The aged care sector is set to experience significant changes and growth in the foreseeable future,  with a strong focus towards the standard of care being provided.

As we plan for the future for aged care, it’s essential that there are highly skilled carers to meet demand and provide quality care. The challenges of this year and the COVID-19 pandemic have been unprecedented, with aged care recipients among the most vulnerable to suffering. Many lessons have been learned during 2020 which, along with the Aged Care Royal Commission and its recommendations, will go a long way to create a future for the aged care sector that is more caring than ever before. For carers, a focus on training and better support will see the aged care workforce equipped and ready to provide quality care to those who need it most.

Inspiring compassion in every carer

The importance of high-quality aged care and highly trained carers has been highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the pandemic has exposed flaws in the sector, it has also demanded action in order to protect the vulnerable and elderly who rely on aged care and the carers who are committed to their role.

The carers throughout our aged care sector give so much and do remarkable work each and every day. The importance of this workforce has never been so clear and so valued as it has been of late. The workers in Australia’s aged care residential facilities as well as those providing home care and community care work tirelessly to ensure that elderly members of our communities are supported. The kindness, care and compassion displayed in their dedication to their work makes aged care workers worthy of our gratitude and admiration.

Quality care key to aged care future

A skilled workforce across aged care is essential to deliver the highest standard of care. And while carers continue to do their best to look after those in need, the sector has not been adequately supported to help them thrive. The future of aged care is set to be brighter though, with the Royal Commission COVID-19 report recommendations as well as a renewed focus on infection control.

With additional funding to reinforce aged care’s infection control measures and changes in motion to enhance access to infection control training for staff, the aged care sector is set to reinvigorate its workforce and add confidence for residents, staff and communities.

Recommendations: Aged Care Royal Commission

The Aged Care Royal Commission COVID-19 report notes that the pandemic has been the biggest challenge ever faced by the aged care sector — approximately three out of four COVID-19 deaths in Australia occurred in aged care. It makes six recommendations that are intended to ensure the aged care sector and its workforce are adequately prepared to protect its staff and residents in the case of any future outbreaks. All six recommendations, paraphrased below, have been accepted by the government and will contribute to developing a deeply caring aged care sector supported by valued carers.

Recommendation 1

Government will report to Parliament on the implementation of the recommendations by 1 December 2020.

Recommendation 2 – Visitors and quality of life

Government should immediately approve funding applications from providers who wish to ensure there are adequate staff to support visitation to aged care residents by their loved ones.

Recommendation 3 – Allied health

Medicare Benefits Schedule items to increase the provision of allied health services, including mental health services, to people in aged care during the pandemic.

Recommendation 4 – An aged care plan and advisory body

A national aged care plan for COVID-19 should be established through the National Cabinet in consultation with the aged care sector that provides a national advisory body for aged care and establishes protocols to manage outbreaks while maintaining quality of life for residents.

Recommendation 5 – Infection control expertise and personal protective equipment

All residential aged care homes should have one or more trained infection control officers as a condition of accreditation.

Recommendation 6

All states and territories should have accredited infection prevention and control experts deployed into residential aged care facilities to train staff.

Once actioned, these recommendations will spark a transformation within aged care — a welcome shift for all carers and recipients of care.

The rewards and challenges for an aged carer

If a career with purpose is your goal, aged care is a worthwhile path to follow. It’s important to understand that a career as a carer in the aged care sector can be demanding, but it is also meaningful and rewarding.

As a carer for the elderly or those living with disability, the can be quite physically strenuous, with lots of time spent on your feet and assisting the elderly or those living with disability. There are also emotional challenges involved. At times a carer will face people in their care who are unwilling to accept the support, may be upset or agitated or are having psychological issues which can make it difficult to provide the necessary care. In an aged care career there may be times when you experience the illness or passing of individuals in your care which can be distressing but you will have a firm understanding of how to work through this situation through your training and with the support of colleagues and employers.

The rewards working as a carer are generally agreed to surpass the demands of the job, with the aged care sector offering the opportunity to gain a remarkable appreciation of life. Working in aged care, carers build meaningful relationships with those in their care and work with the knowledge that they are having a genuine and positive impact on someone’s quality of life. Aged care career outcomes offer room to grow within the sector, with aged care careers evolving to manager positions, or stepping into lifestyle support as a care program coordinator or similar.

Everything we do at Catalyst is inspired by care and compassion. The future of aged care is heading in the same direction, with a renewed focus to enhance the role of the carer and quality of life for those in need. For those seeking a career in the sector, the changes in the works within aged care deliver the opportunity to truly appreciate the dynamic and rewarding nature of a carer’s work, bringing the care back into aged care.

To learn about to get started in a career in aged care, contact us today.

 

The reopening of early childhood education and care services after a challenging lockdown period has brought about a sense of relief for many in the sector, including owners, directors and educators.

Families and children have experienced the upheaval too, and it’s safe to say that everyone is happy to be back to their routines supported by early childhood education services.

To open safely and protect the health of our communities (and continue to stay open), each early childhood education provider is required to have a COVIDSafe plan in place. Government health experts have continually found that transmission risk in childcare settings is low and are confident that staff and children are safe as long as heath advice is followed.

Prioritising health and safety

Children’s safety is always high priority in early childhood education and care settings, meaning that providers are well-positioned to action the COVIDSafe guidelines and create safe spaces. The health advice from the government and authorities has been carefully designed to keep staff, children and families safe and well.

Infection control and prevention measures, along with creating a supportive environment to take care of the wellbeing of your staff, families and children enable early childhood centres to return to care safely and confidently.

COVIDSafe ECEC services: A four step framework

Each service is different and the government information highlights that a one-size-fits-all approach is not appropriate, but following the guidelines outlined in the framework will help you to minimise transmission risk and maintain the highest standard of care possible.

The framework centres around these four areas, which we have unpacked for you below:

Reinforce COVIDSafe behaviours

COVID-19 is well-known to spread predominantly through face-to-face interactions, as well as transmission being possible via contaminated surfaces. With this in mind, these six key elements must be implemented and reinforced in centres.

1. Stay home when unwell: If a member of staff or a child is unwell, they should be advised to stay home until they are well. This can stop any potential spread through communities to keep everyone safe. Anyone who has symptoms of coronavirus should get tested and of course there are other steps to follow in the case of a positive result, which we cover later in the framework.
2. Temperature testing: Temperature testing is not currently required but may be required in the future should community transmission in Victoria increase again.
3. Actively support and practice good hygiene: Hand sanitiser stations upon entry are a useful to keep germs out of the centre. Make times for regular hand-washing during the day. Cover nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, and wash hands afterwards. Drinking fountains are not advised — bring individual drink bottles that are named and can be refilled as needed, and food sharing should be avoided.
4. Encourage physical distancing between adults: Physical distancing is challenging in certain spaces but aim for 1.5metres between adults where possible. Markers for safe distancing in reception and shared workspaces can be a useful visual reminder. Adults should avoid hand-shakes and hugs with one another. Use multiple entry and exit points or stagger start and finish times to reduce the number of people con
5. Wear a face mask: In early childhood education settings staff can choose whether or not they wish to wear a mask while working with children. When staff are working in other areas of the centre, they are expected to wear masks, for example while working on reception, staff rooms and foyers. Parents and carers are also expected to wear face coverings when picking up and dropping off children.
6. Avoid adults interacting within enclosed spaces: Limiting staff in rooms is necessary but can be tricky with the expectation to maintain staff ratios. Getting outside and even adapting indoor activities to become outdoor activities.

 

Create COVIDSafe spaces

COVIDSafe spaces are spaces that make taking the necessary precautions to avoid infection easier. There are many things early childhood education services can put in place to achieve this: Easy access to hand sanitiser, regular cleaning schedule for surfaces, door handles and toys, increased ventilation (open windows) and a tendency to move outdoors whenever it is possible.

Workforce bubbles where the same staff are rostered together as often as possible can reduce transmission spread too and contribute to COVIDSafe spaces.

Promote COVIDSafe activities

To minimise risk in services, some activities may need to be altered or avoided. As a general rule, reducing the intermingling of children across different groups/rooms will help to lessen interactions between large numbers of staff and children. Activities that involve singing and wind instruments should be avoided at this time, and only essential visitors should attend services.

Respond to COVID-19 risk

When it comes to a COVID-19 outbreak in your centre, a fast response is key. Knowing the symptoms and ensuring the families and staff at your service know them is vital. Symptoms include:

• fever
• chills or sweats
• cough
• sore throat
• shortness of breath
• runny nose
• loss or change in sense of smell or taste

Contact tracing is essential in the case of an outbreak — keep records of anyone who spends time in your centre. If a positive result occurs, follow the protocol as outlined in this fact sheet.

Keeping ECEC safe

By staying up to date on the latest important guidance on what is appropriate, we can all ensure that early childhood education services and their staff and families can remain COVIDSafe.

Research, data and advice can change as more comes to light about the coronavirus, its transmission and its current movement or behaviour within each community.

Sticking to the COVIDSafe framework will ensure that ECEC services can continue to support communities and that educators can continue to do their incredible work nurturing children’s development in a safe environment.

When supporting children’s development and wellbeing in early childhood education and beyond, emotional intelligence is a vital element that should be nurtured.

More than a person’s ability to get high marks at school, solve complex mathematics problems or utilise a big vocabulary, emotional intelligence involves a variety of qualities and skills that help people to understand and manage feelings.

As early childhood educators, a firm understanding of how to teach emotional intelligence to children is essential. There are so many benefits that can be derived from well-developed emotional intelligence at all stages of life. It’s also important for educators to develop their own emotional intelligence too. The more we focus on soft skills and the power of emotional intelligence, the bigger positive impact we can have on the quality of education delivered across early childhood education settings.

What is emotional intelligence?

Emotional intelligence is centred around possessing the skills to understand, utilise and manage your individual feelings, as well as the capacity to understand and respond to the feelings of others. While an IQ (intelligence quotient) is widely known as an intelligence measure, emotional intelligence is often referred to as emotional quotient, or EQ.

Many researchers and theorists have explored broad views of intelligence, the first and perhaps most prominent was psychologist Howard Gardner in the 1980s. Gardner’s multiple intelligences theory proposes that there are just that — multiple intelligences, and that we are not born with them all developed or available but can develop them. Emotional intelligence harnesses a number of Gardner’s theorised types: intrapersonal intelligence (understanding the self) and interpersonal intelligence (understanding others).

Today, emotional intelligence is considered to be highly valuable, enabling people to use feelings to guide their patterns of thought and their behaviours. It can also be useful to identify, respond to and predict the feelings and actions of others, for effective communication and relationship-building.

Benefits of emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence can help people of all ages to develop skills that are valuable throughout education, relationships, employment and just about every aspect of life.

The benefits of emotional intelligence are far-reaching covering areas including the ability to:

• Self-regulate emotions,
• Communicate more effectively
• Build strong relationships with others
• Enhance empathy
• Promote self-motivation
• Improve the ability to listen and focus

With these powerful benefits in mind, it becomes clear just how impactful emotional intelligence can be for children.

Educators’ emotional intelligence

As well as being powerful for children, emotional intelligence is a crucial area of development for adults too. The opportunity to work on your emotional skillset is lifelong. For educators, focusing on your own emotional intelligence can help you to become the best educator possible.

Catalyst’s education approach is human-centred, enabling us to best support our learners’ emotional intelligence throughout the study journey. Role-modelling appropriate and positive behaviours is a huge part of supporting children’s development and wellbeing, and so we focus on growing emotional intelligence and soft skills for educators throughout their course.

All early childhood education learners are encouraged to engage with their learning in a meaningful way through self-reflection techniques facilitated in our Practical Placement Journals. This element of the coursework empowers learners to identify their own interpersonal and intrapersonal abilities and discover their full potential.

Strategies to teach emotional intelligence

Early childhood educators can play a crucial role in developing healthy emotional intelligence in children. They have the chance to develop in children the essential life skills associated with emotional intelligence, laying the lifelong foundation for children to flourish.

There are many ways to guide children to develop their emotional intelligence, such as:

Creating space for feelings

Feelings aren’t always convenient and you may not always understand why a child is feeling a certain way at a certain time. Despite this, when a child is experiencing emotions they should be validated. Connect with a child during these times and listen to what they are going through so that they too can gain insight into the experience.

Learning to identify emotions

Extending on the previous point, use the space created for feelings to encourage or support children to identify the emotion. Are they feeling sad or angry or embarrassed? Labelling emotions expands children’s emotional vocabulary. Further, identifying emotions is also useful for learning to read other people and what they might be feeling. Simple activities like showing children images of faces and helping them to identify the feelings the person might be having can be useful to build this skill.

Tools for handling feelings

Once a child can sit in their feelings and identify them, it’s easier for them to know what tools are available to handle the emotional experience. While all emotions are completely valid, not all behaviours and actions are acceptable so children (and adults) need to have strategies in mind to express their feelings in a safe and appropriate way. A simple one to utilise is deep breathing and mindfulness techniques.

Stories, songs, role play and role-modelling are all additional valuable educational endeavours to explore emotional intelligence. Through creating learning opportunities in early childhood education that lend themselves to the development of emotional intelligence in children, we can help to shape a more caring, kind and thoughtful future.

To learn more about our human-centred training, please contact us today.

 

With restrictions now making way for all Melbourne families to return to early learning, parents and carers will no longer need to be permitted workers or apply for permits for their children to attend early childhood education services.

Many children and families will be excited about heading back to centres, but there may also be some anxiety, concerns or adjustment difficulties during the transition.

Along with helping children and families to settle back in, ensuring centres are COVID Safe is a priority for all childcare services. The coronavirus pandemic has affected the way we live and work, and the mental health and wellbeing of many. As we move into a new normal, supporting one another has never been more important, so take the time to get yourself and your centre’s community in the best position to go forward with minimal stress.

Returning to early childhood education

Early childhood education services can now reopen for all families, and while this is exciting for many there is likely to be a transition period too. New routines, or getting used to previous routines can take some time, but with a few strategies in place the transition can be eased. As well as affecting children, transition challenges could also extend to parents and carers or educators and staff. This might be related to fear due to the pandemic or simply getting used to a change in routine.

Taking steps to reduce potential stress as your centre reopens is important, and the first step is to be aware of what your staff, children and their families might be experiencing.

Separation anxiety

For most children it’s likely that attending childcare services will be the first time they will be away from their primary carer in months. Needless to say, this could cause distress for parents or children, or both. Minimise separation anxiety with consistency at drop off and pick up as well as a comforter item if necessary such as a badge.

Social anxiety

With such heavy restrictions imposed throughout Melbourne for such a long time, many of us have not been around people outside of our immediate families. Being in social groups may be intimidating or anxiety-inducing, but exposure over time will help. Try working in smaller groups where possible and offer plenty of time for children to take some quiet time as needed and consider offering a quiet space with some books.

Tiredness

Sleep and wake times may have changed during lockdown, and it can take a while to get used to a new schedule. Creating extra rest times could be worthwhile for some as we get back into the swing of things.

Fear of the virus

Children or adults could be feeling fearful of catching COVID-19 which could make them reluctant to head out of the house much. Signage, hand sanitiser stations, distance markers and masks show those attending your centre that you take infection control seriously and are actively minimising their exposure risk.

How you can ease the transition back

The pandemic has put a lot of pressure on all of us and had a notable impact on mental health and wellbeing. Encourage those around you to access wellbeing resources and take care of themselves. There are plenty of mental health and wellbeing strategies that could help. Incorporating strategies such a yoga, meditation and mindfulness into the daily routines could be incredibly helpful in making the adjustment back to childcare smooth.

As well as being patient and supportive, these tips can help everyone transition comfortably:

1. Be flexible: Shorter days, more rests, extra hugs — keep an eye on how everyone is traveling and try to be adapt where possible.
2. Talk openly: Be open and honest about what’s been happening in the world and encourage children to ask questions.
3. Visual reminders: At home and in centres, use a planner to show children what is coming up for each day so they know what to expect. This will help familiarise them with their routine and feel more secure.
4. Renewing relationships: Reconnecting with one another is important and while it may be a quick process for some children, for others it will take longer. For a week or two consider incorporating activities that are specifically committed to helping everyone renew their relationships.
5. Focus on patience: Just as heading into the pandemic was an adjustment that took time, so too is getting back to a new normal. Be patient with others and with yourself as we all navigate the return to early learning.

A safe return to early learning

To reduce risk and keep everyone safe and well, all centres are now required to have a COVIDSafe Plan in place to operate. High standards of hygiene and infection control are always a focus for early learning centres, and now more than ever before. According to the Victorian Government guidelines, it is essential that your plan demonstrates how you will meet all of the requirements set out by the Victorian Government. must outline:

• Your actions to help prevent the introduction of coronavirus (COVID-19) in your workplace
• The level of face-covering or personal protective equipment (PPE) required for your workforce
• How you will prepare for, and respond to, a suspected or confirmed case of coronavirus (COVID-19) in your workplace

The Government has provided guidelines and a template to assist centres in putting this COVIDSafe Plan together.

Infection control for a safe return to early learning

COVIDSafe Plans should include physical distancing rules and requirements around good hygiene practices such as regular handwashing and hand sanitiser stations. ‘Workforce bubbles’ are recommended where possible, rostering the same people on together to decrease contact between different staff members.

While masks are required to be worn in most sectors, early childhood education settings are a little different. Staff can choose whether or not they wish to wear a mask while working with children, however when staff are working in other areas of the centre they are expected to wear masks. This could be working on reception or moving through staff rooms and foyers. Parents and carers should wear face masks for picking up and dropping off children.

The Department of Education website has a number of resources to support your infection control COVIDSafe strategies, including posters to display that remind those working in or visiting your centre to wear their face masks and maintain physical distancing.

Continuing to provide children with the best start

Early childhood education may have some changes in place, but the sector is in good hands with so many committed educators and centre owners and directors supporting families.

The team at our Registered Training Organisation Selmar, is adding some extra joy to the return to early learning with some exciting news being announced on Wednesday 7th of October, through the Selmar Facebook page. Make sure you check back in then, to find out what it is!

As early childhood education resumes and we transition to a new normal, the sector will work together to provide the best outcomes for all children, families and educators.

Take care as you return to doing what you do best — providing the best start in life to children throughout your community.

 

Qualifications, experience, practical training — these are vital elements that each member of your workplace needs to flourish. But what about personal qualities? To be the best they can be and make your business the best it can be, these ‘soft skills’ are essential.

The importance of soft skills are crucial to understand. Combining emotional intelligence, personal attributes like patience and responsibility, as well as communication and social skills, soft skills can equip your employees to thrive. While these skills are not taught explicitly, the right approach to developing and strengthening soft skills can help individuals to work more effectively with others and maximise their standard of work.

A focus on soft skills training

There are many sectors and careers that are enhanced by a focus on soft skills. Those with the ability to listen, communicate effectively, show empathy and exercise patience are better equipped to work within regulations, support clients and produce high quality results in the workplace.

Soft skills that are highly valuable across a range of sectors include:

Leadership

When leaderships skills are noticed it can be a clear sign that a candidate might be suitable to progress in your business. In the shorter term though employees with leadership skills benefit your workplace with their can-do attitude and commitment to moving forward.

Teamwork

Collaboration is key for many workplaces to shine. With managers and employees who are able to work well in teams your business is both harmonious and productive.

Flexibility

If the pandemic of 2020 has required anything, it’s flexibility. The ability to respond and adapt to a situation and continue to do your job to the best of your ability is highly valuable for an employee in any sector.

Emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence is a broad term comprising self-regulation, self-awareness, motivation, social skills and empathy. These areas all contribute greatly to employability as well as ability to succeed in (and out) of the workplace. Emotional intelligence impacts relationships with others and making the right behavioural choices in a range of contexts.

Communication

Whether communicating with customers, colleagues, clients or stakeholders, having individuals with well-developed communication skills can be a great asset. This soft skill doesn’t just mean developing your own speaking and writing skills, but also comprehension of others through effective reading and listening.

It’s clear that each of these soft skills in the workplace can contribute to raising the standard of your business across every sector from aged care to early childhood education, hospitality, sales and more.

A human-centred approach to education

Our team here at Catalyst Education value the importance of soft skills in our own workplace and in our training we deliver which is why we take a human-centred approach to education and business development.

As the name suggests, this approach focuses on the human element of education — that is, our learners’ and employees’ wellbeing and curiosity in relation to their studies and work. Bringing together knowledge and hands-on skills with this attention to soft skills has improved and empowered our workplace dramatically from executives to trainers, marketing to sales and everyone in between.

Soft skills training for better outcomes

Prioritising soft skills alongside the formal qualifications and experience required to thrive in the workplace can help you make better choices in the recruitment process and nurture a business where everyone is committed to success.

We are committed to helping our learners to strengthen their soft skills throughout their study journey as well as approaching their careers with empathy, creativity, leadership and care. Developing crucial soft skills within our courses helps to create highly effective professionals who are equipped to be the highest quality employees in their chosen sectors.

Incorporating and developing your own unique personal qualities, perspectives and understanding of the world into your own learning and position can ensure you too reach your full potential while bringing out the best in each of your employees.

 

To learn more about our focus on human-centred learning, get in touch.

 

Showing gratitude can mean a lot to people, and Early Childhood Educator’s Day is the perfect time to say thank you to early childhood educators for the inspiring work that they do.

On Wednesday 2 September, 2020 take the time to show the early childhood educators in your life and community how much you appreciate them. Stepping into children’s lives during a crucial time of development, educators play an important role in supporting children as well as their families. As the pandemic has shown, many families rely on early childhood education and care settings to enable them to give their children the best start in life while still going to work and managing their own lives.

Here at Catalyst Education, we are continually proud of the incredible commitment that educators have to children’s wellbeing and development.

Making a difference for children

Each day when early childhood educators head to work, they dedicate their time to nurturing children from as young as newborn babies through to toddlers and pre-school. Educators provide opportunities for children to play, grow and engage with the world, discovering and exploring as they go and learning about themselves.

While the time early childhood educators spend with children in their care may be short, it can make an impact on children’s lives for many years to follow. According to many studies, a high-quality early childhood education experience can contribute to a child’s educational success well into their formal years of schooling.

There is no single ‘type’ of person who thrives as an early childhood educator. Early childhood educators are all unique but they do share an unwavering commitment to laying a solid foundation for children’s education, wellbeing and development. Combining their patience, flexibility, fairness and open-mindedness, educators make it their mission to ensure that children feel cared for, seen, safe and engaged throughout their time in child care settings.

Commitment to quality learning

The experienced early childhood trainers at Catalyst RTOs Selmar and Practical Outcomes, along with countless learners we meet show us just how passionate the workforce in this sector is. We see and hear the love they have for shaping children’s futures, which contributes to their ability to grow and learn throughout their lives.

Children deserve to have access to educators who are highly trained and equipped not only from a pedagogical perspective but from a practical perspective too. We take great pride in providing our learners with the training needed to be capable of teaching children how to be adaptable, resilient, lifelong learners who can meet challenges with confidence and a healthy sense of self-worth.

Ways of thanking early childhood educators

Educators help children to understand many occasions every year, helping to craft cards and gifts for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Christmas, Easter and more. Many parents will have keepsakes they cherish because of the thought and commitment from educators. This Early Childhood Educator’s Day, let’s return that same thoughtfulness by celebrating them! Here’s how:

Make a video to say thanks

A quick video saying thank you to the early childhood educators for their role in your life will make them feel appreciated.

Deliver or send a thank you note

Bring a note in to centres to display in a designated spot or post a thank you note to educators letting them know how grateful you are for their work.

Say thanks on social media

A public show of gratitude is always nice, so join in the fun of Early Childhood Educator’s Day and post something for the educators you know and love via social media. You can show support for the occasion on social media using the hashtags #LoveMyECE and #EarlyChildhoodEducatorsDay.

Your show of gratitude lets educators know that we see and appreciate the inspiring work they do for children and families. The challenges of this year have shown even more just how important their role is for communities.

The Catalyst Education team sends a heartfelt thank you to all early childhood educators!

 

Businesses across Victoria and Metropolitan Melbourne have been doing their best adjusting to increased restrictions in the wake of the second wave of the pandemic.

These restrictions have meant many families are now unable to utilise child care services, less work available for some people and additional stress on many businesses. Incorporating a focus on supporting staff and mental health and wellbeing as we navigate this challenging period is a must.

While early childhood education and its employees continue to be classified as essential to the workforce during this time, the limitations on who is permitted to access child care has resulted in a drastic reduction of occupancy for the time being. In some cases, centres have been forced to close their doors and many early childhood educators are finding their hours reduced. In other situations, people are dealing with the challenges of working from home or juggling work and children. With so many areas of potential stress for the early childhood workforce, providing support to staff is invaluable — perhaps now more than ever.

How you can support your staff in early childhood education

Thankfully there are many ways you can offer support to early childhood employees during these difficult circumstances. Supporting one another through this period is vital and can minimise the negative impact experienced by all. These key strategies can go a long way to ensuring your employees (and you) feel supported:

Take care of yourself

To effectively take care of others, you also need to take care of yourself. If you’re a child care business owner facing difficult times, you should also reach out for help via the resources and support options outlined in this article.

For Melbourne centres who require support, the Department website outlines measures introduced to manage the impact of the pandemic and its current related restrictions:

• Services can access the higher Transition Payment of 30 per cent of pre-COVID revenue for services in Stage 4 affected metropolitan Melbourne. It is advised that this should be used to keep early childhood staff employed, in lieu of JobKeeper payments.
• There is also an additional top-up payment available for eligible services in Stage 4 affected metropolitan Melbourne receiving lower CCS payments and experiencing greatly reduced attendances.

Be open and honest

Most people are aware of the challenges facing communities across all sectors, so transparency is encouraged. Tell your employees exactly what is going on and why certain changes are being made. Let them know you’re doing your best to be fair and support everyone. Give staff an indication of what you believe the future could hold and what management is doing and planning to navigate the coming weeks and months. This honesty will be appreciated and help your employees to feel respected and valued, which will in turn contribute positively to their sense of self-worth, mental health and wellbeing.

Focus on connectedness

Connectedness is a valuable resource. Many employees are likely facing similar challenges, but sharing your problems and speaking with others who can relate can really help.

Create a dedicated time when you and your team can get together online and catch up. Regular communication will give everyone something to look forward to and plan for. You might like to arrange one-on-one time to chat with your employees too to address any individual concerns.

Promote self-care

Whether it’s for yourself or your staff, taking care of oneself can go a long way towards promoting good health mentally and physically. Eating well, getting enough sleep, going outside daily for a walk and making time for things that you enjoy are practical ways to enhance wellbeing. Our self-care checklist can help.

Provide support resources to all

There are many resources available for anyone finding themselves struggling or needing support. They can be someone to talk to, practical tips to try or professional guidance. We have compiled a number of these resources which you can utilise for yourself and also share them with your employees.

Mental health and wellbeing support

Employers supporting staff is important and helpful as we work through this period of change, however further or professional support from a GP, counsellor, psychologist or psychiatrist is sometimes necessary. Encourage your staff to reach out and help them to find out where they can go for help. These resources offer professional support, catering to each individual’s preferred means for receiving support. From reading, watching or listening to resources, to chatting online, texting or speaking on the phone, there are mental health resources that are free to access and can make a world of difference.

Resources to listen to

• Guided meditations from the Black Dog Institute
• Not Alone podcast by BeyondBlue
• Expert Insights expert knowledge via the Black Dog Institute

Phone support

• Lifeline Australia – 13 11 14
• Headspace: Phone support for 12-25 year olds – 1800 650 890
• BeyondBlue – 1300 22 4636
• Kids Helpline – 1800 55 1800
• MensLine Australia – 1300 659 467

Text and chat support

• Coronavirus Mental Wellbeing Support Service – Web chat by BeyondBlue
• Lifeline Crisis Chat online chat
• Lifeline Crisis Text
• Headspace Group Chat for 12-25 year olds

Apps

Stop, Breathe & Think
Stop, Breathe & Think is a personalised meditation and mindfulness app that helps you develop skills to manage life’s ups and downs. It invites you to check in with your emotions, and recommends short guided meditations customised to how you feel. Foundational meditations are free, and there are additional activities and features for a paid subscription.

ReachOut Breathe
ReachOut Breathe is a free app that helps you reduce the physical symptoms of stress and anxiety by slowing down your heart rate with your iPhone or Apple Watch.

ReachOut WorryTime
ReachOut WorryTime is a free app that gives you a place to store your worries until later, so you don’t get caught up in them and can get on with your day. WorryTime will alert you when it’s time to think about them. Instead of listening to negative thoughts or pushing them away, research shows that postponing worries and only giving them attention at a set time helps you manage worry.

The Check-In
The Check-In is a free app developed by Beyond Blue for anyone who wants to check in with a friend whom you are worried or concerned about. It guides you through four steps on how you could plan a conversation, and give you advice on next steps.

Early childhood government support and advice

Get the latest information about the restrictions and Government support for the sector to ensure that you have the details needed to keep staff and families informed. The Department provides all the most up-to-date guidelines pertaining to the ECEC sector and the coronavirus pandemic in one spot, including a question and answer. There is also Government advice for centres, including funding, operations and health information available to you.

Catalyst Education continues to support the early childhood education sector and reminds you that this situation is temporary. Consider how you can use this time to plan for the future and prepare for a bright outlook for your service.

 

The aged care sector provides for individuals who are among the most vulnerable in communities across Australia. The workforce’s thousands of employees provide vital care each and every day.

This Friday 7 August, 2020 is Aged Care Employee Day, raising awareness for this hard-working sector and its people. We encourage you to take this opportunity to acknowledge the important work of aged care workers.

Individuals working in aged care support seniors, delivering much-needed care in residential services and for those living independently. From personal hygiene to errands and even the comfort of social contact and conversation during some very challenging times, aged care workers have been at the forefront of the pandemic and its impact.

Honouring Aged Care Employee Day

Thanks for Caring is the theme for this year’s Aged Care Employee Day, and the day itself compels you to do just that — say thank you to the aged care employees who care for the elderly across the country.

Aged Care Employee Day acknowledges and raises awareness of the incredible work undertaken by carers, nurses, cleaners, cooks, drivers, hospitality teams, allied health professionals, admin teams, lifestyle officers, volunteers — everyone who contributes to the aged care sector.

Thank you to the aged care workforce

The aged care workforce is made up of a range of roles with employees contributing their unique skills and knowledge to provide care for ageing Australians in a variety of settings.

From residential care facilities to community-based care and home care, aged care workers make up a workforce of over 360,000 individuals who are making a difference in lives and communities with their work. While over 80% of those working in aged care are women, many men are coming into the sector to provide care to the growing number of aged care recipients each year.

There are many qualities that aged care workers bring to their jobs, enabling them to approach their work with compassion and kindness, including patience, empathy and effective communication skills. Aged care employees are capable of enhancing the physical and mental health and wellbeing of the elderly through their work, and often develop rewarding relationships with those in their care that are truly cherished.

The invaluable work of aged care employees

Aged care employees across the workforce provide care that is essential in our communities. This is care that has an impact on lives, both supporting and enhancing lives and even extending them through high quality support.

One of our Training Managers, Sally, shared her insights about the incredible people who work in aged care:

It takes a special person to work in Aged Care; they have to have compassion and empathy. They spend each shift caring for the vulnerable in our community with great care and respect for very low pay and often in difficult times. They are often dealing with challenging behaviours, difficult situations and sometimes unhappy families, but they continue to give the best care they can.

I worked in Aged Care as a carer for 15 years and it had its challenges but it was very rewarding. I met some beautiful older people who came from many diverse backgrounds, but I cared for them all exactly the same and I know I made a difference to their day! Aged Care workers make the lives of our elderly BETTER every day!

In addition, one of our aged care trainers, Michelle, shares why working within the aged care sector is so meaningful:

For me being a part of this sector is a wonderful honour. Every day that you go to work you make a huge difference in people’s days/lives. The people that you care for are so interesting, rich with stories of days gone by, stories like riding a horse to school with your sister and brother all on the same horse.

To be a good personal carer you need to have empathy and patience but in my experience, the more you give to these beautiful people the more you get back.

I have the highest regard for people working in the Aged care sector; they are amazing, strong, caring, selfless and deserve all the support they can get always but especially in these difficult times. Hold your heads high, we are all here standing with you!

This Aged Care Employee Day, join us in taking a moment to honour the aged care employees around you and thank them for their commitment and care. Support the aged care sector and its valuable contribution to the lives of our elderly as we continue to work together to ensure aged care is delivered to the highest standard possible.

Catalyst Education is proud to provide high quality training to aged care employees and we would like to say a sincere thank you to each and every individual who continues to undertake this meaningful work.

For more information about our aged care courses, please contact us today.

 

With COVID-19 impacting us all in many varying ways, and many continuing to adjust in an uncertain landscape, it’s ever important to stay connected and have a good network of support and resources to tap into.

To help, we have compiled a list of some of these organisations as well as some useful apps and downloads to help you through this time.

Resources to support your health and wellbeing

 

 

 

 

Head to Health (H2H) is an initiative developed by the Australian Department of Health that aims to help people find good mental health and wellbeing resources, information and links to online and phone mental health services. These are hand-picked from Australia’s leading health providers, together in one place. It supports people seeking help – either for themselves or someone they care about.​​

 

 

 

 

Beyond Blue is an organisation that provides information, and support for depression, anxiety and suicide prevention. Their website contains information, resources, and services for depression.

 

The Black Dog Institute has up to date information and resources on mental illness, online self-testing, current treatments and wellbeing. The institute aims to reduce the incidence of mental illness and the stigma around it, actively reduce suicide rates, and empower everyone to live the most mentally healthy lives possible.

 

Headspace is the national youth mental health foundation dedicated to improving the wellbeing of young Australians (12 – 25 years). Their website provides information and resources on mental health, physical health, work and study support, and alcohol and other drug services. Support for young people and their family and friends can be accessed through this website including finding a local headspace centre, online/phone counselling service eheadspace, and the Digital Work and Study Service.

 

 

 

 

ReachOut is Australia’s leading online mental health and wellbeing organisation for young people and their parents. Their website offers practical support, tools and tips to help young people get through anything from everyday issues, tough times, mental health issues, relationships, identity, wellbeing or helping others.

 

Sane Australia is a national charity helping all Australians affected by mental illness. Their website provides straightforward and concise information about mental health and illness including treatments, support, how you can help yourself or someone you care about.

 

 

 

Phoenix Australia – Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health provides free downloadable fact sheets about trauma responses and evidence-based treatments for people affected by trauma, their families and friends.

 

 

 

White Ribbon is a domestic violence primary prevention campaign – specifically, we work to change the attitudes and behaviours that lead to violence against women. If you or someone you know is experiencing violence and need help or support, please contact one of the support hotline numbers

 

 

 

Mood Gym is a free online program designed to help people learn and practise skills to prevent and manage symptoms of depression and anxiety. It is like an interactive, online self-help book which teaches skills based on cognitive behaviour therapy.

 

Useful apps and downloads

Stop, Breathe & Think

Stop, Breathe & Think is a personalised meditation and mindfulness app that helps you develop skills to manage life’s ups and downs. It invites you to check in with your emotions, and recommends short guided meditations customised to how you feel. Foundational meditations are free, and there are additional activities and features for a paid subscription.

ReachOut Breathe

ReachOut Breathe is a free app that helps you reduce the physical symptoms of stress and anxiety by slowing down your heart rate with your iPhone or Apple Watch.

ReachOut WorryTime

ReachOut WorryTime is a free app that gives you a place to store your worries until later, so you don’t get caught up in them and can get on with your day. WorryTime will alert you when it’s time to think about them. Instead of listening to negative thoughts or pushing them away, research shows that postponing worries and only giving them attention at a set time helps you manage worry.

The Check-In

The Check-In is a free app developed by Beyond Blue for anyone who wants to check in with a friend whom you are worried or concerned about. It guides you through four steps on how you could plan a conversation, and give you advice on next steps.

Essential isolation self-care checklist

Taking care of ourselves physically and mentally is vital to reach our full potential. Self-care is a key factor when it comes to being the best versions of ourselves and enables us to better care for those around us too. Use this self-care checklist for ideas on how to support your mental health and wellbeing.

Contact us for more information on the support and resources available to you.

 

The first five years of a human being’s life are when the most critical brain development occurs. It is during this period that children develop the foundations for cognitive and social development and lifelong learning success.

Early Learning Matters Week takes place each year, providing the opportunity to celebrate the inspiring and meaningful work undertaken by early childhood educators, teachers, trainers and carers every day. Organised by leading early childhood organisation, Early Childhood Australia, Early Learning Matters Week helps to raise awareness of the importance of early learning for our children and society.

To celebrate Early Learning Matters Week, we asked a few of our trainers to explain why they are passionate about the work they do within the ECEC sector and why early learning matters to them.

ECEC trainers, Catalyst Education

Empowering children to reach their potential

High quality early years education and care contributes to the social, emotional, physical, behavioural and cognitive development of children. The early learning provided through child care services and kindergarten can have a notable positive impact on a child acquiring the skills needed to flourish and enter their formal years of schooling with confidence and readiness. Early childhood education plays a particularly important role for the most vulnerable children in our communities, reducing inequalities in educational outcomes both in the short and long term.

The early childhood sector also delivers vital support to families. Without it, parents and carers of young children may be unable to return to work or struggle to provide for their families.

Early childhood education for growth and development

Early learning also provides children the chance to discover their surroundings and explore the world from a safe place with the comfort and security of caring adults. Early childhood education ensures that all children have access to stimulating and educational experiences, supported by educators who are trained to deliver them.

The play-based approach taken by early childhood providers means children benefit from participating in activities that are engaging and lots of fun, while also fostering skills and creativity that will contribute to their learning for life.

Early learning matters

To get involved in Early Learning Matters Week online, centres can share information to families about the importance of early learning, create a message wall for educators about how they provide high-quality learning, or post messages on social media, to name a few examples. The Early Learning Matters website has ideas for you, and if you do use social media, feel free to include the hashtag #earlylearningmatters.

From the team at Catalyst Education, we say thank you to all those who work in and advocate for ECEC — you are making a difference in the lives and futures of every child every day.

 

For information about our early childhood education courses, contact us today.