Child protection training
All staff members have a responsibility to ensure the safety and well-being of our students. Training helps staff understand their roles in supporting students and how to report any concerns about safety. The NSW Department of Education has updated the training schedule for staff to improve the experience for teachers and make processes more efficient. Starting in 2025, the yearly Child Protection Update training will be replaced with a new Annual Competency Check (ACC). This check will include questions on various topics, including child protection, and will only be available to department staff. Child Protection Awareness Training (CPAT) is available to both department staff and other users via the department’s MyPL website. New staff members are required to complete CPAT as part of their induction.
Principals must ensure that all contractors, SRE and SEE teachers and volunteers (external providers) are aware of the department’s child protection policies and their duties as mandatory reporters.
To support this, principals can ask external providers, who do not have their own child protection training, to complete the CPAT , although this is not a requirement set by our procedures.
External providers interested in completing the department’s CPAT can register on the MyPL signup page.
If you have already completed the CPAT before, you can retake it and obtain a certificate without re-registering by clicking the ‘Launch’ button and then ‘Restart.’ For more information about registering for MyPL or if you encounter login issues, please refer to the FAQs below. For details about mandatory training in 2025, visit the Mandatory training in 2025 page (staff only).
All new staff members in the department, including casual workers, need to:
- read Child Protection - responding to and reporting students at risk of harm
- read the Child Protection - responding to and reporting students at risk of harm procedures
All staff must complete:
- Child Protection Awareness Training (induction) when commencing their role, and
- An annual competency check to assess their understanding of their child protection knowledge and responsibilities.
Records must be kept in schools and workplaces of all staff training related to child protection.
External staff or workers can register to obtain a user name and password to access training on MyPL. While this training is not required for external contractors or volunteers, principals may ask them to complete it to ensure they understand the department’s Child Protection policy and their duties as mandatory reporters.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Consider referring these FAQs before sending an email to cptraining.cps@det.nsw.edu.au.
All NSW Department of Education staff, and others who work in NSW public schools and with students (including pre-service teachers), are required to complete:
- Child Protection Awareness Training (CPAT): This is an induction course that only needs to be completed once.
- An annual competency check: This check assesses staff members’ understanding of their child protection knowledge and responsibilities.
Child Protection Awareness Training must be completed by new staff joining the department as soon as possible, usually within the first week.
The Annual Competency check must be completed by all school staff by the end of February. For other staff, it is recommended to complete this as soon as possible when the course becomes available.
The department’s Child Protection Policy: Responding to and reporting students at risk of harm, outlines the obligations for staff to complete child protection training (4.2.1).
All staff must complete:
- Child Protection Awareness Training (induction) when commencing their role, and
- An annual competency check to assess their understanding of child protection knowledge and responsibilities.
Child related contractors (including allied health workers): Contractors who work with students may have their own child protection training. If they do, they do not need to complete the department's child protection training. Principals must ensure that all contractors are familiar with the department’s child protection policies and their responsibilities as mandatory reporters. The department’s Child Protection Awareness Training is available for external users through MyPL to help principals meet this requirement.
Special Religious Education (SRE) and Special Education in Ethics (SEE) providers: SRE and SEE providers must have a system in place for initial training, ongoing training, and support that includes child protection requirements. This means they do not need to complete the department's child protection training. Principals must ensure that all SRE and SEE teachers know the department’s child protection policies and their obligations as mandatory reporters. The department’s Child Protection Awareness Training is available for external users through MyPL to assist principals in fulfiling this requirement.
Volunteers: Volunteers are not required to complete the department's child protection training, however, principals must ensure that volunteers are aware of the department’s child protection policies and their responsibilities as a mandatory reporter. The department’s Child Protection Awareness Training is available for external users through MyPL to support principals in meeting this requirement.
Non-department staff can access the Child Protection Awareness Training by registering with MyPL to obtain a username and password. The link to is in the Quick Links section of the MyPL homepage.
If non-department staff have completed the CPAT before, they can redo it and print a certificate without re-registering by clicking the ‘Launch’ button at the bottom of the page and then ‘Restart.’
Early Childhood Education has specific child protection training requirements. You can find more information on the department's Early Childhood Education website.
If you need more detailed information about NSW legislation and policy, you can contact the Early Childhood Education Directorate at ececd@det.nsw.edu.au.
If you do not have a Department of Education login, you can access to the Child Protection Awareness Training by requesting external access to MyPL.
To obtain a username and password, register through the MyPL signup page. The links to the child protection courses can be found in the Quick Links section of the MyPL homepage. You will receive a certificate upon completing each training course, so please download and keep your certificate(s).
For NSW Department of Education staff, MyPL can be accessed through the staff portal. Child Protection Awareness Training is located in the Quick Links section of the MyPL homepage.
First try resetting your password by clicking ‘Forgot your password?’ on the MyPL login page. If this does not work, or if you continue to have problems, please send an email to MyPL@det.nsw.edu.au or use the “Need Help” widget located on every page of MyPL with your details to request a password reset.
Try using Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge, as the issue might be related to the browser not supporting the webpage correctly. If you still have problems, please email MyPL@det.nsw.edu.au or use the “Need Help” widget located on every page of MyPL.
To successfully complete the course, you need to answer all questions correctly in one attempt. Once you finish the course, close the tab and return to the course enrolment page on MyPL. Refresh the page to check your completion status and certificate (if completed successfully). You can return to the course enrolment page anytime to view your completion status and certificate—just go to My Learning and click on the relevant course tile.
Alternatively, to check if you have completed the course, click ‘My Learning Transcript’ in the top menu on the MyPL homepage to see your completed courses. You can obtain certificates for courses completed in MyPL by clicking on your name in the top right-hand corner of the screen and expanding the certificates section.
If you are still having issues, please email MyPL@det.nsw.edu.au.
Once you reach the end of the course, close the tab and return to the course enrolment page on MyPL. Refresh the page to view your completion status and certificate (if you have completed it successfully). You can return to the course enrolment page at any time to view your completion status and certificate - go to My Learning and click on the relevant course tile.
Alternatively, you can obtain certificates for courses completed in MyPL by clicking on your name in the top right-hand corner of the screen and then expanding the certificates section.
If you have completed the CPAT in the past, you can redo it and print a certificate without needing to re-enrol by clicking the ‘Launch’ button at the bottom of the page and then ‘Restart.’
Certificates are created using the name linked to your MyPL account, so there may have been a typo when you registered. Please send an email to MyPL@det.nsw.edu.au with your details and request help in updating your account details.
Instead of redoing the CPAT course, it is recommended that department staff complete the Annual Competency Check (ACC) as required for all NSW Department of Education staff. The ACC provides updates on any current changes and priorities for those working with children and young people.
Principals only expect you to complete the CPAT once, so keep your old certificate. If non-department staff have completed the CPAT before, they can redo it and print a certificate without having to re-enrol by clicking the ‘Launch’ button at the bottom of the page and then ‘Restart.’
Refer to the department’s Working with Children Check Policy. For any questions about Working with Children Checks, you can email the department’s Probity Unit at probityunit@det.nsw.edu.au.
If you have found a broken link on the department’s child protection website, please send an email with a screenshot, if possible, to cptraining.cps@det.nsw.edu.au, and we will do our best to fix it as soon as possible.
There is no cost for the child protection courses provided by the NSW Department of Education.
Further information
For questions about child protection training, email cptraining.cps@det.nsw.edu.au
Mandatory Reporter Guide (MRG)
If you are concerned about a student's safety, you are encouraged to use the Mandatory Reporter GuideExternal link.
The guide helps decide if you should report to the Child Protection Helpline or find other ways to support vulnerable children in cases of abuse or neglect.