“It’s our polite nudge in the ribs to help you and your team stay organised and on task.”
This week’s subject is: Safe sleep and rest
Element 2.1.1: Each child’s wellbeing and comfort is provided for, including appropriate opportunities to meet each child’s need for sleep, rest and relaxation.
Have you conducted a risk assessment to identify any potential hazards associated with sleep and rest at your Service and used the findings to inform your policies and procedures in line with the October legislative updates?
There are new legislative requirements for sleep and rest that apply to all states and territories, excluding WA (Services in WA should contact the regulatory authority for further information). Services are already required to have policies and procedures relating to sleep and rest (r168). The new legislative requirements set out additional steps that approved providers, nominated supervisors and FDC educators must implement to ensure a safe sleep environment, practices and procedures and remain compliant. The new requirements specify that Services must ensure:
-
- sleep and rest policies and procedures address the matters set out in regulation 84B
- a sleep and rest risk assessment is conducted at least once every 12 months, and as soon as practicable after becoming aware of any circumstance that may affect the safety, health or wellbeing of children during sleep and rest. The sleep and rest risk assessment is to be conducted for the purpose of preparing the service’s policies and procedures for sleep and rest (r84C).
- that bassinets are not on the education and care service premises at any time that children are being educated and cared for by the service (r84D)
Sleep and rest policies and procedures:
Services must revise their sleep and rest policy and procedure to ensure it addresses the maters set out in regulation 84B and is informed by the safe sleep and rest risk assessment. Ensure your policies and procedures address:
-
- how children will be protected from any risks identified in the risk assessment
- how the sleep and rest needs of children being educated and cared for by the service are met, including how the ages, developmental stages and the sleep and rest needs of individual children are considered
- how the health care needs of individual children are met
- how requests from families about a child’s sleep and rest and cultural preferences are considered
- adequate supervision and monitoring during sleep and rest periods, including the method and frequency of checking the safety, health and wellbeing of children during sleep and rest periods and the documentation of sleep and rest periods
- how the sleep and rest practices are consistent with any current health guidelines on the best practices to adopt to ensure the safety of children during sleep and rest
- the induction, training and knowledge of staff at the service in relation to best practice for children’s sleep and rest
- the location and arrangement of sleep and rest areas at the service and how this meets children’s sleep and rest needs
- safety and suitability of cots, bedding and bedding equipment, having regard to the ages and developmental stages of children who will use them
- the management of potential hazards in sleep and rest areas and on a child during sleep and rest periods
- the management of physical safety and suitability of sleep and rest environments including temperature, lighting and ventilation
- communication of the sleep and rest policies and procedures to a parent
- in the case of a family day care service that provides overnight care, management of risks relating to overnight care at each family day care residence or approved venue of the service
- for services where overnight care is provided (such as services in hospitals, where shift workers’ children attend overnight), the risk assessment must address management of risks relating to overnight care, to inform policies and procedures
Risk assessment requirements:
Approved providers must now ensure that a sleep and rest risk assessment is conducted for the purpose of preparing the sleep and rest policy and procedures. The risk assessment must be conducted at least every 12 months and as soon as practicable after becoming aware of any circumstance that may affect the safety, health or wellbeing of children during sleep and rest. The sleep and rest risk assessment must identify and assess any potential risks associated with sleep and rest and specify how the identified risks will be managed and minimised. Services must then ensure they make any required updates to their policies and procedures as soon as practicable after conducting the risk assessment.
Risk assessments must consider and include the following information:
-
- the number, ages, developmental stages and individual needs of children
- the sleep and rest needs of individual children being educated and cared for (including specific health care needs, cultural preferences, sleep and rest needs of individual children and requests from families about a child’s sleep and rest)
- the suitability of staffing arrangements to adequately supervise and monitor children during sleep and rest periods
- the level of knowledge and training of staff supervising children during sleep and rest periods
- the location of sleep and rest areas, including the arrangement of cots and beds within the sleep and rest areas
- the safety and suitability of any cots, beds and bedding equipment, having regard to the ages and developmental stages of the children who will use the cots, bed and bedding equipment
- any potential hazards
- in sleep and rest areas (such as blinds, cords etc.)
-
- on a child during sleep and rest periods (such as jewellery, teething accessories, clothing)
- the physical safety and suitability of sleep and rest environments (including temperature, lighting and ventilation)
- for services that provide overnight care (such as services located in hospitals catering for shift workers) the risk assessment must address management of risks relating to overnight care, to inform policies and procedures
- for FDC services that provide overnight care to a child, any risks that the overnight care provided at the family day care residence or approved venue may pose to the safety, health or wellbeing of the child.
Prohibition of Bassinets:
There are currently no Australian Standards for bassinets and therefore they’re not safe for use in education and care settings and are now prohibited. This additional legislative requirement is effective from 1 October 2023 for all states and territories excluding WA (which will start at a later date) and prohibits bassinets being left on the premises of any education and care service, including during times when families are dropping off and/or picking up their children (r84D).
Services should review all of the changes collaboratively and ensure that all staff are aware of the new requirements and additional responsibilities with ensuring safe sleep and rest. Ensure you include the updated sleep and rest requirements in your family and staff information handbook/ induction procedure.
Resources:
Education and Care Services National Further Amendment Regulations 2023
Sleep and rest legislative requirements
Sleep learning for early education professionals
Within System7 go to Quality Area 2/Module 1 to submit self-assessment notes and if required, open a QIP issue if you identify any areas of improvement.
The Childcare Centre Desktop has a range of resources to assist services with sleep and rest. These include Sleep and Rest Policy, Safe Sleep Practices Risk Assessment Action Plan, Safe Sleep and Rest Audit, OSHC Rest Time Policy and much more.
Resources, NQS Element, Regulation and System7 links:
Childcare Centre Desktop – Childcare Centre Desktop
National Quality Standard – QA 2/ 2.1.1- Wellbeing and comfort
National Regulations – 84A, 84B, 84C, 84D, 168 (2)(a)(v), 170
System7 Module – QA 2/ Module 1
If you have any questions send us a note via the Contact page here!
