The Children (Education and Care Services) Law (NSW) and Education and Care Services National Regulations (National Law and Regulations) set out requirements for policies, procedures and risk assessments. These help services to keep children safe and to embed respectful interactions with children across a service.

The Child Safe Standards provide a framework for enhancing the safety of children in organisations. Approved providers and service leaders have legislated responsibilities to provide a child safe environment that promotes a culture of child safety and wellbeing. Respectful interactions with children that are responsive to children’s needs, incorporate child protection considerations and are embedded in the daily work of a service help to build a child safe culture that places the child at the centre.

Policy and procedure requirements

Policies and procedures that inform safe practices help to protect every child from harm and hazard while in the care of a service.

All ECEC services must have policies and procedures to support and guide appropriate interactions with children Regulation 168(2)(j)). Approved providers must ensure the service provides education and care to children in a way that:

• encourages children to express themselves and their opinions
• allows children to undertake experiences that develop self-reliance and self-esteem
• always maintains the dignity and rights of each child
• gives each child positive guidance and encouragement towards acceptable behaviour
• considers family and cultural values; age; physical and intellectual development and abilities of each child at the service
• ensures children have opportunities to interact and develop respectful and positive relationships with each other and with educators, staff and volunteers.

In providing these opportunities, providers must consider the size and composition of groups of children (Part 4.5 Relationships with children).

ACECQA has developed Interactions with children policy and procedure guidelines (PDF 201 KB) to assist services to meet the requirements outlined in regulation 168(2)(j).

What do positive interactions with children look like?

Positive interactions and relationships support children to develop confidence and agency to explore and learn about their world. Supportive interactions encourage children’s self-expression, promote self-reliance, maintain each child’s dignity and rights, provide positive guidance and recognise diverse cultures, values and abilities.

Educators and service staff should view each child as capable and competent. Children have the right to be heard and should be able to actively contribute to decisions that affect them.

Developing effective relationships with others is a key part of children’s social development, helping to shape children’s learning and their understanding of the world. It is crucial that we model respectful, positive, encouraging and supportive interactions to help children develop into capable learners with a strong sense of identity and well-being.

Having a child safe code of conduct can support all staff and educators to understand their role and responsibilities in safe, supportive interactions and relationships with children. Positive interactions help children to feel accepted, secure and supported, and should be embedded within your service’s culture and daily practice.

The Safety and Quality Practice program contains resources and support programs that are free and accessible to all services. Both the Understanding and supporting children’s behaviour and IncludED@OSHC resources focus on understanding and supporting children’s individual needs and abilities leading to more positive interactions with children at your service.

Further information and resources

NSW Department of Education

• Understanding and supporting children’s behaviour webinar, ECE Connect online March 2024

Office of the Children’s Guardian

• Child Safe Early Childhood Education and Care eLearning and Policy and Practice in Focus: An ECEC Child Safe Podcast Miniseries (funded by the NSW Department of Education)
• OCG – Child Safe Code of Conduct

ACECQA

• Quality Area 5 – Relationships with children information sheets
• Preparing NQF policies and procedures page