In the context of the education and early childhood standard
Ensuring the kind of education offered to youth in Out of Home Care is of profound importance as pointed out in DEECD (2011). In that regard, my youth work under this standard will mostly involve carrying out educational assessments on the quality of education that the children receive in the educational institutions in the out-of-home centers. This should provide the basis for making recommendations on how education outcomes should be improved so as to match those of youth that live in their homes with their parents. In addition, an education assessment plan as pointed out in DEECD (2011) will help in the development of education plans for individual youths that might be found to be lagging behind in their educational development. In emphasizing the importance of the connection with family standard, it is pointed out in CA (2011) that the maintaining of contact between children and their family members helps in the development of the feeling of belonging and personal identity. DCEECD (2011) supports this by insisting on the importance of contact with family on education outcomes. For those reasons, I will be keen to ensure that there are always effective channels of communication between the OOHC center and the families of each individual child. This should enable family members contact the children any time during their stay in the centers.
2. Contextual Basis of Each of the Two Standards
The Education and Early Childhood Standard is touches on both social and economic aspects of society. It is pointed out in CA (2011) that the standard is aimed at ensuring young people have a positive start in life so that they can get similar outcomes with children in normal homes. In that regard, the standard is based in ensuring a social outcome in that youths become independent citizens later on in life and is also based on the economic outcome that children accessing education will be able to access employment thus positively contribute to the nation's GDP. This standard is guided by the Education and Care Services National Law 2010 which is the national framework that regulates education and care services in Australia (ESA, 2016). The Connection with Family standard, on the other hand, has a purely social basis in that it seeks to establish positive social development for youths in out of home care centers by ensuring they have a sense of belonging (CA, 2011). This standard is guided by the National Framework for Protecting Australia's Children 2009-2020 (DSS, 2009). In addition, each state and territory in Australia has the mandate of the administration of all standards including that of connection with family for children in OOHCs.
3. Barriers to the Implementation of the Standards
From the discussion above, carrying out assessments on the effectiveness of the education and early childhood standard has been identified as one major approach that would ensure proper application of the standard. However, carrying out an assessment cannot be an individual role. In that regard, a major challenge will be gaining the support of the specific OOHC center I will be working for. It is expected that the administration of centers with problems in implementing this standard will not be very willing to support the assessment. For the Connection with Family standard, one of the main challenges that might exist is the lack of cooperation on the part of family members and guardians. In that regard, no matter how well I establish the relevant communication channels between the center and the relatives, half of the role must be played by the relatives meaning that success will not be achieved for all children, especially those with poor relationships with their families. In appreciation of the fact that one of the most profound barriers to implementation of these standards, according to AGDH (2018) is the integration of new action plans into the national framework, the identified challenges should be addressed by approaching the relevant legal stakeholders by presenting to them policy suggestions that require OOHCs to carry out regular audits and submit reports to various regulatory bodies. A second proposal to lawmakers would be to make it mandatory for parents and guardians of youths in these institutions to contact the OOHCs where their children are after some predetermined duration. The proposal should also include provisions for visiting by the parents.
4. Impact of Cultural Background
My cultural background values the connection between parents and their children. For that reason, I have grown up knowing that children should never be separated from their parents unless in very special circumstances. The Connection with Family standard is aimed at maintaining the relationship between parents and their children despite this inevitable separation (CA, 2011). This is in line with my cultural belief meaning that implementation of this standard should be a very easy thing for me because, other than it being my professional duty, maintaining bonds between parents and their children is something I believe in. My cultural background also insists on justice in access to opportunities and positive outcomes in the future of children. Education and Early Childhood insists on giving children in OOHCs an opportunity to education just like children in normal families thus ensuring that they get the most out of their lives (CA, 2011). This shows that the importance of being just in my cultural background is echoed in the standard's objective of ensuring children access the right education regardless of where they may be. In addition, the standard is concerned with giving everyone an opportunity to achieve the best future possible which is also part of my cultural belief. For those reasons, implementation of the standard, on my part, will be driven both by belief and professional training.
References
AGDH. (2018). 4 Implementation: Barriers and Enablers. Retrieved August 27, 2018, from The Department of Health: http://health.gov.au/internet/publications/publishing.nsf/Content/ncaf-cyp-oohc-toc~ncaf-cyp-oohc-4
CA. (2011). An Outline of National Standards for Out-of-Home Care. Commonwealth of Australia.
DEECD. (2011). Out-of-Home Care Education Commitment. Melbourne: Student Wellbeing Division.
DSS. (2009). Protecting Children is Everyone's Business: National Framework for Protecting Australia's Children 2009-2020.
Retrieved August 27, 2018, from Department of Social Services: https://www.dss.gov.au/our-responsibilities/families-and-children/publications-articles/protecting-children-is-everyones-business
ESA. (2016). The National Law and the National Regulations. Retrieved August 27, 2018, from Education Services Australia: https://www.ecrh.edu.au/national-quality-framework/law-regulations
