🤝🏽 Performance Improvement Process.

What is a Performance improvement plan process? 

An effective performance review provides opportunities for educators to assess their own work performance against their job description, relevant code of ethics (for example Early Childhood Australia’s Code of Ethics) and the service’s code of conduct along with the Child safe standards. The process recognises the specific practices that need more focus on, with providing strategies and support from the Leadership team as well as having contributions from the educator/staff member, which has the potential to encourage continuous quality practice and motivate them to continue to learn and develop professionally.

Performance improvement plans should not be looked at to be something negative or that the staff member is doing 'something wrong', it is an opportunity for professional growth with the Leadership team ensuring they are supporting the staff member in all the ways they are able to. 

What happens in a Performance improvement plan process?

The Leadership team will send you out a letter for a "Invitation to Formal Meeting" 24 hours before the meeting date and time. This letter will have brief dot points of what will be discussed in the meeting, the points of discussion wont be new information to the staff member unless it is an emergency meeting due to unacceptable practices. The meeting occurs when there has been at least 3 informal conversations and the un acceptable work practices or concerns are still happening. 

The meeting will be with the Nominated Supervisor and either the Educational Leader or the Assistant Campus Manager.

The staff member is able to have a support person, however, the support person is only there to support, they are not to have any input of the discussed conversations. If the nominated supervisor is away, then it will be lead by the Assistant Campus Manager and the Educational Leader, and they will inform the Nominated Supervisor when they return.

If the performance improvement plan is for the Leadership team, then the formal process will be help by the Head of Campuses Vic, Head of Education Vic and in consultation with people and culture. 

The meeting will be documented on a separate format which will include:
All documents will be sent to your email and attached to the staff member profile. 

1. The dot points in the 1st letter given (areas of concern).
2. Meeting notes.
3. Improvement goals.
4. All attendees full name, positions, dates and signatures. 
5. There will be a review date of a minimum of 4 weeks, this is dependant of the incident or concern. 

Please note that if after the 4 weeks there still concerns from the Leadership, then there will be a formal warning issued to the staff member. 

Woodlands code of conduct policy: 

https://woodlandelc.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/900001705866-Code-of-Conduct-Policy-QA4 

Related policy: 

https://woodlandelc.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/900001705646-Behaviour-Guidance-Policy-QA1 

National Quality Standards. 

Quality Area 2 – Children's health and safety

• Standard 2.2 Safety Each child is protected.

Quality area 3 – Physical environment.

• Element 3.2.3 Environmentally responsible The service cares for the environment and supports children to become environmentally responsible.

Quality area 4: Staffing arrangements. 

• Standard 4.2 Professionalism Management, educators and staff are collaborative, respectful and ethical.
• Element 4.2.1 Professional collaboration Management, educators and staff work with mutual respect and collaboratively, and challenge and learn from each other, recognising each other’s strengths and skills.

Quality area 7: Governance and leadership

• Element 7.1.2: Management Systems Systems are in place to manage risk and enable the effective management and operation of a quality service