The NSW Department of Education is responsible for regulating early childhood education and care (ECEC) services across the state. As the NSW Regulatory Authority for the ECEC sector, we work to ensure the delivery of safe, high-quality early childhood education and care for children by monitoring and supporting services' compliance with the National Quality Framework.

What is the Ministerial Statement of Expectations?

A Ministerial Statement of Expectation (SOE) is a formal public statement made by the responsible minister(s) outlining the government’s expectations of how a regulator should improve its operations. The SOE was created to build confidence and trust in the regulation of ECEC services by establishing clear expectations for regulation and continuous improvement of the NSW Regulatory Authority.

The SOE outlines the NSW Regulatory Authority’s agreed deliverables, which support the delivery of safe, high-quality early childhood education and care in NSW. These deliverables focus on 4 key themes including:

• safe ECEC environments and quality outcomes for children
• responsive risk-based regulation
• culturally safe regulation
• improved sector experience and engagement through effective communication.

The NSW Regulatory Authority will aim to deliver the activities and achieve the targets within the specified 2-year period identified in the SOE. We will monitor progress along the way and report publicly on our performance against the SOE annually. At the end of this period, we will report on achievements through a publicly available statement. The SOE will be reviewed every 2 years to ensure the targets remain current and appropriate.

What does the Ministerial Statement of Expectations mean for parents, families and communities?

The NSW Regulatory Authority aims to be a trusted regulator and source of information, guidance and support relating to early childhood education and care in NSW for families. We want children to have the best experience through their early childhood learning journey, and families to feel confident that their child is safe and supported to learn and develop in NSW ECEC services.

The updated SOE reflects the department’s ongoing commitment to ensuring the health, safety and wellbeing of children attending ECEC services in NSW and driving continuous improvement across the sector.

It provides greater transparency of the NSW Regulatory Authority’s function and performance indicators. This allows parents and families to gain a clearer understanding of how ECEC services in NSW are regulated, the department’s role as regulator and how we can support them.

We value family engagement and encourage parents and carers to contact the NSW Regulatory Authority to share feedback and suggestions or raise concerns about ECEC services in NSW.

What does the Ministerial Statement of Expectations mean for services?

The NSW Regulatory Authority is committed to working in partnership with the sector to continuously improve service quality and safety. The SOE allows for greater accountability of regulatory activities, which will strengthen relationships with ECEC services by ensuring that stakeholders are aware of the department’s expectations and core activities.

The statement also reassures the ECEC sector of the department’s commitment to providing stakeholders with the most relevant, up-to-date advice and communication. The objective of the expectations is to ensure services feel supported and equipped with information and resources they need to deliver safe, high-quality education and care.

Feedback and complaints

Feedback and complaints about services or the department as the NSW Regulatory Authority can be raised in one of the following ways:

• Call 1800 619 113
• Email ececd@det.nsw.edu.au.

You can also make a complaint about the NSW Regulatory Authority to the NSW Ombudsman. Visit its website to find out more.

For more information about complaints handling, including our policy, please visit our Give feedback or make a complaint page.