Stand-alone care is care that is regularly provided for not more than
6 children under the age of
13, of which not more than
4 are under school age, in a home or place (e.g. a hall or church), for a fee or reward.
Stand-alone care
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).
The Department of Education can monitor stand-alone care providers, investigate incidents or
complaints about stand-alone care services and take compliance action, where necessary.
Stand-alone care providers set their own fees. Read about fees and funding, including eligibility for the
Child Care Subsidy.
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.
The No Card, No Start laws apply from 31 August 2020.
Before 31 August 2020, paid employees were able to start working with children while their blue card application was being processed.
It is no longer sufficient for individuals to have submitted an application for a blue card – they must hold their blue card before they commence work.
Learn more about
the blue card system.
Insurance
Under the
ECS Act and
ECS Regulation, 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 not more than
6 children under
13 years of age, of which only
4 can be under school age.
A child who is being cared for at the home or other place by an adult person who is not the stand-alone care provider is not counted towards the number of children allowed in the stand-alone care service.
School-age children, whose parent is the stand-alone care provider, are not counted towards the number of children allowed in the stand-alone care service.
Other considerations
Health and safety
The
ECS Act requires services to 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. Consideration should be given to ensuring, for example, that:
- there is a plan in place in the event of sickness, accidents and emergency evacuations
- risk management strategies are in place for excursions, and appropriate consent has been obtained
- emergency services contacts are accurate and easily accessible
- up-to-date information is kept 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.
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.
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.