What stand-alone care is and isn't
Stand-alone care is care that is regularly provided:
- for a
maximum of 6 children under the
age of 13 (including a
maximum of 4 under school age)
- in a home or place (e.g. a hall or church)
- for a fee or reward.
It
does not include care in the child’s own home, or care by relatives or close friends.
Stand-alone care does not require a service approval, but is regulated under the
Education and Care Services Act 2013 (ECS Act) and
Education and Care Services Regulation 2013 (ECS Regulation) (PDF, 561KB). The Early Childhood Regulatory Authority can monitor stand-alone care providers, investigate incidents or
complaints about stand-alone care services and take compliance action, where necessary.
Requirements
Age of provider
Stand-alone care providers must be at least 18 years of age.
Blue card
Stand-alone care providers and adult occupants
Under the
Working with Children (Risk Management and Screening) Act 2000, a person conducting a stand-alone care service must hold a current blue card.
Adult occupants of homes where a home-based stand-alone care service is provided must also hold a current blue card.
Application forms for blue cards can be found on the
Blue Card services website.
No card, no start
Paid workers, business operators and volunteers in regulated child-related environments must have a blue card
before they can work with children. They
cannot start working with children while their blue card application is being processed.
Learn more about the
blue card system.
Insurance
Under the
ECS Act and
ECS Regulation (PDF, 561KB), stand-alone care providers must hold public liability insurance of at least $10 million. Prospective stand-alone care providers can contact their current home and contents insurer or an insurance broker for more information about public liability insurance when caring for children in the home.
Number of children
Under the ECS Act, stand-alone care providers must limit the number of children in care to a
maximum of 6 children under 13 years of age. Only
4 of these 6 can be under school age.
This does not include:
- children being cared for at the location by an adult other than the stand-alone care provider
- school-aged children whose parent is the stand-alone care provider.
Other considerations
Health and safety
Under the
ECS Act, services must be operated in a way that protects a child from harm and promotes the child’s health and wellbeing.
Premises
Stand-alone care providers should ensure that the place where care is being provided is safe and suitable for children, including checking that:
- furniture and equipment meets safety standards, and is secure, clean and in good repair
- hazards (e.g. poisons, knives, plastic bags and electrical plugs and cords) are out of reach of children
- glass that is accessible to children is safety glass or otherwise treated or guarded
- each part of the premises has been assessed to remove hazards and minimise risk of harm (visit
Kidsafe Queensland for more information)
- the premises is secure, so that children are not able to leave, except in accordance with policies
- toilet and hygiene facilities are age-appropriate
- pool fences and gates meet local council regulatory requirements
- the premises has a working telephone and stocked first aid kit.
Learn more about health and safety-related requirements in early childhood education and care services.
Policies, procedures and documentation
Stand-alone care providers should have policies and procedures in place, and maintain associated documentation, for example:
- a plan in place for the event of sickness, accidents and emergency evacuations
- risk management strategies for excursions, and appropriate consents
- accurate and easily accessible emergency services contacts
- keeping up-to-date information about each child being cared for, including
- name, age and address
- appropriate authorisations for the delivery and collection of children
- parent/guardian contact details in the case of emergency—including the name, address and telephone number of another responsible adult who could be contacted in an emergency
- details of any medical or health concerns, food allergies or other special requirements (including documented medical management plans for children with specific health care needs, allergies or relevant medical conditions that address the storage and administration of medications and include consent for administration of medication and medical treatment, if required).
Qualifications
At a minimum, stand-alone care providers should have current first aid, emergency anaphylaxis and asthma management qualifications.
Educational programs
The
Early Years Learning Framework (PDF, 702KB) and
My Time Our Place: Framework for School-Aged Care (PDF, 542KB) provide guidance for developing educational programs for children attending early childhood education and care services.
Fees
Stand-alone care providers set their own fees—read more about fees, funding and the
Child Care Subsidy.
Help and support
The above information is provided as a guide only. Before commencing operation of any early childhood education and care service, you should seek your own legal advice to ensure you are aware of your legal responsibilities.
If you have questions about stand-alone care please contact your
local regional office.