ACECQA has published a number of resources to help services through the assessment and rating process. These include:

National Quality Standard Assessment and Rating Instrument - is used by authorised officers when they visit a service and helps them assess and rate the service against the National Quality Standard.

The instrument outlines the processes involved during an assessment and what authorised officers will be looking for during a visit and is a useful resource for services preparing to be assessed.

Authorised officers use the instrument to:

• prepare for the assessment and rating visit
• record observations and evidence during the visit to support the assessment; and
• determine ratings and prepare the report for the service after the visit.

The National Quality Standard Assessment and Rating Instrument includes:

• a service details section
• a list of the rating level descriptors for each quality area accompanied by space for recording observations and evidence; and notes relevant to the service's Quality Improvement Plan
• a table that summarises the elements that were 'met' and 'not met', and the ratings for the standards within each quality area and
• a table that presents the quality area ratings and the overall rating.

Guide to Assessment and Rating for Services - has been developed to help services understand assessment and rating against the NQF. It is important for services to be aware of the steps involved in the assessment and rating process so they meet all their legal requirements. The guide contains information for services about their obligations and includes:

• an overview of assessment and rating
• a flow chart of the assessment and rating process, followed by more detailed steps
• information on what happens before, during and after the assessment and rating visit
• notes pages for services to jot down any reminders or comments relevant to their service.

Guide to Assessment and Rating for Regulatory Authorities - helps authorised officers assess and rate services under the NQF.

The guide includes:

• an overview of assessment and rating
• a flow chart of the regulatory authorities' role in the assessment and rating process
• information on the completion of all aspects of the assessment and rating process
• policies that support the assessment and rating process such as the effect of compliance issues on the rating, minor adjustments and assessing inconsistent quality.