Requesting Feedback on ACECQA's Final Report on Child Safety Arrangements

This follows the NSW Department of Education's briefing today with the sector's stakeholders (which included ACA NSW).

ACA NSW members will recall the vile 1,623 sexual assaults on 91 girls between 2007 and 2022 across 13 early childhood education and care services exposed by the Australian Federal Police, Queensland Police and NSW Police's Operation Tenterfield.

Tasked by the Education Ministers Council, ACECQA released in December 2023 its Review of Child Safety Arrangements under the National Quality Framework Final Report – Findings and recommendations for the NQF and inter-related child safety mechanisms (107 pages). (PLEASE NOTE: The official Executive Summary (48 pages) is also available.)

ACECQA's Final Report makes 16 recommendations across a range of aspects, including:

1. the practice of smartphone devices with cameras by educators/teachers;
2. the role of Closed Circuit Television (CCTVs) or equivalents;
3. the Working WIth Children Check's systems (and hence the criminal history assessments) across the Australian states and territories; and
4. early childhood teachers' and educators' accreditation and registration systems across the Australian states and territories.

In response, ACA NSW did write to the NSW Minister for Education and Early Learning (the Hon Prue Car MP) regarding five significant concerns:

• the early childhood education and care sector’s inherent culture of not having the necessary expertise in all paedophiles’ thinkings or tactics;
• the potential inadequacies of whistleblower protections in order to more timely and frictionlessly receive reports of potential paedophile activities and/or behaviours;
• the lack of technical expertise to anticipate, detect or combat paedophiles’ tactics (for example, use of covert recording devices as well as approving blindspots);
• the need for an expanded and harmonised early warning platform to remove and prevent potential paedophiles from working as qualified early childhood educators and teachers; and
• the potential absence of leveraging law enforcement’s and associated agencies’ existing and ongoing surveillance of paedophile activities as early warning channel(s).

Following the NSW Department of Education's briefing today, ACA NSW is seeking initial feedback/input from ACA NSW members by tomorrow (Friday, 19 January 2024) in advance of the next Education Ministers Meeting to be held soon.

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

PUBLISHED: 18 JANUARY 2024