“It’s our polite nudge in the ribs to help you and your team stay organised and on task.”
This week’s subject is Supervision.
Element 2.2.1: At all times, reasonable precautions and adequate supervision ensure children are protected from harm and hazard.
Have you reviewed and updated your service’s supervision documentation, procedures, resources and daily practices to ensure they align with recent legislative updates for the safe use of devices in education and care services? The Desktop has rewritten our Safe Use of Digital Technology Policy (V4.3.26) to ensure amendments to National Law are included and practices for child safety embedded in the policy.
Under the National Law, services must ensure that all children are adequately supervised at all times while being educated and care for. Adequate supervision means educators are able to respond immediately to children and remain aware of where children are, what they are doing, and identify and manage potential hazards within the environment.
Recent child safety reforms further strengthen this expectation, including setting a legal standard that the safety, rights and best interests of children are the paramount consideration in all service decisions and operations. These reforms highlight the importance of robust governance systems, safe environments and vigilant supervision practices that actively prevent harm across all routines and experiences, including the use of digital technologies and online environments. As such, effective supervision must be embedded across policies, procedures, staff responsibilities, daily routines and the physical environment.
The regulatory amendments build on the child safe practices of the National Model Code for Taking Images of Children in Early Childhood Education and Care and its Guidelines. This reinforces that the use of digital devices is not a standalone practice, it is intrinsically linked to supervision, child safety and risk management.
Services must ensure that all documentation, systems and practices clearly demonstrate that:
-
- children are adequately and actively supervised at all times
-
- appropriate educator to child ratios are maintained
-
- digital technologies are used in ways that protect children from harm and hazard
-
- practices that reflect a strong child safe culture are embedded across all service operations.
The increasing use of digital devices and online environments in education and care services presents a range of potential risks to children’s safety, privacy and wellbeing. These include inappropriate capture or use of images, exposure to unsuitable content (both inadvertently and purposefully), interaction with unsafe individuals, and breaches of confidentiality. These risks must be actively identified and mitigated through active supervision, robust risk assessment and ongoing training for staff, students and volunteers.
Services are required to ensure that the use of service-supplied or authorised devices does not compromise their ability to maintain active supervision, and that educators clearly understand their responsibilities when working directly with children. Embedding clear procedures, strengthening educator capability and engaging in ongoing critical reflection are essential to ensuring that digital environments remain safe, intentional and aligned with the paramount consideration of children’s safety, rights and best interests.
Services should review key documents to ensure robust supervision practices are thoughtfully referenced to support a child safe environment:
-
- Safe Use of Digital Technologies and Online Environments Policy and Procedure
-
- Child Safe Environment Policy and Procedure
-
- Child Protection Policy
-
- Staff handbook and Code of Conduct Policy (to detail clear expectations regarding personal devices and active supervision)
-
- Risk assessments (including digital technology use and accessing online environments)
-
- Supervision plans
-
- Supervision audit
-
- Staff induction materials (including device restrictions, expectations and the National Model Code).
Services leaders should ensure they provide ongoing professional development for all staff, students and volunteers on:
-
- child safe use of digital technologies
- mandatory child safety and prescribed child protection training
- digital privacy and information protection
- maintaining active supervision while using devices.
Ongoing review is essential. Services should regularly evaluate how digital technologies are used within the program, how risks are identified and mitigated, and whether supervision practices remain responsive to emerging challenges. This includes seeking input from educators, staff and families, and using incidents, near misses and reflective discussions to inform improvements. Updating the QIP to reflect strengthened supervision and digital safety practices ensures a structured approach to continuous improvement and demonstrates a commitment to embedding a strong child safe culture.
By aligning policies, practices and professional learning with current legislative requirements, services can ensure that digital environments are safe, intentional and supportive of children’s wellbeing and development.
Resources:
Guide to the NQF- Element 2.2.1: Supervision
Safe use of devices in education and care services
Strengthened NQF child safety and protections
National Model Code for Early Childhood Education and Care
Guide to the NQF- Operational requirements: Quality Area 2: Children’s health and safety
ACECQA Information sheets- QA2- Active Supervision: Ensuring safety and promoting learning, Understanding paramount consideration, Using digital devices in centre-based education and care services
Summary of Child Safety Review changes 2025-2026
eSafety Early Years Program for educators
Within System7 go to Quality Area 2/ Modules 16 – 23 to submit self-assessment notes and if required, open a QIP issue if you identify any areas of improvement.
The Desktop has a range of resources to assist services documenting and planning for effective supervision. These include Supervision Policy, Supervision Audit, Supervision Guidelines and Procedure (including headcount record), Safe Use of Digital technologies and online Environments Policy (updated March 2026) and Procedure, Digital Technologies and Online Environments Risk Assessment, Electronic Device Register, Educator and Child Ratio Record, Supervision Plan, Safe sleep and Rest Policy, Safe sleep and Rest Audit, Supervision Risk Assessment, Working Directly with Children Guide and much more.
Resources, NQS Element, Regulation and System7 links:
The Desktop – The Desktop
National Quality Standard – QA 2/ 2.2.1- Supervision
National Law– S2A, S3A (NSW) S165, S166A (NSW), S167, S174, Part 6A
National Regulations– Div 6, Div 6A, Div 7, 115, 122, 166, 168, 179A, 179B
System7 Module – QA 2/ Modules 16 – 23
If you have any questions, send us a note via the Contact page here!
