Governance and leadership - Will using Sprout help me exceed in QA7?

The short answer to that question is yes! Before we get into that though, let's unpack Quality Area 7 and its key requirements.

What is QA7 and why is it so important?

Well, Quality Area 7 is the last of the seven areas that make up the National Quality Framework, and its primary focus is on ensuring that your service is managed properly so that your team is able to deliver their programs in the best environments for children’s learning and development.

Ok, so what is QA7 made up of?

There are two standards and three elements in each standard.

The two standards are governance, which refers to how your service should be managed, and leadership, which refers to your service is led, with special reference to culture and professional learning.

Each of the three elements focus on specific areas such as philosophy, management systems and roles and responsibilities for governance and continuous improvement, educational leadership and professional learning for leadership.

When taken all together and when applied properly the result is a service that is being managed well, with a great culture and in turn great practices and quality delivery of education and care.

So how can Sprout help us achieve a strong result for QA7? What's the connection?

Well, Sprout is what we call a Quality Management System, which digitises and automates compliance processes in ECEC services to help leaders reduce risk, manage tasks, delegate responsibilities, maintain records, track outcomes and perhaps most importantly foster a culture of responsibility.

Do these objectives sound familiar? They should, because each of them is a core part of what's needed to succeed at QA7,and that’s no coincidence.  

The team at Sprout are all ECEC professionals with hands-on service experience, so when they designed the app special attention was paid to the disciplines and practices it would encourage when addressing the important area of compliance, but also the value these same disciplines would have on the broader operation of the service, which is what QA7 is all about.

Sprout and strong Governance practice - Some examples in action

We know that Sprout is incredibly valuable for tracking, recording and managing compliance related activity in a service such as checklists, license expiries and updates. However, in addition to actually doing the tasks it's supposed to do, it also indicates that your service is willing to go one step further to introduce a system that more efficiently manages risk than a paper based system.

This is precisely what QA7 requires in Element 7.1.2 - Systems are in place to manage risk and enable the effective management and operation of a quality service.

So by using Sprout you are not just managing compliance risk but also demonstrating to authorised officers that you are serious about managing risk properly and the systems you use are sound.

Another great thing about Sprout is that it encourages accountability by identifying who is responsible for tasks, and tracking whether they have been completed, something which is required in Element 7.1.3 - Roles and responsibilities are clearly defined, and understood, and support effective decision making and operation of the service.

That is exactly what this Element refers to in that it requires a service leader to ensure everybody knows their roles and responsibilities without which the service cannot effectively operate.

Sprout and strong Leadership practice - An examples in action

And finally, in the Leadership section, Sprout prides itself on developing a positive action culture within its system.

Sprout empowers team members to take responsibility for their tasks, by creating a format where great work can be recognised and also creating an opportunity for educators to identify where or how professional learning may support their growth going forward.

If Standard 7.2 is about fostering strong leadership and a positive culture Sprout is a great bridge to success in this important area.

Sprout take their responsibilities very seriously.

They are a Quality Management System with a focus on compliance and regulation but everything they do has a deeper and broader intent to help your service to not just succeed but to excel.