Accurate record keeping is an essential part of child-safe recruitment and ongoing employment practices. It helps:

• ensure only people suitable to work with children are employed or engaged at your service
• demonstrate that appropriate screening and suitability checks have been completed
• support informed decision-making about who is working with children
• provide evidence that legislative obligations have been met.

Records should be readily accessible and must be provided to an authorised officer on request.

Maintain staff records in the format that best suits your service.

Record keeping prior to commencement

Before a new staff member (including agency staff), student or volunteer starts child-related work, ensure their staff record includes:

• a verified Working With Children Check (WWCC) number
• copies of verified qualifications (including early childhood education and first aid)
• date that their details were checked on NQA ITS to verify they are not a prohibited person or suspended
• date that their details were entered into the National Early Childhood Worker Register on NQA ITS
• declarations from the individual stating they do not hold any current restrictions. ACECQA’s Prohibition Notice Declaration form and Compliance history form can be used
• evidence of any other reasonable enquiries made to verify suitability, this may include as best practice:
  • identity verification details (e.g. 100-point ID check)
  • records of the role description, job advertisement, interview and referee checks, including responses to specific child safety related questions
  • records of National Police Checks.

Download the child safe recruitment checklist to be guided through legislated and best practice child-safe recruitment steps.

Record keeping during onboarding

All new staff members (including agency staff), students and volunteers engaged in child-related roles should participate in a structured induction process. Keep records of the following onboarding details:

• Date that induction training was completed, including when access was given to your service’s:
  • Child safe environment policy
  • Interactions with children policy
  • Supervision policy and procedure
  • Code of Conduct Reporting responsibilities and procedures
  • Child Safe Risk Management Plan
  • Complaint handling policy.
  • Protected disclosures policy
  • Any other policy or procedure relevant to the person's role.
• Completion dates for national child safety and child protection training.

Use the OCG's Child Safe Induction Checklist to help ensure your service's induction covers key child safe information for new staff, volunteers and students.

Record keeping for ongoing employees

Set timeframes in your staffing policies and procedures to regularly monitor each staff member's ongoing suitability to work with children.

Update staff records each time a suitability check is completed, ensuring they include:

• WWCC verification dates (verification must occur every time a WWCC is renewed) and any updates or changes to their status when NQA ITS is checked to verify a staff member is not a prohibited person or suspended
• details of any actions taken in response to a negative notice or change to a teacher’s accreditation or registration
• details of any updates made to the National Early Childhood Worker Register (e.g. ceases engagement or updates to their personal or professional details)
• details of any training or refresher courses completed.

Other child safety record keeping requirements

Storing records securely

All records must be stored securely, with access restricted to authorised personnel (which includes authorised officers) to maintain confidentiality.

For example, records could be stored in a locked filing cabinet or stored electronically in a secure manner (such as password protected).

Under the Education and Care Services National Regulations, staff records must be kept for at least 3 years after the staff member or volunteer stopped working for your service (regulation 183(2)(f)). Other record keeping requirements may apply under other legislation.

Related resources

• Working With Children Check requirements
• Child safe recruitment and employment practices
• Keeping records of educators working directly with children
• Compliance focus: effective record keeping