Code of ethical conduct

  1. Our aim

    Kids’ Early Learning Blacktown City is committed to ensuring all children’s safety, welfare and wellbeing in all decisions made and actions taken are paramount. Ensuring children’s rights are always respected whilst enrolled at our services.

    We provide high quality education and care for children. All educators, families and staff are responsible for ensuring children are physically, emotionally and mentally safe in our services.

    One of the ways we do this is by following this code of behaviour.

    We want to:

    • Provide at all times a safe environment for children in the care of our service at all times.
    • Ensure that educators are clear about the conduct that is expected of them in relation to children and that ethical conduct guides the behavior and decisions of educators.
    • Ensure that staff are clear about the Code of Conduct (Blacktown City) that guides ethical and respectful behavior and decisions.

     

  2. Implementation

    We will always act to keep children safe

    We strive to operate approved education and care services in compliance with the national quality framework that exceed the national quality standard.

    We will use our statements of philosophy, code of conduct Blacktown City and code of ethics (eca) to guide our professional conduct and our procedures to provide a framework for accountable and professional practice.

    We will:

    • be aware of and work with KEL values
    • implement friendly, play based and fun learning
    • promote trusting family partnerships
    • have respectful relationships with children
    • ensure our environment is healthy, promotes wellbeing and child safety focused
    • ·operate within a family and child centered context.
    • engage in reflective, ethical, and sustainable decision making with the child as paramount.
    • take all reasonable steps to protect children from abuse and/or neglect.
    • have boundaries around conduct with children.
    • help children learn protective behaviours.
    • report on all complaints of abuse and/or neglect to a children’s services liaison officer or/ family day care coordinator.
    • act on all complaints of abuse and/or neglect.
    • fully include all children enrolled in our services.
    • educate children about their rights and responsibilities.
    • assist children to develop skills around dressing and toileting themselves.
    • treat children at our services with the same amount of care as we would our own.
    • interact with families in a professional manner at all times.
    • keep children physically, emotionally and mentally safe.
    • have only appropriate discussion or conversation in the presence of children.
    • treat all children equally with respect and cultural, race and gender sensitivity without bias.
    • acknowledge that the best practice is that no child will be left alone with an individual educator.

    We will not use:

    • Inappropriate physical contact – touching a child in a sexualised or intrusive way, such as tickling, wrestling, prolonged or unnecessary hugging that is not warranted in the circumstances, kissing a child on the cheek, massaging, or physical closeness (such as encouraging a child sit on an educator’s lap for an extended period) that is not age appropriate or required based on the needs or abilities of a child.
    • Grooming behaviours – including but not limited to favouritism, offering gifts or special privileges, encouraging emotional dependency (attachment fostering), or initiating private or secret communication with a child.
    • Ill treatment that is not disciplinary in nature – including physical or verbal abuse, threats, yelling, swearing, rough handling or other conduct likely to cause emotional or psychological harm.
    • Unprofessional communication – such as in-person conversations, sending personal messages, capturing or sharing images of children via unauthorised devices or platforms, or engaging with children online through social media or apps unrelated to your role.

     

    All employees of Kids’ Early Learning will operate under the Early Childhood Australia’s Code of Ethics (ECA, 2016)

    We will follow the Early Childhood Australia’s Code of Ethics (2016) to guide the ethical principles and professional standards of conduct towards children, families, colleagues, communities, students, employers, educators, and the conduct of research. Our service accepts professional ownership of Early Childhood Australia’s Code of Ethics (ECA, 2016) and formally acknowledges that the ECA’s Code of Ethics gives us:

    • a guide to critically reflect about our ethical responsibilities
    • a guide for professional behavior
    • principles to inform individual and collective decision-making


  3. Responsibilities


    Blacktown City

    Will:

    • Ensure this procedure follows the requirements of the Education and Care Services National Law and National Regulations and general duty of care to all children, is updated as required and is known by educators.
    • Ensure the service operates in accordance with the Education and Care Services National Law and National Regulations.
    • Ensure all educators and staff are made aware of their obligations through personal discussions, staff meeting activities and opportunities to critically reflect upon ethical practice.
    • Ensure all educators and staff will attend Blacktown City Council Induction and undertake a Kids’ Early Learning child protection induction.
    • Ensure induction where they will receive necessary information regarding their obligations when working with children in Kids’ Early Learning Services.
    • Ensure all educators complete the mandatory Child Safety training through Geccko
    • Ensure that we have a current Worker Register.

    Nominated supervisor

    Will:

    • The service operates in accordance with the Education and Care Services National Law and National Regulation.
    • All educators and staff are made aware of their obligations through personal discussions, staff meeting activities and opportunities to critically reflect upon ethical practice.
    • Decision making processes are clear and transparent.
    • Ensure there is a copy of the Code of Ethics (ECA, 2016) displayed in a prominent place within the service for educators/staff and families to read.
    • That there are times when all educators can participate in staff meetings to discuss and reflect on the practices of the service in relation to continuing improvement.

    Responsible person/ Educators

    Will:

    • Be familiar with the legislation and statutory documents that apply to their role with children, families and other staff in the service.
    • Be familiar with the Code of Ethics (ECA, 2016) and the service’s philosophy.
    • Work with KEL values.
    • Have knowledge of the broad law and conventions that apply to their role with children, families and their team.
    • Demonstrate they understand the principles of The Early Years Learning Framework and or the Framework for School Age Care and the ethical requirements in the National Quality Standards.
    • Use staff meetings to critically reflect on practices in relation to continuing improvement.
    • Respect confidentiality at all times.

    Families

    Will:

    • Respect confidentiality at all times.
    • Give feedback in relation to educators’ professional conduct to kids’ early learning as necessary.
    • Act in a professional manner whenever they are involved in the programs provided by the service.
    • Talk to the nominated supervisor regarding individual requests in regard to staff/educators’ code of conduct.

     

Last reviewed on April 2026.

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