Staff Handbook

Appendix

Code of Ethics
Australian Early Childhood Association

I. In Relation to Children, I will:

1. Acknowledge the uniqueness and potential of each child.
2. Recognise early childhood as a unique and valuable stage of life and accept that each phase within early childhood is important in its own right.
3. Honour the child’s right to play, in acknowledgement of the major contribution of play to development.
4. Enhance each child’s strengths, competence, and self-esteem.
5. Ensure that my work with children is based on their interests and needs and lets them know they have a contribution to make.
6. Recognise that young children are vulnerable and use my influence and power in their best interests.
7. Create and maintain safe, healthy settings which enhance children’s autonomy, initiative, and self-worth, and respect their dignity.
8. Help children learn to interact effectively, and in doing so learn to balance their own rights, needs, and feelings with those of others.
9. Base my work with children on the best theoretical and practical knowledge about early childhood as well as on particular knowledge of each child’s development.
10. Respect the special relationship between children and their families and incorporate this perspective in all my interactions with children.
11. Work to ensure that young children are not discriminated against on the basis of gender, age, race, religion, language, ability, culture, or national origin.
12. Acknowledge the worth of the cultural and linguistic diversity that children bring to the environment.
13. Engage only in practices which are respectful of, and provide security for, children and in no way degrade, endanger, exploit, intimidate, or harm them psychologically or physically.
14. Ensure that my practices reflect consideration of the child’s perspective.

II. In Relation to Families, I will:

1. Encourage families to share their knowledge of their child with me and share my general knowledge of children with them so that there is mutual growth and understanding in ways that benefit the child.
2. Strive to develop positive relationships with families that are based on mutual trust and open communication.
3. Engage in shared decision-making with families.
4. Acknowledge families’ existing strengths and competence as a basis for supporting them in their task of nurturing their child.
5. Acknowledge the uniqueness of each family and the significance if its culture, customs, language and beliefs.
6. Maintain confidentiality.
7. Respect the right of the family to privacy.
8. Consider situations from each family’s perspective, especially if differences or tensions arise.
9. Assist each family to develop a sense of belonging to the services in which their child participates.
10. Acknowledge that each family is affected by the community context in which it operates.

III. In relation to colleagues, I will:

1. Support and assist colleagues in their professional development.
2. Work with my colleagues to maintain and improve the standard of service provided in my workplace.
3. Promote policies and working conditions that are non-discriminatory and that foster competence, wellbeing, and positive self-esteem.
4. Acknowledge and support the use of the personal and professional strengths which my colleagues bring to the workplace.
5. Work to build an atmosphere of trust, respect, and candour by:
   • encouraging openness and tolerance between colleagues
   • accepting their right to hold different points of view
   • using constructive methods of conflict resolution, and
   • maintaining appropriate confidentiality.
6. Acknowledge the worth of the cultural and linguistic diversity my colleagues bring to the workplace.
7. Encourage my colleagues to accept and adhere to this code.

IV. In relation to community and society, I will:

1. Provide programs which are responsive to community needs.
2. Support the development and implementation of laws and policies which promote the well-being of children and families, and which are responsive to community needs.
3. Be familiar with and abide by laws and policies which relate to my work.
4. Work to change laws and policies which interfere with the well-being of children.
5. Promote cooperation among all agencies and professions working in the best interests of young children and families.
6. Promote children’s best interests through community education and advocacy.

V. In Relation to Myself as a Professional, I will:

1. Continually update and improve my expertise and practice in the early childhood field through formal and informal professional development.
2. Engage in critical self-reflection and seek input from colleagues.
3. Communicate with and consider the views of my colleagues in the early childhood profession and other professions.
4. Support research to strengthen and expand the knowledge base of early childhood, and where possible, initiate, contribute to, and facilitate such research.
5. Work within the limits of my professional role and avoid misrepresentation of my professional competence and qualifications.
6. Work to complement and support the child rearing function of the family.
7. Be an advocate for young children, early childhood services, and my profession.
8. Recognise the particular importance of formal qualifications in early childhood studies, along with personal characteristics and experience, for those who work in the early childhood profession.
9. Act in the community in ways that enhance the standing of the profession.

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