadership
To achieve the best outcomes for children and families, a service requires effective governance and leadership, a skilled and engaged workforce, sound administrative and risk management systems, well documented policies and procedures, and a safe and healthy learning environment for children. Quality Area 7 focuses on effective leadership and governance of the service to establish and maintain quality environments for children’s play and leisure.
Research demonstrates that there is a strong link between leadership and improved outcomes for children. Effective leaders are clear about the purpose of education and care services and have the skills to effectively communicate shared goals and expectations.
Effective evaluation and self-review enables a service to continuously improve their practice, policies and procedures. An ongoing cycle of self-assessment, planning and review, together with engagement with all stakeholders including families, creates a culture of continuous improvement at the service.
Quality Area 7 has two standards that focus on governance and leadership at the service. These standards are crucial to delivering quality outcomes for children under the National Quality Framework because:
- effective governance requires a statement of philosophy, adequate management systems and clearly delineated roles and responsibilities to support the effective operation of a quality service
- effective leadership establishes a culture of reflective practice to encourage continuous improvement across all aspects of the service, resulting in a higher quality service for children and their families.
Below is the online professional learning designed for NSW OSHC educators that further unpacks key component of Quality Area 7 – Governance and Leadership.
Outside School Hours Care online professional learning
Below is the ECA Learning Hub online professional learning designed for NSW OSHC educators that further unpacks a key component of Quality Area 7 – Governance and Leadership.
The ECA Learning Hub is an online Learning Management System – all your learning will be saved in the one location and can be saved, downloaded and printed for your records.
![]() Price: Free | Register Today Duration: 60 minutes Description: In this module Luke Touhill helps educators understand the legal requirements of a Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) and how to create a useful QIP. It provides advice and examples on how a QIP can support OSHC settings to assess their current performance, recognise what they do well, and plan effectively for future improvements. |
Governance and leadership
Elements | Content | Descriptor |
7.1 | Governance | Governance supports the operation of a quality service |
7.1.1 | Service philosophy and purpose | A statement of philosophy guides all aspects of the service’s operations. |
7.1.2 | Management systems | Systems are in place to manage risk and enable the effective management and operation of a quality service. |
7.1.3 | Roles and responsibilities | Roles and responsibilities are clearly defined, and understood, and support effective decision making and operation of the service. |
7.2 | Leadership | Effective leadership builds and promotes a positive organisational culture and professional learning community |
7.2.1 | Continuous improvement | There is an effective self-assessment and quality improvement process in place. |
7.2.2 | Educational leadership | The educational leader is supported and leads the development and implementation of the educational program and assessment and planning cycle. |
7.2.3 | Development of professionals | The educational leader is supported and leads the development and implementation of the educational program and assessment and planning cycle. |
7.2.4 | Leadership | Effective leadership builds and promotes a positive organisational culture and professional learning community. |
Additional free resources
ACECQA. (2018) Assessment and Ratings Process
ACECQA. (2018) Information sheet – Nominated Supervisors
ACECQA. (2018). Information Sheet – Reviewing your Quality Improvement Plan
ACECQA. (2018). Information sheet: Quality Area 7 – Educational leadership and team building
ACECQA. (2018). Information sheet: Quality Area 7 – The role of the educational leader
ACECQA. (2018). National Quality Standard – Quality Area 7 (OSHC) poster
ACECQA. (2018) Newsletter Issue 6 2018 – Governance in education and care
ACECQA. (2018). Quality Area 7 – Information sheet: Using complaints to Support continuous Improvement
ACECQA. (2018). Quality Improvement Plan
ECA Learning Hub. (2012). The role of educational leader
Network of Community Activities (2013). Effective Leadership
NSW Department of Education. (2017). Early Childhood Education and Care Service – Quality Improvement Plan.
NSW Department of Education. (2018). Operating an early childhood education service – Preschool age children at outside school hours care.
NSW Department of Education. (2018). What’s happening in the early childhood education sector – Quality Improvement Plan template.