The Effectiveness of Various Policies within the Organizations - Essay Example

?Managing and Leading Quality Services This assignment attempts to select and audit a policy in my workplace and identify a development need of this specific policy. It includes a plan for the development of this policy explaining the rationale, justification and purposes. It will also discuss the management of individuals and teams, physical and financial resources besides the time scales, risk assessment and health and safety implications. The main aim is to reflect on the key management and leadership actions to improve the effectiveness of various policies within the organizations. The policy that selected to audit is ‘Promoting Positive Behaviour’. My workplace caters for children with Additional Support Needs (ASN) and these children often display a range of extremely inappropriate behaviours such as spitting, hitting, kicking and throwing. Both in terms of individuals and as part of such an establishment, we have a duty of care and a responsibility to ensure the safety of the children as well as the staff members. With this in requirement mind it is clear to me that it would be appropriate to audit our current policy of ‘Promoting Positive Behaviour’. This is a generic policy published by the local authority and it does not take into account the varying needs of children whom my organization serves. There are some issues arising from the absence of a clear policy or guidelines on how to promote positive behaviour imbedded into the practice of my establishment. The Rationale, Justification and Purposes: Rationale: Proper discipline is a mandatory prerequisite for facilitating good learning. No matter the nature or extent of indiscipline, it is an obstacle to both teaching as well as learning. At the organisation, I think that every child has a right to access the best education which can be offered in partnership among school, community and the parents. The organisation’s Positive Behavior Policy forms part of “Safeguarding Policy Portfolio” (Promoting Positive Behavior n.d.) and exhibits our commitment to safeguarding the welfare of all students. Thus, our organization needs to focus on reliable, strong and fair management of learner behavior to establish a safe, congenial and purposeful atmosphere in which every child may develop his or her complete potential. Providing such a high quality learning atmosphere is a significant precondition for learners to attain the maximum possible levels of achievement. “Parents, teachers, and students work together to create an environment that is safe and supportive and that promotes learning. It encourages children to think and learn actively and to be hopeful, trusting, loving and healthy” (Positive Behavior Policies and Procedures 2010, p. 2). Every child will also be asked to conform to the principles and rules of the school and parents will be kept educated so that they can support and encourage the use of system. The policy for promoting positive behavior is mainly based on encouragement through recognition of the positive aspects in children. This, in turn, will inspire them to mould their behavior appropriately. Also, when other children observe such encouragement, it will motivate them to imitate such behavior. The policies of the organization must reflect the policies and guidelines of the present local authority and government. At the same time, as procedures symbolize an accomplishment of policy and must evolve over time as new apparatus emerge, new processes will be planned, and the risks connected with an area modified in response to changes in the external or internal environment. Justification: There have been numerous initiatives and investigations in the UK over the last several years with regard to promoting and encouraging positive approaches to behavior and actions. Schools report that their chief concern relates to low level interruption although there are some schools and students that experience severe problems. “The school needs to be confident that its policies and practices in relation to behavior are positive and effective” (Promoting Positive Behavior Policy 2007, p. 2). Children’s’ behavior frequently poses various challenges to teachers. Occasionally such behaviour creates irritation to the teacher, handling a big class with varying capabilities and abilities. At other times, the actions and behavior of some children disturb the normal function of the school or classroom. Children have an intrinsic need for a secure and safe atmosphere. The classroom, in numerous instances can be the only constant ingredient in the life of a child who does not such safety in other parts or element of his or her life. Thus, policy must highlight the role and position of every stakeholder in guaranteeing that it promotes consistency in work with partners and colleagues. It must also give attention on the degree to which policies reflect the centre’s values, vision and aims and highlights the requirement of for effective systems to maintain policies up to date so that they result in practices which can facilitate improved outcomes for children. “A sound code of conduct is fundamental to an environment in which effective social, emotional, moral, personal and educational learning and development is to take place. The development of such an ethos is the shared responsibility of all who use the centre – children, parents/carers, staff and other adults” (Promoting Positive Behavior Policy n.d, p.1). Purpose. To give emphasis on reward and praise for good behavior. The gesture of rewarding and praising acceptable behavior will facilitate children’s acceptance of such behavior as the norm. It will encourage them to desist them negative behavior. To involve students and staff in the process of forming classroom and school rules. To involve parents in supporting the growth of an entire school approach to promoting individual behavior. To encourage every children to realize that they all have an element to play in the life of the school. To promote a more positive attitude and approach to learning in learners by recognizing and frequently rewarding good job, good approaches and good behavior. To encourage superiority in performance and behavior of the pupils’ by praising accomplishment and achievement of pupil in all their experiences. To offer pupils a clear but short statement of sanctions and rewards connected to their behavior and effort. To promote staff to adopt a consistent and steady approach to management in classroom. To secure the orderly environment essential for effective learning and teaching to take place. As staff we had adopted a time out strategy when a child had displayed unwanted inappropriate behaviours such as hitting, for example. The member of staff would remove the child form the area to a quiet area for a short specified period of time. This would allow the child time to calm down away from any potential stresses that could be contributing to the hitting out. The designated quiet area was between the two main playrooms which are always open for children to pass between and the child was never at any time left alone. After an inspection from Care Commission there were some concerns raised about how we managed ‘promoting positive behaviour’ and our ‘time out’ strategy. We now live in a society where it is very easy for a grievance or lawsuit to be taken out against a person. Having a policy not only protects the interests of the children it makes staff aware of how to work with and how to handle a particular situation while protecting the member of staff from accusations of wrong doing. According to Ashman and Green (2004) a policy should be a statement of what you intend to do and what your values and aims are regarding a specific area. They state that ‘writing a policy should be a process’ (23:2004). Ashman and Green (2004) also suggest that in order for a policy to be effective there must be a clear procedure which details the actions that are to take place for the policy to be effective. “A policy statement will work best if you produce something that is relevant to your setting, understandable and easy to use. It needs to set out the intended purpose and direction of the organisation.................. Having some indication of the values you use will also help others to apply the policy to new or unplanned situations” Managing People and Teams, 24:2004. Establishment policies should reflect current government and local authority policies according to Manitoba (2003) these are often referred to as policy instruments. While procedures stand for policy implementation and should grow, as new tools emerge eventually, fresh processes are planned, and the related risks with an area vary in response to changes in the internal or external environment. The overall goal for any policy document is for the design to be simple, consistent, and easy to use. (ucsc.edu:1994). When developing a new policy or revising an existing policy the management team have an obligation to identify those who will be directly affected. “Promoting positive behaviour is the responsibility of all members of staff” (We Believe that Positive Reinforcement and Rewarding Appropriate Behaviour is More Powerful than Negativity and Achieves an Encouraging Response n.d). Therefore, all staffs should be communicated the behavioural policy and should provide necessary skills to know and deal with behaviour of children efficiently. Manitoba (2003) also suggests that a key strategy associated with the development of policy is to recognize the different needs engaged with the process. Manitoba (2003) further states that the right resources to address the policy issue at hand are essential for making the policy successful. When considering the resources they merely do not refer to material resource such as computers, for example but also to the human resources including staff as well as they are possibly an establishment’s most valuable assets that facilitate the attainment of its objectives. Resources also include those external factors that supply every business with financial support and personnel. It is necessary to have adequate finance to operate as a firm has to pay staff salaries, rent, supplies, and other incidental expenses. The second type of resource which needs more vital is personnel. In order promote positive behaviour and assist children to improve the social and emotional talents they want for life they will need the services and guidance of appropriate people. They must also work together as a team, have an understandable plan of what is anticipated, and recognize how to get together these opportunities. The school’s behaviour policies should reflect the structure within which the whole staff team needs to work. This outline permits all staff to encourage children to widen their skills that facilitates proper behaviour, and generate a positive and secure learning environment where everyone is respected and appreciated. Staff will be accountable to ensure that the policy and its procedures are understood and meticulously followed in letter and spirit to attain the intended results. Joint support amongst all staff in the proper execution of the policy is important to accomplish its effective implantation. The staff has liability for creating a high quality atmosphere of learning, educating good behaviour and executing the policy and procedures constantly. The school currently gives training and developmental opportunities to all staff on behaviour management issues apart from providing orientation through induction training for all recruited staff. It also carries out annual reviews of the professional development requirements of all staff. The school has a definite plan for learning training programmes which have been evaluated to make sure that these conform to the requirements of staff and the conditions of the school. The personalizing learning training has been planned to provide staff with various methods and tools to promote positive learning behaviours. Various other educational institutes provide adequate financial resources to extend suitable support for students who need additional help to effectively implement the policy. For the successful execution of the policy, the school needs to have adequate support as well as allowance and also additional financial help and practical assistance. A positive behaviour team should be introduced that will add to a constant cycle of policy appraisal, planning, creating awareness and accomplishment across learning centres. The supporting staffs also need to provide a positive model of behaviour by taking care of children with friendliness and courtesy. It is necessary to familiarise new staff and volunteers with the need of promoting positive behaviour policy and its strategies for achieving optimum results. This is a developmental mission that requires support, cooperation, teaching and creating the right examples. The standards that emphasize how the school authorities can achieve positive behaviour continue within the policy programme for promoting personal, public and emotional growth. The school needs to have a clear behaviour policy, which all the children and staff are familiar with and comply meticulously. All staff requires to be trustworthy so that children can understand where they stand in the scheme of things within the school and that they have to act in the right spirit and display the proper behaviour. Effective staff training should include every member of the staff and also the behavioural features, which will encourage in them a sense of team work and that everybody is respected in the school. The staff also needs to know how to tackle different situations and when responsibilities are efficiently shouldered, everyone will derive job satisfaction. “A behaviour policy will help all staff to learn how to promote positive behavior, by explaining that children need to develop positive skills and attributes, self- respect and self- esteem consideration and empathy for others social skills such as negotiation and problem solving” (Support Children and Young People’s Positive Behaviour: Unit TDA 2.9 2011). According to Manitoba (2003) this may mean re-assigning staff or reprioritizing work. “To effectively assign resources, leaders/managers need to: – be clear on the “inventory” of expertise and knowledge of their staff; – identify the particular mix of skills required for a given policy project; and – assemble the resources that most closely fit the skill set identified as required under the given circumstances.” A Guide to Policy Development, 6:2003 There are many different ways of approaching the concept of policy making. According to Sutton (1999), the person who makes the policy can be restricted in terms of what the policy includes by factors such as the opinions of the staff, community and stakeholders. The person framing the policy must also be mindful of local and national policy documents and other relevant regulations that govern a learning environment. In terms of Pre-5 establishments, these documents would include, Curriculum for Excellence, Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) and The Child at the Centre. Sutton (1999) suggests that if there are strong pressures to adopt a particular strategy then the person developing the policy may not have much space to think of a wider number of alternatives. However, there may also be times once a person has a considerable amount of influence over the procedure and is able to include their own preferences and mould the way policy choices are considered fairly with regard to their own establishment. The Child at the Centre (2007) is a tool for schools and Pre-5 establishments to use for self evaluation. Within The Child at the Centre (2007) there are a number of ‘quality indicators’ which focus specifically on the influence that education has on ‘improving the educational experiences and lives of young children’. According to The Child at the Centre (2007) it is important to focus on the impact and the outcomes that will come from self evaluation. The Child at the Centre (2007) concept states that self evaluation should lead to improvements within the organization that will benefit the children and other stakeholders. It should be used as a tool to allow staff to evaluate their own practice and detect any proprieties for action. Following The Child at the Centre quality indicators ensures that establishments are remaining in line with the National Care Standards which Her Majesty Inspectorate (HMIe) and the Care Commission use in their inspections. The Child at the Centre (2007) places an importance on developing appropriate ethos and culture within each establishment where staff will participate in professional discussions and reflection on the practice in order to deliver quality service. With this in mind, all staff should then be involved in the evaluation of and development of new policies. Staff should have the opportunity to share their expertise, observations and thoughts. According to Kuit et al (2001), discussions among colleagues are valuable in ensuring continuous improvement and enhancing professional practice, thus inevitably resulting in clear benefits for children. The Child At The Centre quality indicators 6.1 and 6.2 specifically refer to establishment policy. Quality indicator 6.1 refers to policy review and development and it states that policies are about action. It places emphasis on the need for clear, cohesive policies that relate to local and national priorities which will provide a clear direction for the work of the centre and improve provision. The policy should highlight the role of every shareholder in ensuring that policies support consistency in the work with partners and colleagues. It concentrates on the extent to which rules reflect the centre’s vision, values and aims and highlights the need for effective systems to maintain policies new with the intention that they lead practice which leads to better results for children. According to quality indicator 6.1, an example of good practice would be when parents and staff share the similar vision, aims and values and work jointly to ensure that these are shared with the children as meeting the desires of the children. It further states that staff and parents should be actively involved in the development and review of policies and the impact the policies have on the work of the centre. These policies should be kept updated to reflect current legislation requirements. Quality indicator 6.2 refers to participation in policy and planning. This further concerns all stakeholders who include, staff, parents, children, partner agencies and the larger area in policy improvement and the general work of the centre. Quality indicator 6.2 stresses the importance of ensuring all stakeholders are well informed of the centre’s work and development while ensuring that stakeholders are consulted on any actions taken in relation to improvement. Time Scale and Risk Assessment: Risks may occur due to the interplay of several factors like health-care and societal support arrangements for child; communications among the children and their environment; the behaviour (s) shown by the child and its direct impact; actions taken and interferences done to reduce, control or handle the risks presented to children and others. Risk assessment helps “to remove a hazard or reduce the level of its risk by adding precautions or control measures, as necessary” (Risk Assessment 2006, p.6). This enables to build up a superior, safe and healthier workplace. As the first step, I evaluated the probability and the severity of the risk by identifying the risk factors involved with the promotion of positive behaviour policy within my workplace. Besides, different measures have been planned, developed and put in the position to deal with the risks and avoid any harm. Risk assessment and administration will enable the staff to think about the inherent risks in order to act logically and to gain knowledge of such things happening in day to day practice. On the whole, risk assessment and administration include the process of: ¦ making a rational judgment regarding issues of risk by using the knowledge gained in the light of experience. ¦ estimating options and to take rational risks ¦ taking actions to execute a variety of different approaches to support and protect children from exposure to risks This will help to make decisions and initiate actions to: ¦ limit the inherent risk level to which children and others are exposed ¦ Calculated risks can be taken to widen the children’s experience and to maximize their individual potential ¦ Avoid irrational risks for the children ¦ Make certain that appropriate strategies are used to react to reasonable challenging behaviour, and balance the risks shown by such behaviour. Structured approach to the risk assessment will enable staff to make decisions regarding the mineralisation of nullification of the risks or making suitable interventions when things go wrong.. The risk assessment and the administration should be completed within the shortest time span. The timescale decided for the establishment should not exceed two years. Assessing the Risk The main steps in risk assessment in the appreciation of possible and actual risk are: Assessing the circumstances for risk by way of trying to foresee the circumstances in which risks may take place. Assessing the probability by trying to foresee how a risk situation can happen and whether any harm is expected to take place and not to occur. Assessing the seriousness by trying to measure the type of harm that possibly will occur. Health and Safety Implications: All risks that are assessed must be recorded in line with that of the policy of the establishment. When it comes to the matter of those risks that are considered to be serious for children or others, the workplace may require employing appropriate official risk assessment tools and frameworks, for instance the Five Steps to Risk Assessment by Health and Safety Executive. We will assess the welfare, health and safety of all the staff regularly and offer for professional as well as personal support. The staff members have a responsibility to keep the children and other learners safe and to guard them from physical and emotional injury. These duties of care are incumbent on the staff, to care for learners and facilitate them a safe and healthy environment where they feel secured valued. Manitoba (2003) contends that an effective organizational environment is one that demonstrates leadership, direction and support. Management and Leadership Actions for Selecting ‘Promoting Positive Behavior Policy: In this school, the manager has the leadership responsibility to give a model of top training that is creative, innovative, remarkable, and flexible and encourages learners to follow by during respect. The members of management have the ability to lead the efficient running of the situation and to meet the entire service requirements those needed by instruction, registration, legislation, and assessment. “The school community has a clear, coherent, documented approach to behaviour management that promotes positive student behaviour” (Element 5: Positive Behaviour Management 2012, p.1). This is achieved by suitable plans and strategies that connect learners in respectful relationships and give strong and well built organization in playground and classroom besides successfully managing and handling all risks associated with the learning environment. Leadership and management of promoting positive behaviour policy of the organization include: The attainment of positive results for people Protection of learners and staff from every forms of harm, danger and abuse Best employment practices for the condition and service Proper governance planning for the establishment Data security, recording and data reporting Dealing with and resolving complaints to enable better facilities to the learners Whistle blowing Promoting the organization’s facilities and services Partnership and any other kinds of working for optimizing out comes The organization recognizes that a lot of people in society practice discrimination which means acting unfairly against an individual or group through for example verbal comment, exclusion, harassment, denigration, victimization or a breakdown to understand needs or the assumption of such desires without consultation. “Positive employee mental health/well-being and the prevention of stress are now recognized as significant determinants of performance and success in the workplace” (Preventing Stress Promoting Positive Manager Behaviour 2009). The management team has a significant function to play in the execution of the same opportunities policy during their function as team leaders, observing the work of areas and departments of learning. The managers of Personalizing Learning and the subject leaders take an important role in examining the implementation of the positive behaviour policy through: Ensuring resources used in areas/departments of learning do not break the policy Examine examination results in their areas/departments of learning Examining the teaching and learning in their areas/departments of learning, during the observing and evaluation cycle Discussing the same opportunities issues in areas/departments of learning meetings, planned groups or with line managers Ensuring that areas/departments of learning documentation, containing systems for learning, denote the same opportunities positive behavior policy Leaders are conscious of discrepancies in supporting positive behaviour, various statements by pupils, and take action to support positive modelling by every staff. There is an agreed and clear rewards policy, planned to improve engagement and motivation. The positive behavior policy is communicated to every members of the school society and applied consistently and fairly by most. The leaders have important facility to guide and promote the entire school ethos. Strong connection among behavior and school culture, and particularly emphasized the needs for the leadership team to show recognizing and knowledge of varied learner’s behaviours. This matter is surely inferred regarding personal leadership conditions in the schools experiencing challenging situations, a lot of which encounter unusual incidences of by learner behaviour that are difficult to manage. They feel that well defined sets of cognitive qualities of successful leaders beside proper characteristics that contain motivation, social appraisal skills and personality, as well as emotional knowledge and values are paramount aspects both for the staff and management, for facilitating a congenial learning environment. All of these are considered as being important parts of effective school leadership and management, with relations to the support of social behavior and positive culture of learning. Reference List Element 5: Positive Behaviour Management 2012, Bullying No way. Available at Accessed on 26 September 2012]. Positive Behavior Policies and Procedures 2010, Sunny Wolf: Charter School. Available at Accessed on 26 September 2012]. Preventing Stress Promoting Positive Manager Behaviour 2009, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Available at Accessed on 25September 2012]. Promoting Positive Behavior Policy 2007, Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar: Roinn an Fhoghlaim. Department of Education. Available at Accessed on 25 September 2012]. Promoting Positive Behaviour Policy (n.d). East Dunbartonshire Council. Available at Accessed on 25 September 2012]. Promoting Positive Behavior (n.d.)., Bradford Academy. Available at Accessed on 26 September 2012]. Risk Assessment 2006, Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety. Available at Accessed on 25 September 2012]. Support Children and Young People’s Positive Behaviour: Unit TDA 2.9 2011, CACHE Level 2 Children & Young People’s Workforce Certificate. Available at Accessed on 25 September 2012]. We Believe that Positive Reinforcement and Rewarding Appropriate Behaviour is More Powerful than Negativity and Achieves an Encouraging Response (n.d). Greenbrae School Positive Behaviour Policy. Available at Accessed on 25 September 2012]. Read More