An onboarding program should provide new staff – whether they’re paid employees, students or volunteers – with a clear and thorough understanding of their role and responsibilities in keeping children safe, how to perform their role and what is expected of them.

It should also equip new staff with the knowledge, skills and resources they need to carry out their child safety duties capably, confidently and in line with service policies and legislative requirements.

Read on for best practice guidance on information, resources and training to include in your service’s onboarding program.

A comprehensive induction pack

Services should provide all staff with a child safety induction pack that includes:

• all service policies and procedures
• any other key documents relating to child safety, including
  • your staff code of conduct
  • your service’s Child Safe Risk Management Plan
  • the NSW Early Learning Commission’s Reporting guide
  • a contact list of key personnel at your service, including who to report child safety concerns to.

Ensure new starters have adequate time to read the material and the opportunity to discuss or raise any questions.

An orientation to your service environment and team

Take your new starter on a tour of your service premises and any key locations staff visit with children in their care, such as locations for regular outings.

To help new employees become familiar with the physical environment and the steps staff take to create and maintain a child safe environment, discuss:

• priority supervision areas, such as spaces where visibility is obstructed due to design features
• considerations when setting up learning environments, for example how furniture and equipment placement impacts lines of sight and supervision
• supervision requirements and practices
• other risk mitigation strategies staff use to safeguard children from harm and abuse.

Introduce the employee to service leaders, educators and other staff. Set aside additional time for them to meet with their direct manager to discuss role-specific expectations.

You should also introduce new employees to the online environments staff and children commonly use at your service and practices to support the safe use of digital technologies.

A briefing on child-safety related policies and legislative requirements

Allocate time to discuss the following in detail with your new employee:

• all child safe policies, including your child safe environment, interactions with children and complaint handling policies
• your staff code of conduct, in particular appropriate conduct and restrictions on the use of personal devices
• their obligations under the National Law and Regulations, Children’s Guardian Act 2019 and Crimes Act 1900
• reporting obligations and processes
• supervision plans.

Provide opportunities for the employee to ask questions and discuss or role-play scenarios. This will help you evaluate their understanding of their legislative and any role-specific requirements, and whether they need any additional training or support.

Professional learning

Mandatory training

Make sure your new employee has completed all mandatory child protection and child safety training required for their role.

National mandatory child safety training

Child protection training

In NSW, nominated supervisors, persons in day-to-day charge and family day care coordinators have additional child protection training requirements under the National Law and Education and Care Services Government Protocol – Child Protection Training 2026.

Learn more about approved child protection training courses.

Recommended

Consider incorporating the following free child safety learning and resources in your onboarding program to help staff prepare for their role and effectively recognise, prevent and respond to risks to children’s safety.

One-on-one support

Support new staff to strengthen their child safe capabilities and reinforce child safety expectations by providing mentoring, a buddy, ongoing supervision, coaching sessions and/or practical demonstrations.

As the employee approaches the end of their probation period, evaluate their performance and whether they are demonstrating the required child safe skills, values and behaviours you expect of staff at your service.