Child related records are to be kept for 3 years after the child’s last day of attendance. These include:

• child assessments or evaluations for delivery of the educational program
  

• medication records
  

• children's attendance record

• child enrolment records
• an incident, injury, trauma and illness record (to be kept until child is 25 years of age)
• death of a child whilst being educated and cared for (to be kept until 7 years from child’s death).

Staff related records are to be kept for 3 years from the last day they provided education and care at the service. These include:

• staff records

• record of volunteers and students

• records of the Responsible Person at the service

• a record of Responsible Persons placed in day-to-day charge of the education and care service

• record of educators working directly with children

• record of access to early childhood teachers

• record of the service's compliance with the law.

Print out ACECQA’s handy A4 guide on keeping children’s records (PDF 891 KB) to ensure you’re on top of your record keeping requirements. 

ACECQA also recently published a fact sheet for FDC services which clearly outlines record keeping requirements.

One of the most important and comprehensive records your service is required to keep is enrolment records for children. Reviewing and updating your services enrolment forms should be done regularly to ensure your records meet the regulation requirements and also your families' requirements.

Regulation 160 provides details of what information your enrolment record must contain and includes:

• child’s full name, date of birth and address

• contact details for the child’s parents and for other persons as required
  

• authorisations as detailed in regulation 161

• health information as detailed in regulation 162

• information about any parenting orders, court orders, or parenting plans provided that relate to the child

• information about the language used in the child’s home, the cultural background of the child and their parents and any special considerations for the child for example cultural, religious, additional needs.