Purpose

This course establishes consistent NERPSA expectations for teamwork and shared leadership. It helps staff understand roles, communicate reliably, challenge practice respectfully, accept accountability and ensure agreed actions are completed rather than lost between people or shifts.

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

Understand role boundaries, authority and shared responsibilities.

Use reliable handovers and closed loop communication.

Contribute to respectful professional discussion and decisions.

Raise disagreement without undermining colleagues or safety.

Accept lawful directions and clarify uncertain instructions.

Delegate appropriately without transferring accountability.

Understand educational leadership and support professional learning.

Record, follow through and review agreed actions.

Standards and evidence base

Framework	Connection to this course
NERPSA policies and employment documents	Code of Conduct; Occupational Health and Safety; Child Safe Environment and Wellbeing; Compliments and Complaints; Educational Program; Privacy and Confidentiality; current Position Descriptions; delegations; service philosophy; QIP; and applicable employment requirements.
National Law and Regulations	Children’s safety, rights and best interests are the paramount consideration. Relevant requirements include responsible persons and staffing arrangements, designation and support of the Educational Leader under regulations 118 and 148, policies being followed under regulation 170, and clear child safe management systems.
National Quality Standard	Quality Area 4 requires professional collaboration and standards. Quality Area 7 supports effective governance, leadership, educational leadership, clear direction and development of professionals.
Updated VEYLDF	Collaborative leadership, teamwork, partnerships with professionals and reflective practice support shared responsibility for children’s learning, development and wellbeing.
Child Safe Standards	Standards 2, 6, 8, 10 and 11 connect leadership, governance, staff support, ongoing learning, review and documented child safe practice.
Psychological health	The Occupational Health and Safety (Psychological Health) Regulations 2025 require employers to identify psychosocial hazards, control associated risks and review controls. Poor role clarity and poor support may be psychosocial hazards and cannot be addressed by training alone.
TAFE and professional learning	Current connections include BSBTWK502 Manage team effectiveness in CHC50125, professional collaboration across Certificate III and Diploma units, and bachelor level leadership, teamwork, ethics and organisational practice.

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.

Module one

Shared responsibility and professional accountability

Every staff member contributes to safety, quality and culture. Shared responsibility means people work together. Professional accountability means each person remains responsible for their own actions, decisions, records, required reporting and follow through.

Know

Understand your role, policies, authority and required standards.

Communicate

Give clear information to the right person at the right time.

Act

Complete your responsibility and escalate when required.

Confirm

Check that the message, action and outcome were understood.

Shared responsibility still needs a named owner

Teamwork does not make responsibility anonymous. Safety checks, child safety action, records, family contact and agreed improvements must have a person who is responsible for completing or escalating the action within the required timeframe.

“Everyone knew” and “the team was handling it” are not substitutes for a clear owner, timeframe, record and confirmation of completion.

Module two

Roles, authority and lawful directions

Position Descriptions, policies, delegations, rosters and service leadership arrangements help clarify who may decide, direct, approve, record or escalate. Being experienced or available does not create authority that has not been assigned.

Unclear response

“I assumed someone else was handling it.”

Accountable response

“I confirmed who owned the action, the deadline and how completion would be recorded.”

Before acting on a direction

confirm who gave the direction and whether it is within their role;
clarify the task, priority, timeframe and expected record;
identify any conflict with law, policy, child safety, professional obligations or your training;
ask questions when the direction is unclear or cannot be completed safely;
use the appropriate escalation pathway if the concern remains; and
take immediate protective or statutory action when a direct obligation applies to you.

Do not follow an unsafe or unlawful direction

Seek clarification and escalate promptly. A direction from a more senior person does not remove your own child safety, mandatory reporting, professional conduct or workplace safety responsibilities.

Module three

Communication, handovers and closed loops

A message is not complete merely because it was spoken or sent. Closed loop communication confirms that the right person received, understood and accepted the action, and that completion was recorded where required.

Useful feedback is

specific and connected to an example;
focused on practice, conduct or impact rather than personality;
linked with an expectation, standard or desired outcome;
provided respectfully and at an appropriate time;
clear about what should continue or change; and
followed up where action is required.

Receiving feedback professionally does not require automatic agreement. Clarify, examine evidence, identify the applicable expectation and respond without personal attack or avoidance.

Module four

Professional disagreement and raising issues

Effective teams do not avoid disagreement. They discuss evidence and practice respectfully, challenge unsafe or inconsistent decisions and use the appropriate pathway without gossip, personal attack or recruiting colleagues into factions.

A strong improvement action states

the issue or opportunity identified;
the evidence and voices considered;
the specific action to be taken;
who is responsible;
the timeframe and resources required;
how implementation will be supported; and
what evidence will show whether it worked.

Vague intention

“We will communicate better.”

Reviewable action

“From Monday, the team will use the agreed handover record. The Educational Leader will review completion and staff feedback after four weeks.”

Do not create improvement actions for matters requiring immediate reporting or risk control. Act first where safety, child protection or legal obligations require it.

Module five

Delegation, action ownership and follow through

Delegation assigns a task to a person with suitable capacity, information and authority. The delegating person must clarify the expected result and monitoring. A task should not be delegated to avoid accountability or pass on work without support.

A meaningful PDP goal draws on

the current Position Description and role expectations;
relevant Award or agreement responsibilities;
the service philosophy, QIP and program priorities;
feedback, review and self assessment;
required qualifications, training and current practice guidance;
the educator’s professional interests and future contribution.

Training activity

“Attend a webinar about inclusive practice.”

Professional goal

“Apply two inclusive communication strategies, gather participation evidence and review the change with the Educational Leader by the end of term.”

Professional development is broader than attending training. It includes mentoring, feedback, reading, inquiry, observation, professional dialogue, practice trials and review.

Module six

Educational leadership and professional learning communities

The Educational Leader leads development and implementation of the educational program and assessment and planning cycle. The role supports, guides, challenges and builds educator capability. It does not remove each educator’s responsibility for professional practice.

Assess

Identify strengths, gaps and priorities using evidence.

Plan

Set clear actions, ownership, resources and timeframes.

Implement

Make the agreed change visible in everyday practice.

Review

Evaluate impact and update the QIP or next action.

Shared improvement requires

leadership that welcomes honest self assessment;
staff understanding of the philosophy and QIP;
children, families and community views where relevant;
time for professional dialogue and action;
clear responsibility and governance monitoring;
recognition of strengths as well as gaps; and
updates when evidence or priorities change.

The QIP is not a performance display

It should provide an honest, current picture of self assessment and improvement. Identifying an area for improvement is part of quality practice, not evidence of failure.

Module seven

Meetings, decisions and team accountability

Meetings should lead to shared understanding and action. Important decisions need a clear record of what was decided, who is responsible, the due date, required escalation and how completion will be checked.

Useful evidence may include

reflection linked to a visible practice change;
PDP goals, learning records and application evidence;
meeting decisions and completed follow up;
children’s, families’ and staff perspectives;
changes to policy, environment, curriculum or routine;
QIP actions with progress and impact reviews;
improved outcomes or reduced risk; and
a reasoned decision to retain effective practice.

Do not confuse volume with quality

Repeated reflection forms do not demonstrate improvement when there is no analysis, action or review. Keep evidence purposeful, factual, secure and proportionate.

Practice scenarios

A verbal handover about a child’s health support is not passed to the next educator.

Act immediately to protect the child and notify the appropriate leader. Complete required records and review why the handover failed. Significant information must use the approved process and be confirmed, not left as an informal message.

Two staff members disagree about supervision positioning.

Resolve the immediate safety need first. Refer to the supervision plan, current risks and responsible leader. Discuss the evidence professionally and record or escalate any required change rather than continuing an unsafe disagreement in front of children.

A staff member is given an instruction they do not understand.

Clarify the expected action, authority, timeframe and record before proceeding. If the direction appears unsafe, unlawful or inconsistent with policy, pause where necessary and escalate through the correct pathway.

An action is assigned at a meeting but no owner or due date is recorded.

Clarify ownership, timeframe, authority, resources and evidence of completion before the meeting closes. “The team will do it” is not sufficient action management.

An educator disagrees with a colleague and discusses it with several other staff members.

Stop the informal circulation. Address the practice issue directly or through the relevant leader, using facts and the appropriate grievance or escalation process. Gossip damages trust and does not resolve the concern.

Make the teamwork decision

Select the strongest professional response to each situation. All three must be correct before the certificate can be unlocked.

You pass on an important action during handover.

You disagree with a colleague’s practice.

You are asked to complete a task outside your usual routine.

Complete all three decisions.

Required learning activity

Apply the learning to your workplace

Complete each response in your own words without identifying colleagues or including confidential matters.

1. Identify one recurring handover risk and explain how closed loop communication could strengthen it.

2. Review your Position Description. Which responsibility needs clearer team understanding?

3. How does your team record action ownership, due dates and evidence of completion?

4. How can you contribute to shared leadership without stepping outside your authority?

Drafts stay in this browser on this device.

Knowledge check

Answer all questions. A score of at least seven out of eight is required.

1. What does professional accountability require? Assuming the team will manage it. Taking responsibility for your actions, required records, escalation and follow through. Acting only when supervised.

2. What is closed loop communication? Confirming receipt, understanding, responsibility and completion. Sending the same message to everyone. Speaking once and assuming it was understood.

3. How should professional disagreement be handled? Through gossip. By avoiding the issue. Respectfully, using evidence and the correct leadership or escalation pathway.

4. What should happen when an instruction is unclear? Clarify authority, expectations, timeframe and support. Guess. Ignore it.

5. What makes delegation effective? Passing work on without explanation. Clear task, suitable person, authority, resources, timeframe and monitoring. Removing all accountability from the delegating person.

6. What is a central Educational Leader responsibility? Managing every employment matter. Completing all educators’ documentation. Leading development and implementation of the educational program and planning cycle.

7. What should a meeting action record include? Decision, owner, due date and review or completion evidence. “The team will handle it.” Discussion notes only.

8. What best reflects shared leadership? Everyone making any decision they choose. Staff contributing strengths and initiative within clear roles, authority and shared goals. Leadership being left to one person.

Policies and official resources

NERPSA service policies

Current child safety, conduct, interactions, inclusion, complaints, reporting and privacy requirements.

Open policies

NERPSA website

Current organisational information and resources.

Open NERPSA website

Updated VEYLDF

The current Victorian framework, outcomes and practice principles for professionals working with children from birth to eight.

Open the VEYLDF

ACECQA Quality Area 4

National guidance for professional collaboration, mutual respect and professional standards.

Open Quality Area 4

Educational leadership

ACECQA guidance on team building and the Educational Leader’s role in curriculum, planning and professional learning.

Open the information sheet

Child Safe Standards

Victorian requirements relevant to children’s participation, equity, suitable staff, safe environments, information handling and continuous improvement.

Open the standards

Completion 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 participant declaration.

Full name

NERPSA service

Role

I confirm that I completed this lesson and assessment myself, that the responses are my own, and that I have not included unnecessary confidential information.

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.

Strong teams turn shared responsibility into reliable action

Clarity, respect and accountability protect children, strengthen professional practice and prevent important work from being lost between people.

Effective Teams, Shared Leadership and Professional Accountability