Implementing the Child Safe Standards 

This suite of resources aims to support services to implement the Child Safe Standards and strengthen their child safe practices. Developed by the NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian (OCG), the resources include e-learning modules, videos and a podcast miniseries on a range of topics, such as:

• the Child Safe Standards in an ECEC context 
• leadership, including child safe policy creation, recruitment and training 
• risk management 
• reporting obligations 
• child safety and educational programs .

The resources are designed for approved providers, service leaders and educators within all ECEC service types. The full suite is expected to be available by the end of 2024. 

Governance and risk management

The Governance and Risk Management Program is a free series of modules delivered by Early Childhood Australia in partnership with the NSW Department of Education. It has been developed for approved providers and service leaders, managers, nominated supervisors and persons with management or control (PMCs) of all service types.

The modules will help you to understand and implement best practice principles in governance, risk management and service practice across key areas of the Children (Education and Care Services) Law (NSW), Education and Care Services National Regulations (National Law and Regulations) and the National Quality Standard.

This program includes:

• 4 eLearning modules
• fact sheets
• resources and tools
• a recorded webinar as part of our ECE Connect Online series (coming in September).

Look Before You Lock safety awareness program

The NSW Department of Education as the NSW Regulatory Authority for ECEC has launched the ‘Look Before You Lock’ safety awareness program to heighten the sector’s awareness of the importance of safe transportation practices, particularly checking vehicles before locking them to ensure no child is left unattended. The program focuses on raising awareness of the critical risks of harm that can occur to children during transport activities.

ECEC services who are known to provide transport and all family day care providers have received a range of ‘Look Before You Lock’ branded products commonly used during transport routines, with the aim of supporting safe and compliant practices.

Any service that provides regular transport to children and has not received the ‘Look Before You Lock’ branded products is encouraged to check that they have notified the Regulatory Authority that they provide regular transport via NQA ITS and then contact the Information and Enquiries team on 1800 619 113 or via email to ececd@det.nsw.edu.au.

Supervision and medical management in outside school hours care

This package of resources, guidance and support is tailored for outside of school hours care services, educators and staff, with a focus on supervision and medical management in an outside of school hours care setting.

Delivered in partnership with Gowrie NSW, this package aims to drive quality practices that are in line with the National Quality Standard and Approved Learning Frameworks. Enhancing outcomes for school-aged children through improved knowledge of best practice supervision principles and management of medical conditions within an outside of school hours care setting and their implementation into service delivery and practice.

The package consists of 2 toolboxes each with multiple resources, recorded webinars and support materials examining policy, procedure and practices associated with supervision and medical management in an outside of school hours care environment.

Family Day Care PD in Your Pocket program

This NSW Family Day Care Association initiative offers recorded webinars, podcasts and resource booklets to support family day care services to improve quality of practice, comply with regulatory requirements and meet the National Quality Standards.

Webinar topics focus on practice within the family day care context and include:

• Child Safe Standards
• embedding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives
• safe transportation
• safe sleep
• emergency management
• use of technology
• risk management
• active supervision.

Early Childhood Inclusive Education webinar series

This series of 7 interactive webinars from Special Teaching and Research (STaR) outlines the delivery of quality educational programs for children with disability and developmental delays. These resources are relevant to all early childhood educators working in preschools, family day care, long day care and outside of school hours care services.

Webinar topics include:

• inclusion in early childhood services
• observations and planning for inclusion
• strategies to support inclusion
• developing and implementing individual learning plans
• transition to school for children with disabilities and additional needs.

Understanding and supporting children’s behaviour

This webinar series and accompanying workbook from Pheonix Support for Educators helps to promote positive interactions with children in ECEC services.

This course is available and relevant to educators, service leaders and approved providers working in and operating ECEC services of all types.

Webinar topics include:

• children's emotional development

• children's brain development

• connections with children

• supporting children's behaviour
  

• working together with families and communities.

IncludED@OSHC

This series of resources and self-paced learning modules were developed with the support of the NSW Government for outside school hours care educators working with children with disability and developmental delays.

Learn about Included@OSHC on the department’s Outside School Hours Care page. The modules are located on the Victorian Government’s website and educators from across Australia are encouraged to access them.

Other resources

The NSW Regulatory Authority provides a wide array of resources indexed on the ECEC resource library as well as regulatory guidance including:

• Regulatory guidance notes
• Safe sleep and rest
• Transporting children safely
• Unpacking excursions and regular outings
• Anaphylaxis and allergy prevention and management

Contact us

If you have any questions about the Safety and Quality Practice Program, please email us at ECE.QPRS@det.nsw.edu.au.