Customer Service Charter
Page Contents:
Guiding Principle
Vision
- Quality experiences and positive outcomes for all children
Mission
- To set standards to improve the quality of child care and accredit services that meet the standards
About the National Childcare Accreditation Council
The National Childcare Accreditation Council's (NCAC) vision is quality child care experiences for all children enrolled in child care services in Australia. Our mission is to work in partnership with families, services, government and other key stakeholders to facilitate and support continuous improvement to the quality of child care provided for children in Australia.
We aim to achieve our vision and mission through the administration of Child Care Quality Assurance (CCQA) systems* for children's services and through advocacy for children.
We endeavour to assist child care professionals to deliver quality child care by providing services with advice, support and resources. We also assist families to understand the value of quality care and make informed decisions when selecting a child care provider.
All NCAC staff are committed to treating our customers with respect, impartiality and understanding and maintaining the confidentiality of their personal information. NCAC staff abide by a Code of Conduct which reflects this commitment. For more information on privacy, please refer to NCAC's brochure Your Privacy.
NCAC receives funding from the Australian Government and Board members are appointed by the Federal Minister responsible for child care.
* The CCQA systems are:
- Family Day Care Quality Assurance (FDCQA) for family day care schemes;
- Outside School Hours Care Quality Assurance (OSHCQA) for outside school hours care services; and
- Quality Improvement and Accreditation System (QIAS) for long day care centres.
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NCAC Values
| Integrity............. |
conduct ourselves and our business honestly and consistently |
| Probity................ |
operate ethically |
| Accountability..... |
are accountable for our actions and the responsible use of resources |
| Respect............... |
work professionally, respectfully and collaboratively |
| Professionalism.. |
continuously improve our quality management practices |
| Commitment....... |
strive to achieve our guiding principle, vision and mission and we value commitment, knowledge and achievements of staff |
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NCAC Customers include:
- Staff, carers, management, owners and operators of children's services registered to participate in the CCQA systems;
- Children and families;
- Child care professionals, organisations and associations;
- People seeking information on the CCQA systems;
- NCAC Validators and Moderators;
- NCAC Endorsed QA Trainers; and
- Federal, State, Territory and local governments involved in providing, regulating or promoting children's services.
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Our Commitment
NCAC will:
- Promote quality care for all children in children's services;
- Provide information that is current, accurate and easy to understand;
- Respond promptly to requests for information; and
- Be courteous, cooperative and professional at all times.
In relation to services participating in the CCQA systems, NCAC will also:
- Be fair, consistent and impartial in administering the CCQA systems;
- Ensure that information on the requirements of the CCQA systems is easy to access;
- Give services adequate notice of any submissions required from them;
- Assist services to make continuing and timely progress through the CCQA systems;
- Ensure services are kept up to date on quality issues that may affect them;
- Provide opportunities for services to comment on the CCQA systems and on NCAC's performance in administering the CCQA systems; and
- Actively seek and value service provider comments when developing efficient and effective methods for administering the CCQA systems.
In addition to these commitments, NCAC is required to:
- Maintain a public register of the Accreditation status of children’s services registered to participate in the CCQA systems. This information is available on the NCAC website (www.ncac.gov.au); and
- Report to the Secretary of the Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs any service not making satisfactory progress in the CCQA systems. This report will contain information about the service's performance in the CCQA systems.
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Your Rights
All customers are entitled to:
- Easy access to the Accreditation status of children’s services registered to participate in the CCQA systems;
- Privacy of personal information; and
- A timely and professional response from NCAC to any request or issue raised in relation to the CCQA systems.
Registered children's services are also entitled to:
- Accessible information and adequate notice of the requirements of the CCQA systems;
- Receive a Certificate of Registration for newly
registered services;
- Receive a Certificate of Accreditation once Accreditation has been achieved;
- Advertise the service’s Accreditation status accurately to the general public;
- Receive a composite Quality Profile and a report on
the service's achievements in the appropriate CCQA system following each Accreditation Decision. This will include guidance for specific areas that could be improved; and
- Request a review of the Accreditation Decision awarded by NCAC if the service believes this decision does not reflect the quality of care demonstrated at the time of the Validation Visit. The service can contact the independent Accreditation Decisions Review Committee (ADRC) by telephone (1300 734 347) or fax (08 9305 8953) More information is available on the ADRC website (www.adrc.org.au).
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Your Responsibilities
To enable NCAC to deliver its Charter all customers must:
- Make genuine efforts to satisfy the requirements of the CCQA system in which they are currently participating;
- Provide NCAC and Validators with complete, accurate and current information;
- Treat any officers of NCAC and Validators with respect, fairness and courtesy;
- Cooperate with Validators by assisting them with any queries or questions they may have;
- Understand that NCAC may need time to fully and accurately answer queries. NCAC will advise if extended time is needed;
- Advise NCAC of any complaints or suggestions for improvement in a clear and constructive manner;
- Advise NCAC promptly in writing of significant changes to the service's circumstances, including changes to the service name, address, authorised representative, telephone number and ownership/sponsorship or closure of the service;
- Pay the annual registration fee by the due date;
- Ensure that any statements used in advertising the service, are accurate regarding the service's Accreditation status;
- Strive to access all NCAC resources and publications developed to assist services; and
- Demonstrate a commitment to continuing improvement of the quality of care provided for children and families.
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Measuring and monitoring our service
NCAC aims to provide quality customer service by:
- Responding to most written correspondence
within ten working days;
- Processing service Registration payments within
seven working days;
- Providing Validators and Moderators with regular and timely support and performance feedback; and
- Allocating a Validator within twelve weeks of NCAC receiving the completed Self-study Report.**
NCAC will monitor and review its performance on these indicators and submit annual reports to the Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.
NCAC is committed to providing the highest quality service to our customers. This Charter sets out how we will fulfil this commitment and evaluate our performance.
** Dependent on Validator availability and the number of services awaiting a
Validation Visit
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About this Charter
The Customer Service Charter was developed in consultation with NCAC staff, Board members, NCAC Validators and Moderators, colleagues in long day care, family day care, outside school hours care and families of children in care.
The previous version of this Charter was released in July 2003. The current Charter has been revised as part of NCAC's commitment to regularly review and update our practices.
Development of the NCAC Customer Service Charter is ongoing and your contribution is welcome. Please tell us what you think by writing to or e-mailing the Chief Executive Officer at the NCAC address overleaf. The results of further reviews of the Charter will be available on the NCAC website.
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Feedback and Complaints
NCAC welcomes all comments and suggestions about its service and its performance in administering the CCQA systems. Services are provided with opportunities to comment on the Validation Visit process by completing the Validation Evaluation Form provided during the Validation Visit.
NCAC has a written procedure for handling complaints received about children's services registered to participate in the CCQA systems. For more information, please see NCAC's brochure Lodging a Complaint about a Child Care Service or visit the NCAC website.
Complaints about NCAC service, Endorsed QA Trainers, Validators or Moderators must be lodged in writing to the Chief Executive Officer. All complaints will be dealt with fairly and a response provided to the complainant within 14 days of receipt. Should this prove unsatisfactory, the complainant is invited to write to the NCAC Chairperson who will table the issue for discussion at the next NCAC meeting. More information is available by contacting NCAC.
Complaints about a service’s Accreditation Decision may be referred to the Accreditation Decisions Review Committee (see Your Rights).
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How to Contact NCAC
The NCAC office is open during normal business hours - Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5.00pm (New South Wales Time). The office will be closed on public holidays in New South Wales.
- Address: Level 3, 418a Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010
- Telephone: (02) 8260 1900 or 1300 136 554 (for callers outside Sydney)
- Facsimile: (02) 8260 1901
- E-mail: qualitycare@ncac.gov.au
- Telephone Translating Service for calls in languages other than English: 131 450
- National Relay Service for hearing or speech impaired callers: 131 677
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Last updated on
12 October 2006
