On 4 February 2020, the Australian Childcare Alliance (ACA) NSW advised the NSW Department of Education's Early Childhood Education Directorate that ACA NSW will be recommending to its 1,600 member services to NOT opt-in to use ACECQA's Self-Assessment Tool as a submission to their upcoming NSW Assessment and Rating. ACA NSW has communicated this message to non-members that attend our 29x Network Meetings and now 34x training sessions per year.
At the time of writing this article, ACA NSW is also waiting for ACECQA's response as to:
- how it would be conducting Tier 2 reviews when the assessment and rating is relying on the Self-Assessment Tool's submission; and
- how the Self-Assessment Tool submission (and no longer the service's QIP) would be used for applications for Excellent ratings.
Given the recent new appointment of a new Acting Executive Director for the NSW Department of Education's Early Childhood Directorate, ACA NSW has reiterated its request in agreeing with the foundation of co-design of how the Self-Assessment Tool could have been best utilised. Nevertheless, ACA NSW has offered to the NSW Department of Education:
- to review and revise the Self-Assessment Tool itself to make it easier and consistent;
- to review and revise how the portal for receiving the information would work;
- to review and discuss how assessors are trained and how they conduct assessments and ratings;
- to review and discuss how the use of the Self-Assessment Tool would interface with any Tier 2 reviews; and
- to review and discuss how the use of the Self-Assessment Tool would be used for applications for Excellent ratings.
Members are welcome to contact ACA NSW on 1300 556 330 via nsw@childcarealliance.org.au or attend any of ACA NSW's Network Meetings, Quickies training sessions and any other events to learn more about assessment and rating in NSW, and how it compares poorly against and differently to the other 7 Australian jurisdictions.
PUBLISHED: 25 FEBRUARY 2020