My Time, Our Place - A Framework for School Age Care

On May 27, the Minster for Youth and Children’s Services, Kate Ellis announced the decision to support the creation of a national school age care framework. The development of this framework followed successful representations made to the Minister by the National Out of School Hours Services Association (NOSHSA) in October 2009.

The Minister’s announcement was welcomed by Network who view it as government investment into the sector. A school age care framework will articulate the role of the OOSH professional and the value of that work in the community. This t framework will provide an opportunity to raise the status and profile of the profession and emphasise the critical importance of the often forgotten “middle years”. It will acknowledge and give the school age care sector professional status and recognition that is long overdue.

A national steering group was formed to guide the process of developing the framework in April 2010. The steering group is made up of State, Territory and Federal Government representatives, NCAC and 2 representatives from NOSHSA, Robyn Monro Miller ( NSW) and Kylie Branelly (Qld). The inclusion of peak body representatives on such a high level group has been recognised as a first in recent history and reinforces the respect Government has for the OSHC sector.

An academic consultant, Jennifer Cartmel from Griffith University in Queensland was been appointed to write the framework and a draft framework will be available for consultation with the community some time in the next few months. The timeframes for the consultation process are extremely tight to ensure that the framework will be ready in time for piloting in the new quality framework to be introduced January 1 2012.

For more details on the framework check these sites:

NOSHSA website >>

ACECQA website >>

Department of Education and Communities website >>