6.3 Partnerships with Colleagues and Other Community Services

Standard Seven

Establish and maintain a collaborative working relationship with supervisors, colleagues, assistants and alternates.

1. The practitioner is able to establish and maintain a collaborative working relationship with colleagues, assistants and alternates by:

• • providing colleagues, assistants and alternates with verbal and practical support;
  • seeking out and incorporating into their own practice the ideas and experiences of directors and/or home visitors, colleagues, assistants and alternates;
  • resolving differences of opinion in an open, frank and respectful manner; and
  • fostering professional development by sharing learning experiences with others.

Standard Eight

Establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with other community services.

1. The practitioner is able to establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with other community services by:

• • identifying the roles and responsibilities of any other services involved with the child and/or family on a regular basis and, with the family’s permission, establishing contact with these services;
  • assisting other services involved with the child and/or family on a regular basis to feel comfortable expressing their needs;
  • assisting other services involved with the child and/or family to feel welcome in the child care setting at any time the child is present, with the family’s permission;
  • sharing information about children and families, if requested, within the parameters of the family’s consent and in keeping with legislated or court requirements;
  • collaborating as part of a service provision team with other community agencies where this approach is appropriate;
  • developing and implementing ways to keep other community services informed about changes in the child care service that may affect children they are involved with or that may affect their service; and
  • working cooperatively with training services and institutions and, if involved in practicum placements, facilitating the learning opportunities provided to the students.

This section is copied and adapted from Standards of Practice section in Doherty. G. (2000). Partners in Quality: Tools for Practitioners in Child Care Settings. Standards of Practice, Code of Ethics, Guide to Self-Reflection. Ottawa: Canadian Child Care Federation.