Accreditation update – Where are we

Step 4: Moderation- in process

The process of Moderation helps to ensure that all services participating in Child Care Quality Assurance (CCQA) are treated fairly and consistently. Moderators assess the quality of the service's practice, guided by information in the service's Self-study Report, Validation Surveys and the Validation Report. Moderators also consider information from the service's Validation Evaluation Form, when available.

Moderators look at each service as a whole, identifying patterns of quality care within the service. Moderators rate the service practices against the principles in the relevant CCQA system. A Composite Quality Profile (Profile) is compiled from information in the service's Self-study Report, the service's Validation Surveys, the Validation Report and the Moderation ratings. The Profile shows a composite of these various views of service performance across Quality Areas of CCQA using protocols developed for NCAC by the Australian Council for Educational Research. The Profile uses four standards: Unsatisfactory, Satisfactory, Good Quality and High Quality.

Moderators also write a Continuing Improvement Guide for the service. The Continuing Improvement Guide focuses on quality improvement and is based on trends in the Quality Areas, evident in the service's Profile.

Step 5: Accreditation Decision- awaiting

To be Accredited, a service must achieve a rating on the composite Quality Profile of Satisfactory or higher in all Quality Areas.

NCAC advises each service of its Accreditation Decision in writing, by post. This information is not available from NCAC by any other means until at least five days after the posting date. This ensures that only specified, authorised service representatives are the first to receive Accreditation Decision information.

Accredited services are required to prominently display the Certificate of Accreditation. Each service is also provided with a Quality Profile which shows the standards of quality achieved and includes the names of service staff who participated in the Child Care Quality Assurance (CCQA) process. This Certificate must also be displayed by the service. An Accredited service is required to continue its Step 2: Self-study and Continuing Improvement cycle until its next Self-study Report is due for submission. The Accreditation period is 2.5 years between submissions of Self-study Reports.

Services that do not meet the standards required for Accreditation are required to submit another Self-study Report six months from the date of the Accreditation Decision.