All early childhood education and care (ECEC) services are now required to implement national child safety reforms. These child safety reforms aim to strengthen child safety in ECEC across the country, with NSW implementing additional reforms to ensure the highest child-safety standards in the country. 

In NSW, ECEC services are regulated by the independent NSW Early Learning Commission (the Commission) to ensure they meet stringent standards of safety, quality and compliance.  

Information for parents, carers and families  

The Commission is committed to keeping families and the community informed about the actions it takes to keep children safe. 

The new child safety reforms will require all ECEC services to: 

• complete mandatary child safety training for all staff, volunteers and students who work in an approved service 
• update a National Early Childhood Worker Register, providing state and territory regulatory authorities a view of who is working in ECEC services and where. 

Some national changess do not apply as NSW has stronger provisions already in place, including:  

• the paramountcy principle, which requires children’s rights and best interests prevail over other interests and obligations, including duties under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth)
• restrictions on ECEC employees using personal devices, prohibiting those capable of taking, storing or transmitting images or videos 
• offences relating to inappropriate conduct, which in NSW include higher penalties for large providers 
• powers which allow the Commission:  
  • to suspend any educator, including volunteers, from working for a period of time (the Commission can already prohibit educators from the sector where there is an unacceptable risk to children).
  •  apply a supervision order to educators who have breached any provision of the law. 
• Stronger powers of entry for assessment and investigation in NSW family day care services.

Child safety resources  

Parents and carers can find information, guidance and resources, including what to do if you have concerns about your child’s service, on the parents and carers child safety webpage.