Director of Little Kindy Muswellbrook Nicole Douglas had only recently taken over the role when her service was invited to participate in the Compliance Support Pathway program in late 2023.

The Compliance Support Pathway is a free 6-week tailored program that aims to assist services remedy non-compliant practices and behaviours. It is one of 2 pathways in the Quality Support Program (QSP), a professional learning initiative run in partnership between ACECQA and the NSW Department of Education. The QSP supports early childhood education and care approved providers and service leaders to better understand and apply the Children (Education and Care Services) National Law (NSW) and Education and Care Services National Regulations.

Little Kindy Muswellbrook, a long day care service located in the Hunter region, was referred to the program due to breaches relating to children's health and safety, governance and management.

Tailored support

“Being new to the role of director in the centre, I thought it would be a fantastic opportunity to reflect and gain knowledge to share with my team in an effort to maintain compliant practices,” Nicole shared.

“Amanda was a wealth of knowledge. I was given many ideas, chances to reflect on our current and past practices, as well as links to valuable resources.”

Alongside coaching and face-to face visits, participants also have access to online training modules and workshops.

Reflection supports continuous improvement

Reflective practice is a key focus of the Compliance Support Pathway, explained Nicole.

“I was encouraged to look into our current practices and unpack them,” she said. “It is something I continue to encourage my team to do, as I have learned how important reflective practices are to ensure we are continually improving and being the best that we can be.”

“Staff reflect daily through discussion as well as monthly in our team meetings. This reflection is documented in reflective journals and has become second nature to the educators now that they are doing it more frequently and continually improving practices. 

“I have made a conscious effort to have many open discussions with staff, so they are empowered to take initiative and provide feedback and ideas.”

Overall, the Compliance Support Pathway was a worthwhile experience both for Nicole and her broader team.

“The positive experience I had while completing the Compliance Support Pathway has shown my team that the NSW Department of Education is there to work with us, not against us,” she said. “It really helped remove some stigma attached.”

“If services are presented with the opportunity to participate in the Compliance Support Pathway, they should definitely participate.

“In my experience, I found it to be very informative and non-judgemental – a safe space for open communication and honesty.”

How can I participate?

Access to the Quality Support Program – Compliance Support Pathway is by direct referral from the NSW Department of Education.

The department uses regulatory data to identify services that will benefit the most from the support offered in the Compliance Support Pathway. Once referred, a program facilitator from ACECQA will contact services about enrolling into the pathway program.

Services can also express interest in participating in the pathway by emailing qualitysupportprogram@acecqa.gov.au.