Child Safety Review
Have your say
The safety, health and wellbeing of all children who attend education and care services is paramount.
Deloitte Access Economics has been engaged on behalf of the Australian Government together with Australian state and territory governments to undertake a Regulatory Impact Analysis process (RIA) for proposed policy options aimed at improved child safety arrangements in education and care services across the country. The proposed policy options for RIA address recommendations from the Review of Child Safety Arrangements under the National Quality Framework.
A key part of this RIA is public consultation to seek feedback on the proposed policy options, including proposed changes to the Education and Care Services National Law (National Law) and Education and Care Services National Regulations (National Regulations).
Public consultation on regulatory and non-regulatory policy options to improve child safety in the education and care sector is open until 11 June 2025. All stakeholders—including approved providers and service leaders, educators, staff, volunteers, families, parents and carers (and their children) — are invited to provide feedback on the policy options.
Have your say
There are lots of ways to provide feedback on the policy options. The public consultation process will close on 11 June 2025.
Click here to download a poster about the Child Safety Review Public Consultation and share this with your networks.
Download and read the Consultation Regulation Impact Statement (CRIS)
Read the Consultation Regulation Impact Statement (CRIS) to understand the options for consultation or read the summary version of the CRIS.
Register for a webinar about the Consultation Regulation Impact Statement (CRIS)
Register for a webinar in your state or territory explaining the options and questions.
Answer a survey
Surveys will open on 5 May 2025.
Make a submission
Anyone can provide a submission from 5 May 2025.
What are the possible changes?
There are six themes across the possible changes for consideration.
Management of digital devices
Increasing protections around the use of digital devices among those working with children, with a particular focus on the use of personal digital devices.
Child safety training
Including proposed changes to strengthen child protection provisions regarding training and knowledge, in addition to introducing nationally consistent and mandatory child safety training.
Responding to educator and staff member conduct
Including proposed changes to make inappropriate conduct an offence, to enhance Regulatory Authorities’ ability to share information on prohibition notices, suspension orders, and enforceable undertakings with approved providers, and expansion of regulatory responses to educator and staff member conduct.
Working with Children Checks
Including proposed changes to provide a more nationally consistent approach to Working With Children Checks (WWCC[1]) requirements and practices in education and care services. This includes requirements for a valid or registered WWCC before commencing a role in an education and care service and notifying a change in WWCC status.
1. WWCC is used to represent working with children checks and working with vulnerable persons registration (WWVP), in addition to equivalent checks across states and territories.
Improving the safety of the physical service environment
Regarding the design and maintenance of service premises to facilitate better supervision, assessing formal boundaries between family day care (FDC) services and the rest of the residence/property, and increasing authorised officers’ powers to access all areas of FDC residences.
Additional recommendations
Including possible changes enabling Regulatory Authorities to conduct their roles more effectively. This includes the identification, monitoring and regulation of related providers, changing the limitation period for commencing proceedings against offences to start from the date of notification, rather than the date of the offence, and improving their power to engage with recruitment agencies when they are relevant to an investigation.
Support and questions
If you have any concerns or questions about the survey or the broader RIA, please contact the Deloitte Access Economics RIA team at ChildSafetyReviewRIA@deloitte.com.au.
If you wish to contact the Child Safety Review Project Team, please contact CSR.consultation@qed.qld.gov.au.
We understand that reflecting on child safety issues may cause sadness or distress or trigger traumatic memories. You are free to withdraw from consultation at any time, and if you need to talk to someone, support is available from various support services.
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