2.4.3 Professional Standards of Practice
Like any profession, teaching contributes to the common good and quality of society. Society therefore expects high personal and professional standards from members of the teaching profession. The scope of the profound trust invested in teachers and their work by the community is reflected in the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL, 2011).
It is also reflected in the Victorian Institute of Teaching Codes of Conduct and Ethics.
Child Safe Standards
Following the Betrayal of Trust Report (2016) and the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (2017), specific Child Safe Policy and protocols for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults have been developed by the Diocese of Sandhurst. Please see Diocesan Code of Conduct and Catholic Education Sandhurst Code of Conduct.
Protecting children and young people from abuse is our responsibility.
The Victorian Government is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people. As part of the Victorian Government’s commitment to implementing the recommendations of the Betrayal of Trust report (which found that more must be done to prevent and respond to child abuse in our community) there is a new regulatory landscape surrounding child safety, underpinned by the new Child Safe Standards.
The Child Safe Standards are compulsory minimum standards for all Victorian early childhood services and schools, to ensure they are well prepared to protect children from abuse and neglect. To find out more, see: Child Safe Standards: Creating a safe environment.
The AITSL standards
The standards cover three domains of professional knowledge, professional practice and professional engagement. Across these domains, seven interconnected standards are scoped over four professional career stages: Graduate, Proficient, Highly Accomplished and Lead.
2.4.4 Accreditation
For teachers in Catholic schools it is a CECV requirement to gain and maintain accreditation.
The accreditation process aims to support leaders and teachers entering and continuing service in Catholic education to develop the knowledge and skills that will support authentic witness in and across all Victorian Catholic schools (CECV policy 2019).
The CECV Accreditation policy (2019) is underpinned by the following guiding principles:
- Similar to the expectation in other professions, leaders and teachers in Catholic schools are
called upon to keep up to date in all matters related to Catholic education.
- Leaders and teachers in Catholic schools require human, intellectual, theological, spiritual
and pastoral formation.
- To ensure currency, this formation needs to continue throughout the professional life of
leaders and teachers.
- The responsibility for providing the ongoing human, intellectual, theological, spiritual and
pastoral formation of leaders and teachers is shared between the individual, the school and
others.
- Catholic professional standards guide and inform the requirements and conditions for the
formation and implementation of this policy.
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