IN THE SPOTLIGHT
One centre’s
NQS story
Following the implementation of the
National Quality Standards in 2012,
the assessment and rating of eligible
services continued in earnest with 31
KU services assessed by the end of
2013, 93% of which were found to meet
or exceed the standards.
KU SERVICES
ASSESSED THUS FAR
KU centres assessed 23 %
KU centres yet to be assessed 77 %
The assessment process can be a
daunting one, however as more and
more centres are assessed, staff are able
to share stories and dispel some of the
myths, as Jacqui Lagaluga, Director at
KU Ourimbah explains.
“My first reaction when we were told
we would be assessed was ‘Oh my
goodness!’ as we hadn’t expected to be
assessed under the new scheme quite
so soon after having completing the
old Accreditation process. The staff felt
a little nervous at first however I tried to
remain calm and they remained calm
and focused as well.
There was very little time to prepare for
the assessment visit however we found
that little preparation is actually required
if a service is running well. This was in
contrast to the old Accreditation process
where staff often felt compelled to keep
folders of supporting evidence.
Exceeding
25 %
118th Annual Report 2013
Our approach to involving families was
to encourage them to have input into
the centres Quality Improvement Plan
and keeping them updated about the
assessment process. On the day of our
assessment visit, the assessors were
friendly and supportive. They were
unobtrusive and put everyone at ease.
Being one of the first centres to be
assessed under the new process we were
somewhat apprehensive of what the
outcome might be, however when we
received our results we were more than
pleased and wanted to share them with
the children, parents and KU Central
Office who were just as pleased as us.
Meeting
34 %