Child Safety Regulatory Priority

The NSW Department of Education has announced a 12-month Child Safety Regulatory Priority Program for early childhood education and care beginning May 2025 to April 2026.

To provide more information and clarification, the NSW Regulatory Authority will be hosting an online presentation for Approved Providers and service leaders to reflect on key aspects of child safety, with a focus on reporting behaviours and requirements:

• on Wednesday, 30 April 2025

• from 1 pm to 2 pm

• Please register via https://events.humanitix.com/embedding-a-child-safe-culture

This session will include a panel discussion with representatives from the NSW Police, the NSW Office of Children's Guardian and the NSW Department of Communities and Justice, as well as a powerful testimony from a parent impacted by child abuse.

The NSW Department of Education's Child Safety Regulatory Priority Program is designed to support Approved Providers, services, educators and teachers in understanding their responsibilities to keep children safe by driving uplift in child safe culture, behaviours and practices across all ECEC services in NSW, with a specific focus on the prevention of harm and abuse.

Over the 12 months, the Program will:  

• provide extensive information, guidance and resources to the sector on child safety

• spotlight key practice areas associated with child safety 

• uplift and embed quality practices across ECEC services. 

Key outcomes of the Child Safety Regulatory Priority Program

The NSW Regulatory Authority envisages that by working together with Approved Providers, service leaders, educators and teachers, the Child Safety Regulatory Priority Program aims to: 

• drive an increase in the sector’s awareness of child safe practices, and participation in child safe training and education 

• reduce the rate of non-compliance by approved providers, services and staff in ECEC in matters relating to child safety in the National Law and Regulations 

• ensure child safety continues to be embedded at the core of every decision or action a service takes. 

Members can read more about the announcement as well as links to obligations under the different areas of child safety, Guide to the Child Safe Standards for ECEC and OSHC, the regulatory requirements for child safety, and other resources to inform child safe practices.

NOTE: ACA NSW has submitted the following questions to this online presentation:

1. Will the Child Safety Regulatory Priority Program increase the percentage of all NSW services whose overall Quality Rating is Meeting or higher to above 92.6% of all services with a rating (as of 31 March 2025)?

2. Will the Child Safety Regulatory Priority Program increase the percentage of all NSW services whose overall Quality Rating 2 (Children's Health and Safety) is Meeting or higher to above 94.7% of all services with a rating (as of 31 March 2025)?

3. How will child safety related success(es) of this Program be defined and measured?

4. Will such reports/observations of successes be shared with the sector?

5. How will the NSW Regulatory Authority ensure that their Authorised Officers truly improve child safety deficits without adding to services’, educators’ and teachers’ regulatory loads?

For any further information/clarification, members can also contact the ACA NSW team via 1300 556 330 or nsw@childcarealliance.org.au. 

PUBLISHED: 15 APRIL 2025