Personal phones banned in SA childcare centres and preschools in bid to protect children
Personal mobile devices in childcare and preschools will soon be banned in a move the government says will strengthen safety and better protect young children across the state.
Personal mobile devices in childcare and preschools will soon be banned in a move the government says will strengthen safety and better protect young children across the state.
It comes as the SA government continues to explore new measures to bolster child safety in the wake of the sickening child abuse allegations coming out of Victoria.
The South Australian and Victorian governments are set to be the first two jurisdictions to adopt a new National Model Code banning the personal mobile devices.
The code outlines that only service-issued devices should be used when taking images or videos of children while providing education and care.
Personal mobile devices capable of taking images or videos, personal storage, or file transfer media cannot be in the possession of any person while they are working directly with children.
All South Australian childcare and preschool services will be required to implement a policy and procedure, addressing the use of personal devices and will be required to provide assurance to the Education Standards Board by the end of September.
Services that do not provide policies and procedures or have not complied with the requirements may have conditions imposed, including fines of up to $50,000 or suspension.
Education Minister Blair Boyer said the government was working quickly to strengthen the safety requirements for long day care services and preschools.
“All providers in South Australia must now ensure they have provided their policies and procedures to ban the use of personal mobile devices to our independent regulator,” he said.
Education Standards Board chief executive Benn Gramola said the board fully supported the ban of personal mobile devices.
“Our priority is to minimise any risks to the safety, health and wellbeing of children,” he said.
“We’re aware a large number of services have already implemented the National Model Code, which is great to see and highlights the proactive approach that many in the sector are already taking to address this issue.
The ESB will provide further information to those affected by these changes to ensure everyone understands their responsibilities.
Services who do not comply with this ban may be subject to regulatory action including placing conditions on their service approval.
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Originally published as Personal phones banned in SA childcare centres and preschools in bid to protect children
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