Childcare watchdog wants more focus on safety training

Child safety, including first aid and mandatory reporting, is set to be strengthened in a government-ordered review of childcare qualifications.

Australia’s daycare watchdog wants child safety to be prioritised in childcare qualifications

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Australia’s childcare watchdog will demand stronger training in child safety in a national shake-up of childcare qualifications.

The Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority said the Department of Employment and Workplace ­Relations had recently approved a review of Certificate III and dip­loma qualifications in childcare, which currently prioritise the teaching of diversity and gender identity over health, safety and reporting of abuse.

A Jobs and Skills Council named Humanability has been given until January to publish draft qualifications and units of competency, with changes to be rolled out by November 2026.

“As part of this process, ACECQA is advocating for the strengthening of child safety and child protection content within each course,’’ an ACECQA spokesperson said.

The Australian revealed on Thursday that “supporting inclusion and diversity’’ tops the list of 15 compulsory units of study for childcare staff – ahead of children’s safety or education.

Federal Education Minister Jason Clare said on Thursday that child safety training “will be a key issue when education ministers meet next month’’.

Federal Education Minister Jason Clare will discuss child safety training for childcare workers with state and territory education ministers at their next meeting in August. Picture: Nikki Short/NewsWire

ACECQA also revealed that it had waived staffing requirements for some daycare centres whose staff had been stripped of dodgy diplomas and certificate.

The Australian Skills Quality Authority recently cancelled the childcare qualifications of 3700 students from three training colleges – Livium, Gills College and SPES Education.

“ASQA found the former provider had issued qualifications without appropriate training or competency-based assessment by qualified assessors, and/or did not ensure students had successfully satisfied all requirement prior to issuing … certification,’’ an ASQA spokesperson said.

ASQA sent “notices of intent’’ to 3700 former students, warning their qualifications would be cancelled, and heard back from 350 who advised they were working in childcare centres.

“Their qualifications were subsequently cancelled,’’ the spokesperson said.

ACECQA told The Australian that it had helped ASQA alert state and territory regulators, who contacted childcare employers “to ensure unqualified people are not being employed’’.

However, ACECQA said it had granted some temporary staff waivers to allow affected centres to stay open without the required number of qualified staff.

“Where services have indicated that educators hold cancelled qualifications, regulatory authorities have worked with them to ensure they continue to meet staffing requirements for the ongoing provision of safe care to children,’’ a spokeswoman said.

“This may include consideration of a temporary waiver until a qualified replacement is found.’’

Already, one in every seven of the ­nation’s childcare centres has been granted a“staffing waiver’’.

At least 18,000 children suffered a serious injury or illness in childcare last year, based on Productivity Commission data. Picture: iStock

As the nation’s education ministers prepare to discuss a national register of childcare workers next month, the Queensland government has fast-tracked a requirement that childcare centres report “concerning conduct’’ regarding staff and volunteers who work with children.

Reporting will become mandatory from July 1 next year – 12 months earlier than the original deadline set by the former state government.

Legislation yet to be introduced to the state parliament will require all childcare staff to report to their supervisor any concerns regarding the conduct of co-workers or volunteers.

Centre owners must then investigate and report the complaint to the Queensland Family and Child Commission – although staff will also be able to ­report to the commission directly if they are unhappy with their ­employer’s response.

The reportable conduct will include sexual offences, ill-harm, ill-treatment and significant neglect – but any potentially criminal conduct must be reported directly to police as well as the QFCC.

Queensland Minister for Child Safety Amanda Camm said parents should feel their children are “safe from predators and other dangers when dropping them off at daycare’’.

QFCC chief executive Luke Twyford said the scheme would be a “critical improvement to safeguards’’.

Queensland Child Safety Minister Amanda Camm says parents need to know their kids are ‘safe from predators’ in daycare. Picture David Clark

“The reportable conduct scheme will give Queenslanders a place to report worrying behaviour that does not meet criminal thresholds,’’ he said.

“It will allow me, as head of the scheme, to share the information with Blue Card services, industry regulators and the police.’’