Values — Department and VPS Values for School Employees

Overview

The Department’s Values are the Public Sector Values

Public education, early childhood development and training are critical public services. The jobs we do to provide high quality education services are very important. As employees of the public sector, all Department staff working in government schools and offices are required to demonstrate the Public Sector Values in accordance with the binding Code of Conduct for Victorian Public Sector Employees.

The Department of Education and Training (the Department) has adopted the public sector values which are set out in the Code of Conduct for Victorian Public Sector Employees. They are:

• Responsiveness
• Integrity
• Impartiality
• Accountability
• Respect
• Leadership
• Human Rights

The Department’s Values underpin how we interact with colleagues, learners and families, members of the community, suppliers and government. We are all required to uphold and demonstrate the Department’s Values in our work.

For more information about the Department’s Values please take the time to read the materials and tools provided on this page and in the Resources tab to support you in understanding the Department’s Values and how they apply to the work you do.

The Public Sector Values

The Public Administration Act 2004 establishes values to guide conduct and performance in the Victorian Public Sector.

The values and the Code of Conduct based on the values provide the foundation of the integrity and accountability framework for all public sector employees.

Values define what is important to an organisation and how things will be done. In the Victorian public sector, they underpin an employee's interaction with the government, community, suppliers and other employees.

For resources for school employees, please refer to the Resources tab.

For resources and information for central and regional office employees, please refer to the Our Values — Central and Regional Office Employees page.

Additional information

Decision making on all human resources matters should be undertaken in accordance with the Department's ethical decision making model which provides a guide for managers, principals and other employees to follow when thinking through ethical challenges, exploring ethical dilemmas and identifying ethical courses of action. Further information, including the Ethical Decision Making Guide, is available on the Department's integrity portal at Ethical Decision Making.

The Victorian Public Sector Commission (VPSC) also provides guidance on ethics in public sector workplaces:

• VPSC Ethics, Behaviours and Culture
• VPSC Ethics in the Workplace

Related policies

• Code of Conduct
• Ministerial Orders — Employment
• Victorian Public Sector Employment Principles and Standards

Relevant legislation

• Public Administration Act 2004 (Vic)

Policy and Guidelines

There is no further guidance for this topic. For more information, refer to the Resources tab.

Resources

The following resources are available for employees in school locations.

Principals may decide how and when to use the resources below and which are the most useful for their employees.

e-Module learning program

An e-module has been designed to help you understand the Department's Values and how their representative behaviours apply to your role. This module is one of a suite of modules linked to the Department's commitment to respectful workplaces.

The Understanding DET's Values — schools e-module is available via the eduPay LearnED module:

• Understanding DET's Values — Schools e-learning module (eduPay login is required)
• LearnEd information and Help Documents

Values eThank You Card

The Values eThank You cards provide the opportunity to thank your colleagues for 'living our values everyday'. So why not recognise one or more colleagues by sending them an eThank You Card.

Because at DET, how we behave and treat one another is just as important as the work we do.

The Values eThank You Card site is an online intranet page available to all school and corporate staff.

• Values eThank You Card site

Other resources

The Word versions for each of the PDF documents below have been created for system reading software. The content is the same, however the formatting and display is different to accommodate system reader functionality.

• Quick Reference Guide (Word)
• Quick Reference Guide (PDF)
• DET's Values for School Staff (Word) — with facilitator notes
• DET's Values for School Staff (PPT) — with facilitator notes
• Team Activity — Defining DET's Values at Your School (Word)
• Team Activity — Defining DET's Values at Your School (PDF)
• Team Activity — Respect Scenarios (Word)
• Team Activity — Respect Scenarios (PDF)
• Tips and Ideas for a Values Event (Word)
• Tips and Ideas for a Values Event (PDF)
• Conversation Cards for Schools Set 1 — Scenarios for Discussion (Word)
• Conversation Cards for Schools Set 1 — Scenarios for Discussion (PDF)
• Conversation Cards for Schools Set 2 — Scenarios for Discussion (Word)
• Conversation Cards for Schools Set 2 — Scenarios for Discussion (PDF)
• Facilitation Guide (Word)
• Facilitation Guide (PDF)
• Integrity Moments Tip Sheet (Word)
• Integrity Moments Tip Sheet (PDF)
• Values in Recruitment Guide (Word)
• Values in Recruitment Guide (PDF)
• Words that Work — Supporting Business Manager (Word)
• Words that Work — Supporting Business Manager (PDF)

Team activity sheets

• Responsiveness (Word)
• Responsiveness (PDF)
• Integrity (Word)
• Integrity (PDF)
• Impartiality (Word)
• Impartiality (PDF)
• Accountability (Word)
• Accountability (PDF)
• Respect (Word)
• Respect (PDF)
• Leadership (Word)
• Leadership (PDF)
• Human Rights (Word)
• Human Rights (PDF)

Team activity — scenarios for discussion

• Impartiality (Word)
• Impartiality (PDF)
• Accountability Word)
• Accountability (PDF)
• Respect (Word) (5 scenarios)
• Respect (PDF)
• Leadership (Word)(2 scenarios)
• Leadership (PDF) (2 scenarios)
• Human Rights (Word)
• Human Rights (PDF)

Email signature blocks

• How to add a Department Value image to your existing signature block (Word)
• How to add a Department Value image to your existing signature block (PDF)
• Responsiveness (JPEG)
• Integrity (JPEG)
• Impartiality (JPEG)
• Accountability (JPEG)
• Respect (JPEG)
• Leadership (JPEG)
• Human Rights (JPEG)
• All 7 Values in one (JPEG)

Posters

• Posters (PDF)