Current identified areas of support

Authorised officers are noting similar trends across services through October through to December 2024.

The current trends in compliance and monitoring visits relate to services not meeting the below law and regulations:

• Section 165 – Offence to inadequately supervise children
  • Recently QECNT have seen a rise in the number of incidents of children being left unsupervised within a service. The approved provider and nominated supervisor must ensure all children being educated and cared for by the service are adequately supervised at all times. Educator-to-child ratios alone do not achieve adequate supervision. Supervision is critical to the safety of children and helps to protect children from harm or hazards that may arise in their play and daily routines. Adequate supervision means: that an educator can respond immediately, particularly when a child is distressed or in a hazardous situation knowing where children are at all times and monitoring their activities actively and diligently. Educators should balance supervision and engagement by drawing on a range of skills such as positioning, using peripheral vision, and monitoring changes in noise and stress levels. This is the perfect time to ensure that policies and procedures regarding supervision are current, and that educators are implementing these practices.
• Regulation 89 – First aid kits
  • Services must have an appropriate number of first aid kits with regard to the number of children being educated and cared for by the service; ensuring they are suitably equipped; and easily recognisable and readily accessible to adults, having regard to the design of the education and care service premises.
  • Now is the time to ensure the service and your educators reflect on:
    • The number of first aid kits
    • The stock and contents
    • Location and its accessibility
    • Wear and tear of the first aid box (ensuring they are visible)
• Regulation 155 – Interactions with children
  • QECNT has seen an increase in incidents regarding interactions with children and providing children with agency. Services must take reasonable steps to ensure they provide education and care to children in a way that:
    1. a) encourages the children to express themselves and their opinions; and
    2. b) allows the children to undertake experiences that develop self-reliance and self-esteem; and
    3. c) maintains at all times the dignity and rights of each child; and
    4. d) gives each child positive guidance and encouragement toward acceptable behaviour; and
    5. e) has regard to the family and cultural values, age, and physical and intellectual development and abilities of each child being educated and cared for by the service. It is a good time for approved providers and services to work with educators to ensure they are all aware of legislation and high-quality practice required in this area.

• Regulation 160 - Child enrolment records to be kept by approved provider and family day care educator
  • QECNT have found on compliance visits throughout the year, that children’s enrolment records were often missing required information. Regulations 160, 161 and162 outline the required information needed to be kept all together in the child’s enrolment record.
  • Specifically, it was seen that children’s registered medical practitioner details were missing, health information missing from the enrolment record (ie. risk minimisation plans, action plans), child’s authorisations missing from enrolment record, and children’s enrolment form not being updated when an allergy develops.
  • It was seen that services had multiple files or kept health information separately, however all the child’s documents must be kept together in their enrolment record. Now is the time to ensure all enrolment records are up to date and containing the required information.

There has also been an increase in services not meeting the regulations regarding transportation of children other than an excursion. This includes:

• Regulation 102AAB Safe arrival of children policies and procedures
• Regulation 102AAC Risk assessment for the purposes of safe arrival of children policies and procedures
• Regulation 102B Transport risk assessment must be conducted before service transports child
• Regulation 102C Conduct of risk assessment for transporting of children by the education and care service
• Regulation 102D Authorisation for service to transport children
• Regulation 102E Children embarking a means of transport—centre-based service
• Regulation 102F Children disembarking a means of transport—centre-based service

It is recommended that all services ensure they are familiar with the requirements of the regulations relation to these areas. These requirements apply to all services approved under the Education and Care Services National Law, including OSHC and preschools.

The following links and fact sheets may assist:

• ACECQA
• Education and Care Services National Regulations
• Children (Education and Care Services National Law Application) Act 2010 No 104
• Reflecting on common OSHC supervision areas
• Active supervision ensuring safety and promoting Learning
• Relationships with children
• Interactions with children guidelines
• Safe Transportation of Children Safety Checklist and regular transportation record form
• Info Sheet_- Minimising the risk of children being left behind in vehicles
• Info Sheet -Safe transportation of children
• Safe Transportation of Children - Your Questions Answered

Please note that these requirements apply to all services approved under the Education and Care Services National Law, including OSHC and preschools.