Table of Contents

STANDARD 7:
Engage professionally with colleagues, parents/carers and the community

7.1 Meet professional ethics and responsibilities.
7.2 Comply with legislative, administrative and organisational
requirements.
7.3 Engage with the parents/carers.
7.4 Engage with professional teaching networks and broader
communities
7.1 Understand and apply the key principles described in
codes of ethics and conduct for the teaching
profession.


Standard 7
Engage professionally with colleagues, parents/ carers and the
community
7.2 Understand the relevant legislative, administrative and
organisational policies and processes required for teachers
according to school stage.

7.3 Understand strategies for working effectively, sensitively and
confidentially with parents/carers.

7.4 Understand the role of external professionals and community
representatives in broadening teachers professional
knowledge and practice.

7.1 Understand and apply the key principles described in codes of
ethics and conduct for the teaching profession.
Reflective Journal Entry: (Role of
Standards) 8
th
August 2014
Between mentor and I we managed
the required duty of care together by
calling the Behaviour Aide Officer
when a child absconded from class.
In particular when the child came
from mentors group, I was aware of
the duty of care and mindful of
mentor making a call to the Officer,
however on several occasions today
either mentors phone was not on
her person or flat I was able to make
the call or message to the Officer
instead. The duty of care is
transferred to the Officer until the
child is returned to class.
Below is the code of ethics which I
have read and up hold. Through oral
questioning I am able to give
responses that demonstrate Integrity,
Dignity, Responsibility, Respect,
Justice and Care to teaching staff
members and third parties including
but not limited to students and
parents.
CODE OF ETHICS FOR TEACHERS IN QUEENSLAND
We demonstrate Integrity by:
creating and maintaining appropriate professional relationships
We demonstrate Dignity by:
valuing diversity and treating students equitably and with care and compassion while
respecting the uniqueness of family backgrounds.
We demonstrate Responsibility by:
giving priority to the education and welfare of all students in our care
We demonstrate Respect by:
acting with educational colleagues and the wider community in ways which enhance
the profession
We demonstrate Justice by:
being fair and reasonable
We demonstrate Care by:
having empathy for and rapport with students and their families and caregivers,
colleagues and communities
7.2 Understand the relevant legislative, administrative and
organisational policies and processes required for teachers
according to school stage.
Australian Education Act 2013
This Act provides Commonwealth financial assistance for schools.
3 Objects of this Act
(a) to ensure that the Australian schooling system provides a high
quality and highly equitable education for all students by having regard
to the following national targets:
(i) for Australia to be placed, by 2025, in the top 5 highest
performing countries based on the performance of school students in
reading, mathematics and science;
(ii) for the Australian schooling system to be considered a high
quality and highly equitable schooling system by international
standards by 2025;
(vi) halve the gap between Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander students, and other students, in reading, writing and numeracy
by 2018 from the baseline in 2008;
Child Protection Act
1999
to provide for the protection of
children
Education Act 2004
6 Meaning of parent and carer
(1) In this Act, a parent includes a
carer.
Children and Young People Act
2008
a parent is a person having parental
responsibility for the child under
division 1.3.2
a carer is a person who is an out-of-
home carer under section 508
Training and Tertiary Education Act 2003
vocational education and training
course
Criminal Code Act 1995
Section 150 Cruelty to a
child under 16

Code of Conduct
Workplaces healthier and
safer Work Health and Safety
Act 2011
Education Queensland policies and procedures play a significant role in
helping schools develop environments that are engaging, supportive and
conducive to learning:
1. Supporting student health and wellbeing policy statement
2. Inclusive Education policy statement
3. Safe, Supportive and Disciplined School Environment External Link
4. Smart Choices - Healthy Food and Drink Supply Strategy for Queensland
Schools.
7.3 Understand strategies for working effectively, sensitively and
confidentially with parents/carers.
Reflective Journal Entry: (Role of
Standards) 29
th
July 2014
7.3 Understand strategies for
working effectively and sensitively
and confidentially with parent/carers.
Additional to my former Child Safety
Officer experience of working
effectively with parents and carers
with sensitivity and confidentiality
today mentor and I visited two
parents for two students that were
behaving poorly in class to see what
support can be given to the children.
Without making the parents feel
negative about the meeting mentor
expressed her concerns but spoke in
a neutral and positive tone to the
parents. She did not explain the
details of the misbehaviours, instead
focused on the solution. The contact
appeared positive and productive.
During mentor meeting we
discussed and reflected on the
above parent contact and how it
related to standard 7.3.
Reflective Journal Entry: (Role of Standards) 26
th
June 2014
We had 5 parents turn up today as part of connecting and fostering
relations between parents/carers, the school, the teachers and the
relevant child in class. Was fun drawing with the kids and seeing
children read to their parents and as the parents enjoy evidenced
successes. Although the event was brief in nature (40mins) it
appeared to be successful in my eyes and the mentors. Mentor did a
great job setting up the food area, talking to parents while I prepared
some colour in images and worked with children whose parents were
unable to come. I was able to speak with one parent about how well
her child was doing in class with verbal evidence. I was careful not to
compare the childs successes with others and acting confidentially
during this contact, for example not disclosing other childrens data
results or behaviours to name two. I ensured to be sensitive to any
cultural or family needs by avoiding conversations like hours of sleep or
type of nutrition the child may or not have (i.e. in their lunch). This time
was effectively used to build relations and positive memories for the
parent/carer with the child and teacher.
7.3 Understand strategies for working effectively, sensitively and
confidentially with parents/carers.
7.4 Understand the role of external professionals and community
representatives in broadening teachers professional
knowledge and practice.
Reflective Journal Entry: (Role of
Standards) 08
th
August 2014
After school the schools case support
officer, mentor and I went to visit the parent
of a child with poor behaviour practices
(fighting with a peer who lives across the
road from each other). The visit was
acknowledged by the child grandmother
and a method of connecting with
supportive persons outside the school
grounds was hopeful. The case support
officer is also a local and know many of the
childrens families and having him involved
allows me as a pre-service teacher to
engage with the community and various
levels.
As McInerney (2003, p.260) observed
because education cannot be regarded as
the lever for the transformation of society
the struggle for more socially just schooling
needs to extend beyond the classroom to
the wider society.
Reflective Journal Entry: (Role of
Standards) 08
th
August 2014
More broadly, when schools develop a
courageous educational vision in concert
with the community, when they create the
spaces to sustain a culture of debate about
teaching and learning, and where
distributive and educative forms of
leadership prevail, there is a real possibility
of enacting a socially just curriculum---even
when the very notion has been evacuated
from official policy. (McInerney, 2003,
p.61).
Reference:
McInerney, P. (2003). Renegotiating
schooling for social justice in an
age of marketization. The
Australian Journal of Education,
47 (3), 251-264.
7.4 Understand the role of external professionals and community
representatives in broadening teachers professional
knowledge and practice.
Reflective Journal Entry: (Role of Standards) 14
th
July 2014
In this context there are many dedicated external professional and community
representatives otherwise known as 3rd Parties or partners that have an
important role in broadening teachers professional knowledge and practice.
One partner is Child Safety who provide safety plans to the relevant teacher
and principal for children who are managed under the Child Protection Act
1999. This partner ensures the teacher (and relevant school authorities) are
aware of sensitive family issues that Child Safety are working on in order to
resolve and hopefully return the child to a safe parental or carer environment.
The teacher is able to assist the child, carer, family members and Child Safety
where possible keeping the matter confidential.
Other partners include, police for criminal or community safety needs, Royal
Flying Doctors Service (RFDS) for medical needs, Cape York Partners like
Families Responsibilities Commission (FRC), Cape York Welfare Reform
(CYWR), Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and
Indigenous Affairs, Health and Welbeing Centre, and the Cape York Case
Managers who visit and plan with parents to ensure their children are
attending class.