“It’s our polite nudge in the ribs to help you and your team stay organised and on task.”
This week’s subject is Child safety and protection.
Element 2.2.3: Management, educators and staff are aware of their roles and responsibilities regarding child safety, including the need to identify and respond to every child at risk of abuse or neglect.
How has your service reviewed and adapted its policies, training, and daily practices to ensure that child safety is embedded in everyday practice and service culture in line with the updates to the National Quality Standard (NQS)?
The January 2026 updates to the NQS place a greater emphasis on child safety, shifting beyond general compliance, embedding proactive child safety and protection into the core of service operations. These updates strengthen expectations around risk management, leadership, and organisational culture, ensuring every child is protected from harm.
Services should undertake a thorough review their existing systems, practices and organisational culture to evaluate how effectively child safety is embedded as the central priority and driving principle underpinning every aspect of the service’s operations and decision-making. During your self-assessment, consider the below strategies for implementation:
-
- Reviewing and updating Child Protection and related policies, procedures and resources (i.e., Providing a Child Safe Environment Policy, Safe use of Digital Technologies Policy, Recruitment, Induction and Orientation Policy, procedures and checklists, Protected Disclosures Policy, Supervision Policy, Staff Code of Conduct, Staff, Student and Volunteer Handbooks, Family Handbook etc.). Ensure these are done in collaboration with educators, children and families (where appropriate).
- Including educators and staff in the review of these policies and procedures promotes awareness, ownership and accountability, fostering a holistic child safe culture.
- Ensure reviews, updates and information about who is involved are document as evidence for an authorised officer.
- Ensure all staff, volunteers and students complete the mandatory national child safety training in Geccko(available from 27/02/2026), and are familiar with their mandatory reporting obligations and procedures.
- Audit staff records to ensure up to date information is maintained for all Service employees, students and volunteers in preparation for ACECQA’s National Early Childhood Register.
- Include child protection awareness as regular agenda items in staff meetings to support professional development and continual improvement. Topics may include:
- Reviewing Child Protection and related policies and procedures, including the steps for reporting child protection risk concerns
- Reflecting on and discussing protective behaviours, consent and body safety and how they’re promoted and/or implemented in everyday practice
- Reviewing and ensuring awareness of all regulatory updates
- Complete Child Safe Organisations eLearning training modules in pairs and reflect on as a team
- Reviewing and reflecting on key documents i.e., National Principles for Child Safe Organisations (or state/territory specific, The National Model Code – Taking images in early childhood education and careand the NQF Child Safety Tools: NQF Child Safe Culture Guide, NQF Online Safety Guide , NQF Child Safe Culture Self-assessment and Risk Assessment Tool, Incident Response Template- Responding to complaints, concerns, allegations and disclosures
- Document these discussions including who is in attendance, in meeting minutes. These should be maintained as evidence for authorised officers.
- Consistently provide information, updates and request feedback about child safety and protection to engage staff and families. Consultation builds ownership and trust, helping everyone understand their shared responsibility in protecting children’s safety.
- Ensure all staff, educators, volunteers and visitors are informed of their obligation to notify the approved provider, in writing, of any changes to their WWCC or teacher accreditation or registration within 72 hours, or within 24 hours of becoming aware of the change (NSW).
- Ensure all staff, educators, students and volunteers are aware that it is an offence for anyone involved in the provision of education and care to subject a child to inappropriate conduct under Section 166A of the National Law and their reporting obligations to report any concerns and allegations of inappropriate conduct (observed or suspected or disclosures) by other staff members, volunteers or students to the approved provider within 24 hours.
- Review and update the service’s supervision strategies and supervision plan to ensure implementation of a range of strategies to provide effective supervision, including using attendance records to ensure all children are accounted for at all times, while being educated and cared for.
- Ensure educators, volunteers and students are aware of their obligations to report observed or suspected abuse involving other staff, educators, volunteers or students under the Reportable Conduct Scheme (NSW, ACT, QLD, TAS, VIC, WA).
-
- Review and update the Service’s risk management practices, including the Child Protection Risk Assessment.
- Update your Service QIP to document and demonstrate ongoing evaluation and continuous improvement.
The regulatory updates and refinements to the NQS reflect a national commitment to child safety. They urge services to go beyond basic compliance, creating environments where children feel safe, respected, and empowered. By embedding child safety and protection into everyday practice and operations, services foster a genuine child-safe culture, strengthening family trust and confidently upholding their duty of care to every child.
Resources:
Guide to the NQF- Element 2.2.3: Child safety and protection
Reporting child abuse and neglect- State/Territory contacts
National Principles for Child Safe Organisations
Australian Institute of Family Studies-Helplines, telephone and online counselling services for children, young people and adults
Reporting and responding schemes- Key information links and contacts tool
We Hear You- A culture of consent
Compliance focus – child safe recruitment policies and ongoing employment practices
Displaying compliance and quality history (NSW)
Within System7 go to Quality Area 2/ Modules 31- 34 to submit self-assessment notes and if required, open a QIP issue to create new tasks to action.
The Childcare Centre Desktop has a range of resources to assist services with the governance of child safety and protection. These include Child Protection Policy, Child Safe Standards Checklist, Whistleblower Policy (Protected Disclosers), Child Protection Risk Assessment, Child Safe Environment Policy, Safe Use of Digital Technologies and Online Environments Policy and Procedure, Digital Technologies and Online Environments Risk Assessment, Electronic Device Register, and much more.
Resources, NQS Element, Regulation and System7 links:
Childcare Centre Desktop – Childcare Centre Desktop
National Quality Standard – QA2/ 2.2.3- Child safety and protection
National Law and Regulations – Section 166A (NSW), 84, 85, 86, 168, 173, 173A, 174
System7 Module – QA2/ Modules 31- 34
If you have any questions send us a note via the Contact page here!
