Statement of Commitment

The duties of a development/improvement professional

Membership of AEDIPS involves a commitment to a set of inclusive principles commonly held by all development and improvement professionals.

Our stakeholders, whether they are employers, teachers, parents, children and young people or colleagues, must be able to trust the development/improvement professional. To justify the trust of others, we have a duty to maintain a good standard of practice and show respect for those we work with. In particular, we should:

agree a common ethical purpose to deliver the entitlement of children and young people in Scotland to a high quality education
demonstrate a high level of skill and leadership in all the areas of education we work in
keep our own professional knowledge and skills up to date and encourage stakeholders to do the same
demonstrate the vision, strategy and initiative that we wish to encourage in our stakeholders
respect the rights of stakeholders to be fully involved in judgements and decisions
treat everyone we deal with politely and considerately
listen to those we work with and respect their views
convey information in a way other people can understand
be honest and trustworthy
avoid conflicts of interest between different areas of our work
ensure that work outside normal employment does not adversely affect normal employment or conflict with the interests of stakeholders
respect confidential information.

In all these matters we must advocate fairness and equality of opportunity when dealing with stakeholders.

Good Practice

1. Everyone who comes in contact with us is entitled to good standards of practice. Essential elements of this are professional competence; good relationships; and observance of professional obligations.

We should:

be skilled, knowledgeable and competent in all the areas of education we work in
be willing to consult stakeholders
make accurate records of our work which are clear to stakeholders and colleagues
keep colleagues well informed of our work
make efficient use of available resources.

Maintaining good practice

2. We should keep our knowledge and skills up to date throughout our working life. In particular, we should take part regularly in educational activities which maintain and further develop our competence and performance.

3. Some areas of education are governed by law or are regulated by other statutory bodies. We should keep up to date with the laws and statutory codes of practice which affect our work.

Maintaining performance

4. We should undertake to work with colleagues to monitor and maintain the quality of our work and maintain a high awareness of the need for development. In particular, we should agree to:

take part in regular and systematic audit
respond constructively to the outcome of reviews, assessments or appraisals of our performance.

Where necessary, we should respond to the results of audit to improve our practice, for example, by undertaking further training.

Teaching and training

5. We should be willing to contribute to the induction and education of colleagues new to the profession.

6. If we have responsibilities for teaching/training, we should develop the skills, attitudes and practices of a competent teacher. We should also make sure that new colleagues are given constructive advice.

7. Being a development/improvement professional increasingly means working in a multi-disciplinary team. Working in a team does not change our personal accountability for our professional conduct. When working in a team, we should:

respect the skills and contributions of colleagues
communicate effectively with colleagues within and outside the team
make sure that stakeholders and colleagues understand our professional status and specialty, our role and responsibilities in the team and who is responsible for each aspect of the work
participate in regular reviews and audit of the standards and performance of the team, taking steps to remedy any deficiencies.

Research

8. It is the responsibility of development/improvement professionals to participate in research. We should conduct all research with honesty and integrity.

Professional Collaboration

9. AEDIPS undertakes:

to support members, as one of the main instruments in local authorities of educational development and improvement, through the dissemination of information, the provision of professional development and regular opportunities for discussion of matters of mutual professional interest
to encourage liaison between the association and the main external agencies in Scottish education - SQA, ADES, SEED, LTScotland, etc
to foster links between educational development and improvement professionals in Scotland and the other countries of the UK, the main means currently being through affiliation with the National Association of Educational Inspectors Advisers and Consultants (ASPECT).

10. Information can be disseminated by the inclusion of regular news updates in the AEDIPS website, by the annual conference and by regular cluster/area meetings of AEDIPS members on matters of mutual interest, as required.

11. Members are encouraged to forward to the AEDIPS secretary as early as possible any information on events of interest to members. Under the heading 'events' are included curriculum meetings and notice of professional development opportunities. Members are further encouraged to convene cluster/area meetings, which offer professional development opportunities and discussion of matters of mutual interest and can involve delivery by the members themselves or by external agencies.

12. ASPECT colleagues are encouraged to include an input from that organisation into website news updates, conferences and area meetings.