On August 10, 2021, the NSW Department of Education announced that the Child Safe Standards for Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) and Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) services will soon be legislated. This single message generated a wave of confusion and anxiety among early learning services.
In order to provide some clarity on this matter, our friends at Childcare Centre Desktop have kindly provided an update on the status of the roll-out below.
In summary, Childcare Centre Desktop advises that this and confirm it should not be viewed as an additional legislation requirement equating to more policies and more work for services.
The National Principles for a Child Safe Organisation were developed following the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (the Royal Commission). They were designed to prevent and stamp out all forms of abuse in organisations by guiding each unique environment of the organisation to be child safe. Organisations are encouraged to create a culture of child safety and embed the Child Safe Standards. Although there is no national mandate to implement the Child Safe Standards, Victoria and more recently NSW, have state specific legislation either passed, or currently in parliament in relation to the standards.
Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services in Victoria have adhered to specific legislation for mandatory Child Safe Standards over the past five years. However, recent changes to legislation to support greater national consistency have been introduced and the New Child Safe Standards will commence on 1 July 2022 giving organisations, including ECEC services, time to plan, prepare and comply. The eleven new Standards will replace Victoria’s current seven standards and principles.
In NSW, the Regulatory Authority recently alerted services and providers about the legislation to mandate a Child Safe Standards Scheme in NSW. This legislation is currently in parliament and once approved, will provide a framework for making organisations in NSW safer for children by embedding the 10 Child Safe Standards. [August 2021]
The current NQF Review 2019 focuses on a range of issues for consideration including the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and the recommendations that came from this Royal Commission, the National Child Safe Standards. The review will provide further clarity and support for services to provide a child safe environment for children and young people.
It is important to note that the introduction of the Child Safe Standards Scheme in NSW and the New Child Safe Standards (Vic) should not be viewed as an additional legislation requirement equating to more policies and more work for services. To comply with the National Quality Framework (NQF), Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) and Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) services already have established systems and policies in place to provide a child safe environment. Many of these systems overlap the requirements of the Child Safe Standards Scheme (NSW) and the New Child Safe Standards (Victoria).
The NQF Review and legislation around the implementation of the Child Safe Standards are two separate processes and legislation.
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