The Forbes' parenting order
Did you know?
Child care workers must follow legislative requirements at all times.
The parenting order that Owen's parents have to abide by is an example of the importance of all the staff being aware of the legal requirements relating to the children at Cybertots.
Naturally the staff at Cybertots will have their own personal feelings and opinions about what's happening with Owen and his parents, but they cannot take sides.
Code of Ethics
Personal values, attitudes and beliefs play a significant role in how people interact both at work and in their personal lives. They influence how we perform, the decisions we make, and our relationships with friends, colleagues and family.
Click on each of the headings below to find out more about what can influence our thoughts and actions.
Personal values
Personal values are deeply-held beliefs about what is right and appropriate. They tend to be deep-seated and remain constant over time.
Social values
Social values are society's commonly accepted values about what is right and wrong.
Beliefs
Beliefs are what we think is true. Sometimes these are not based on facts and should be carefully reviewed.
Attitudes
Attitudes are how we feel about something or someone. They are shaped by values, beliefs and experiences. They can impact the way we behave and are sometimes hard to alter.
Social justice
Social justice relates to the notion that all individuals have the right to equal opportunities to be happy and valued members of society.
A parent of a child in the 3-5 year old children’s room asked staff not to allow her child to join in the singing of Happy Birthday to other children as this practice conflicted with the family’s religious beliefs.
The parent was shocked to see a photo of the group displayed on the notice board which included her child singing Happy Birthday to her child’s best friend. She complained to the centre’s director about this matter.
In this scenario each individual has some different and some shared values and beliefs:
The parent
...holds religious beliefs that regard non-religious celebrations as inappropriate and values the centre’s parent partnership philosophy.
The child
...respects the family’s religious values and values being a member of her group and her friendship with another child.
The child care professionals
...value the parent’s right to make requests and value supporting children’s sense of belonging, fostering friendships and social inclusion.
The centre director
...values parents’ rights to make requests in accordance with the centre’s philosophy and values the need to be supportive of her staff.
Possible ethical responses to this scenario include the following.
- Acknowledge the parent’s right to feel shocked and concerned.
- Discuss with the staff the reasons why they allowed the child to participate in the singing of Happy Birthday. (When the birthday cake was brought out, the child had cried when she was asked to go to another part of the room to read books while the celebrations took place. They decided not to exclude the child as they didn’t want to upset her further).
- Identify possible ethical solutions. For example, be prepared by developing a calendar of when these celebrations are likely to occur. Use this child’s interest in babies to arrange for her to visit the babies’ room with a staff member before the celebrations begin and until they are concluded. Use a digital camera to document a photographic story about her visit with the babies to be shared with the group and with her family. The director will ensure there is a staff member available to accompany the child to the babies’ room, or she will be available if needed.
- Discuss these strategies with the parent and the child and, with their approval, adopt them as the ethical response to this parent’s request.
Choose one of the following scenarios:
- a parent of a child in the 3-5’s room asked staff not to allow his child to join in painting Easter eggs as this practice conflicted with their family’s religious beliefs
- a parent of a child in the OHSC group asked the staff not to allow her child to watch the tv as this practice conflicted with the family’s religious beliefs
- or think of a scenario of your own.
In your notebook, explain the ethical dilemma and write down the different points of view, in the same style as in the Happy Birthday scenario you just read.
