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Making positive changes in OSHC through Innovative Solutions support

23 June 2022
Making positive changes in OSHC through Innovative Solutions support

Nobbs St and Park Avenue OSHC services in Rockhampton identified barriers within their services relating to challenging behaviours.

Through conversations with their Inclusion Professional (IP) Amanda, both service Coordinators identified that the physical environment and routines were contributing to the challenges. Children were disengaging and their emotions were regularly escalating into outbursts. Educators were unsure how to include and support the children as they felt the skills and knowledge they had and were using did not meet the children’s inclusion needs.

With further support from IP Amanda, Coordinator Nadine developed an Innovative Solutions project proposal that demonstrated the inclusion barriers and outlined how the chosen provider, The Outsiders play advocates, would build the capacity and confidence of educators, to better include and engage the children within the program.

The Educators were supported through professional conversations, to critically reflect on their own values, beliefs, attitudes and feelings as they delved deeper into the realms of play, play theory and the many developmental benefits that surround it. They were also provided with practical information, theory, and knowledge of why and how to implement a loose parts setting.

The Outsider’s consultant provided several onsite visits to the centres to consider how the play spaces were currently used and address the barriers that were outlined in the Innovative Solutions project, with tailored strategies. As a result, the children now have more choice in their day, the play settings and routines have been enhanced and are now more meaningful and interesting for all the children.

Upon completion of the Innovative Solution project and the changes in the environment, educators have observed that there have been positive changes in the children’s behaviours. Educators state that ‘Children are interacting with each other more freely and with less conflict’.

Educators have also observed children’s increased enjoyment when they are able to experiment, and problem solve during ‘risky’ and ‘rough and tumble' play. Educators are now more confident and have a greater understanding of the importance of child-led practices.

Contact your Inclusion Professional to discuss how Innovative Solutions may be able to help your service.