Relationships, Inclusion and Community
NERPSA Learning | Staff Learning and Practice Framework
Partnerships with Families and Professional Collaboration
Building respectful, reciprocal relationships that strengthen children’s learning, wellbeing, inclusion and continuity.
Who should complete this
Educators, teachers and educational leaders
What it covers
Family partnerships, communication, collaboration, information and transitions
Completion evidence
Learning, decisions, reflection, assessment and certificate
Estimated learning time
Approximately 60 to 75 minutes
Purpose
This course establishes consistent NERPSA expectations for working with families and other professionals. It supports staff to build trust, exchange relevant knowledge, share decisions, manage differences respectfully and keep the child’s rights, learning, wellbeing and safety at the centre.
Use current information
This course supports NERPSA policies, service procedures and the educational program. It does not replace them. Staff must use current documents from the NERPSA policy website and Staff Resources.
By the end of this course, you should be able to
Explain what makes a partnership reciprocal rather than one way.
Welcome varied families without assumptions or judgement.
Exchange relevant information clearly and respectfully.
Use child and family knowledge in curriculum and support decisions.
Manage disagreement, concerns and difficult conversations professionally.
Maintain boundaries, privacy and lawful information sharing.
Collaborate effectively with professionals and community services.
Support continuity during enrolment, change and transition.
Standards and evidence base
| Framework | Connection to this course |
|---|---|
| NERPSA policies | Code of Conduct; Enrolment and Orientation; Educational Program; Inclusion and Equity; Interactions with Children; Compliments and Complaints; Child Safe Environment and Wellbeing; Privacy and Confidentiality; Safe Use of Digital Technologies; and relevant health, medical and transition requirements. |
| National Law and Regulations | The educational program, relationships, environment, health and safety arrangements must support each child. Decisions must respect children’s dignity, rights, developmental needs, interests, experiences and safety while required records remain confidential and secure. |
| National Quality Standard | Quality Area 6 is central, including supportive relationships with families, family views, access and participation, transitions, inclusion and community engagement. Quality Areas 1, 5 and 7 also apply. |
| Updated VEYLDF | Partnerships with families and professionals, respectful relationships, equity and reflective practice support shared knowledge, coordinated action and continuity of learning. |
| Child Safe Standards | Standards 1, 3, 4, 5 and 9 require culturally safe, accessible and equitable environments in which children are informed, heard and supported according to their diverse circumstances and needs. |
| TAFE and professional learning | Current connections include CHC50125 unit CHCECE050 Work in partnership with children’s families, other units requiring family communication and professional collaboration, and bachelor level family partnership, community engagement, transitions, interdisciplinary practice and ethical communication. |
Status of this learning
This is internal NERPSA professional learning. It is not nationally recognised training, an accredited course, a unit of competency or a statement of attainment.
01
Module one
What genuine partnership means
A genuine partnership is respectful, reciprocal and focused on the child. Families bring deep knowledge of their child, culture, history, routines, strengths and aspirations. Educators contribute professional knowledge and service observations. Neither contribution replaces the other.
Listen
Seek and take family knowledge seriously.
Share
Explain observations, decisions and service information clearly.
Decide
Work towards shared goals while respecting roles and responsibilities.
Review
Check whether communication and agreed actions are working.
Partnership is not agreement on everything
Staff and families may hold different perspectives. Professional partnership means exploring the difference respectfully, explaining obligations clearly and working towards an approach that protects the child’s rights, safety, learning and wellbeing.
Family engagement is not measured by attendance at events. Families must have accessible and meaningful ways to contribute, ask questions and influence decisions.
02
Module two
Welcoming and respecting every family
Families differ in structure, culture, language, ability, circumstances, beliefs, availability and preferred ways of communicating. Staff must avoid assumptions about who belongs to a family, who makes decisions or why a family participates in a particular way.
Assumption
“They never come to events, so they are not interested in the program.”
Professional response
“We will ask how this family prefers to receive information and contribute, then provide realistic options.”
Accessible engagement may require
- interpreters or translated information through approved processes;
- plain language, visual information or accessible formats;
- planned conversations rather than rushed collection discussions;
- more than one way to contribute views;
- correct names, pronouns, relationships and cultural protocols;
- attention to transport, work, digital access and other barriers.
Do not use children as interpreters
Use approved interpreting arrangements for important service, health, safety, consent, complaint or decision making information. Check understanding rather than assuming that a message was understood.
03
Module three
Communication and shared knowledge
Useful communication is timely, accurate, respectful and connected to a purpose. Everyday exchanges build trust, but significant issues require enough privacy, time and documentation to support a clear conversation.
Share information about
- the child’s strengths, interests, learning and participation;
- routines, health, wellbeing and significant changes;
- family priorities, culture, communication and relevant home knowledge;
- what educators have observed and what remains uncertain;
- planned responses, adjustments and follow up;
- service expectations, policies and available support; and
- concerns that require action or escalation.
Separate observations from interpretations. Use examples, invite the family’s perspective and agree on what will happen next, by whom and when it will be reviewed.
04
Module four
Shared decisions, differences and concerns
Families should influence decisions about their child and the service, but partnership does not remove legal, regulatory, child safety or organisational responsibilities. Staff must explain what can be decided together, what is governed by policy and what requires escalation.
For a difficult conversation
- prepare factual information and a clear purpose;
- choose a private and appropriate setting;
- listen without becoming defensive;
- acknowledge the family’s perspective without promising an outcome;
- explain obligations and limits honestly;
- identify agreed actions, responsibilities and review;
- document significant information factually; and
- use the complaint, child safety or escalation pathway when required.
Unhelpful response
Argue, speculate, blame another person or promise that the family’s preferred outcome will occur.
Professional response
Clarify the concern, record facts, explain the applicable process and ensure the matter reaches the person responsible for action.
Respectful communication does not mean avoiding difficult information. Be calm, factual, kind and clear about the next step.
05
Module five
Privacy, consent and professional boundaries
Trust depends on families knowing that information will be handled carefully. Staff must collect, access, use, share and store information only through authorised processes and for a legitimate purpose.
Maintain boundaries by
- using approved communication and record systems;
- not discussing families where others can overhear;
- not using personal social media or private messaging;
- checking authority, consent and purpose before sharing;
- separating personal opinion from professional responsibility;
- not giving advice outside your role or expertise;
- escalating requests you are not authorised to decide; and
- remembering that lawful child safety information sharing may apply.
Token inclusion
Adding one cultural item or inviting a child to represent an entire culture without context or consultation.
Meaningful inclusion
Using ongoing family and community knowledge, adapting access, examining assumptions and showing how contributions changed curriculum decisions.
Belonging can be heard in whose knowledge is valued, seen in who is represented and felt in whether a child and family can influence what happens.
06
Module six
Working with professionals and community services
Children benefit when families, educators and professionals work towards clear shared goals. Collaboration should make support more coherent, not create competing instructions or unnecessary demands on the family.
Purpose
Clarify why collaboration is needed and the expected benefit.
Authority
Confirm consent or another lawful basis for information sharing.
Roles
Agree who will do what and keep the family included.
Review
Evaluate whether coordinated action helped the child.
A useful plan identifies
- the child’s strengths, communication and perspective;
- the family’s priorities and knowledge;
- specific participation goals rather than labels;
- strategies staff can understand and implement;
- roles, responsibilities and review dates;
- risk, health or safety requirements where relevant;
- what information may be shared, with whom and why; and
- how effectiveness will be evaluated.
Use information carefully
Seek and share only information needed for the child’s education, care, safety or lawful service responsibilities. Follow consent, privacy, child information sharing and secure record requirements. Do not promise confidentiality that cannot legally be maintained.
07
Module seven
Transitions, continuity and evidence
Partnership is especially important when children enter a service, change groups, experience significant events or move to school or another service. Timely, authorised information sharing can support continuity while protecting privacy and the child’s dignity.
Useful evidence may include
- family contributions that changed curriculum or support;
- agreed actions and evidence of follow up;
- accessible communication and engagement methods;
- child and family views about transitions;
- professional collaboration records stored appropriately;
- feedback, complaint and survey themes;
- changes to enrolment, orientation or transition practice; and
- QIP actions showing service level improvement.
Documentation must not compromise children
Do not use humiliating images, unnecessary personal details, public behaviour charts, identifiable sensitive information or child safety disclosures as program evidence. Follow consent, assent, privacy, storage and approved device requirements.
Practice scenarios
A family raises a concern during a busy collection period.
Acknowledge the concern, arrange a suitable private conversation and notify the appropriate leader. Do not debate the matter publicly or promise an outcome before it is assessed.
A family uses an interpreter and rarely contributes during fast paced collection conversations.
Do not interpret limited spoken contribution as lack of interest. Arrange accessible communication using approved interpreting and translation processes, allow time, confirm understanding and create more than one way for the family to contribute to decisions.
A family disagrees with an educator’s interpretation of a child’s behaviour.
Return to factual observations, listen to the family’s knowledge and consider context across home and service. Agree on what will be tried and reviewed without labelling the child or dismissing either perspective.
An allied health professional emails a strategy directly to one educator.
Confirm the authority and purpose for sharing, store the information appropriately and ensure relevant staff understand their responsibilities. Include the family and review how the strategy works in the service context.
A staff member wants to message a family through personal social media.
Do not use personal social media or an unapproved channel. Use authorised service communication processes and maintain professional boundaries, privacy and record requirements.
Make the partnership decision
Select the strongest professional response to each situation. All three must be correct before the certificate can be unlocked.
A family offers information that differs from the educator’s interpretation.
A family raises a sensitive concern at the front door.
A professional requests information about a child.
Complete all three decisions.
Required learning activity
Apply the learning to your workplace
Complete each response without including names or unnecessary identifying information.
Drafts stay in this browser on this device.
Policies and official resources
NERPSA service policies
Current child safety, conduct, interactions, inclusion, complaints, reporting and privacy requirements.
Open policiesUpdated VEYLDF
The current Victorian framework, outcomes and practice principles for professionals working with children from birth to eight.
Open the VEYLDFACECQA Quality Area 6
National requirements and guidance for supportive relationships with families and collaborative community partnerships.
Open Quality Area 6Building partnerships
ACECQA practical guidance for regular information exchange and collaboration around children’s routines, learning and development.
Open the information sheetChild Safe Standards
Victorian requirements relevant to children’s participation, equity, suitable staff, safe environments, information handling and continuous improvement.
Open the standardsCompletion requirements
Before recording this course as complete, staff should have:
- read each module;
- considered the practice scenarios;
- completed all three interactive decisions correctly;
- completed the workplace reflection;
- achieved at least seven out of eight in the knowledge check; and
- submitted the certificate through the NERPSA Document Submission Form.
Print your course result and certificate
Complete all four responses, all decisions, achieve at least seven out of eight, and complete the declaration.
Complete all requirements to unlock your completion record.
Save the certificate as a PDF or print and scan it, then submit it through the Document Submission Form on the Forms page in the NERPSA Connect App or Staff Resources website.
This submission is the only acknowledgement required. Please do not email the certificate.
Partnership becomes real when shared knowledge changes practice
Trust grows when families are welcomed, communication is honest, differences are handled respectfully and agreed actions are followed through.