Training requirements
As part of the national child safety reforms, new mandatory training requirements under sections 162A and 162B of the National Law commenced on 27 February 2026. These new training requirements supersede the Queensland Government protocol that was previously in place in relation to child protection.
Child protection training—s162A of the National Law
From 27 February 2026, nominated supervisors, persons in day-to-day charge, staff members and volunteers (including students) must complete approved child protection training.
A
list of Queensland's approved child protection training (PDF, 112KB) is published on the
ACECQA website, and includes both the units previously set out in the Queensland Protocol and the new foundational child safety training module.
Nominated supervisors, persons in day-to-day charge and family day care co-ordinators:
- must hold one of the units or modules on the approved list of child protection training from 27 February 2026.
Staff members or volunteers (including students) in any other role:
- have 6 months from 27 February 2026 to complete one of the units or modules on the approved list of child protection training.
In Queensland, completion of the new child safety foundation training module will also be recognised for the purposes of the child protection training requirement.
Child safety training—s162B of the National Law
From 27 February 2026, people in the following roles will have to complete new mandatory child safety training to comply with s162B:
- persons with management or control (PMC)
- nominated supervisors
- persons in day-to-day charge
- staff members
- volunteers and students.
Only 1 course is approved to meet this requirement—the free
national child safety training modules, which is only available through
Geccko.
All those required to complete the training:
- have 6 months from 27 February 2026 to complete the foundation modules
- have a further 6 months from the publication of the advanced modules (expected to be in July 2026) to complete these modules (PMCs, nominated supervisors, persons in day-to-day charge and staff working directly with children only).
It will be a requirement to complete child safety refresher training every 2 years.
Once the transitional periods are over, people who commence in any of the nominated roles must complete the
foundation training within 14 days of commencement or before working directly with children (whichever is shorter), and—if relevant—the advanced training within 3 months of commencement.
Mandatory reporting
Education and care staff
One of the most serious duties that education and care staff have is the obligation to act when they reasonably suspect that a child is in need of protection from abuse or neglect. All early childhood education and care professionals are mandatory reporters under the
Child Protection Act 1999, and are therefore legally required to report to Child Safety where they reasonably suspect that a child:
- has suffered, is suffering, or is at risk of suffering significant harm caused by sexual or physical abuse
- may not have a parent who is willing and able to protect them from harm.
To find out more, visit the
mandatory reporting page on the Department of Families, Seniors, Disability Services and Child Safety website.
All adults
It is an offence for any adult to fail to report sexual offending against a child by another adult to police, unless they have a reasonable excuse.
To find out more, visit the
failing to report sexual offences against children page on the Queensland Government website.
Offence to not protect children from sexual offenders
Persons in position of power or responsibility
It is an offence to fail to take steps to protect children from sexual offenders.
This offence requires a person in a position of power or responsibility within an institution, which includes education and care services, to reduce or remove a known risk of sexual offending against a child by an adult associated with an institution.
To find out more, visit the failing to protect children from sexual offences page on the Queensland Government website.
Working with children checks
Blue Card Services administers the blue card program, Queensland's working with children check.
Individuals working in education and care service premises where children are present must have a blue card prior to starting work. This includes permanent staff providing education and care, and also other employees and volunteers at the service, tradespeople, supervisors of student placements, students on placements (even when under 18 years of age), and adult residents of family day care services.
Access an overview of
how the blue card system works, including what background information is checked and how compliance is monitored daily.
Blue Card Services issues negative notices to individuals who, in the best interests of children, should not hold a blue card. Approved providers must not start or continue a negative notice holder in employment.
Blue Card Services notifies the Regulatory Authority when there is a change in an individual’s blue card status, so approved providers in Queensland are
not required to also notify the Regulatory Authority of this status change under
Regulation 176C (PDF, 913KB).
Education and care services must have a
child and youth risk management strategy to facilitate the creation of safe and supportive environments for children. Blue Card Services may request a copy at any time and take disciplinary action if the strategy is incomplete or non-compliant.
Awareness of child protection obligations
Under regulation 84, approved providers must ensure that nominated supervisors, staff members and volunteers (including students) are advised of the existence and application of current child protection laws and their obligations under them.
The
guide to the NQF sets out a range of ways that an approved provider may wish to fulfil their obligations under regulation 84, including regular refresher training, in-house workshops, online training, distributing information to staff, or discussing obligations.
Roles and responsibilities to identify and respond to the risk of abuse are outlined in National Quality Standard (NQS) element
2.2.3 Child Protection.
Adequate supervision
Approved providers, nominated supervisors and family day care (FDC) educators must ensure children are adequately supervised at all times (section 165). Educator-to-child ratios alone do not by themselves achieve
adequate supervision; services must be sufficiently staffed to enable adequate supervision at all times.
Building design also supports adequate supervision. The NQF requires approved providers to ensure that premises, including toilets and nappy change facilities, are designed and maintained to facilitate supervision of children while maintaining their rights and dignity (regulation 115).
Approved providers, nominated supervisors and FDC educators all must ensure that nobody remains on the education and care premises unless they are an authorised person—this means they hold a blue card or exemption card—or are under the direct supervision of an educator or other staff member (section 170).
The required policies and procedures for
providing a child-safe environment (PDF, 276KB) were further strengthened on 1 October 2023 to require details of how the service promotes a culture of child safety and wellbeing, and the safe use of online environments in the service.
Read more about
adequate supervision.
Child protection in family day care
The NQF requires policies and procedures are in place for the
assessment of FDC educators, educator assistants and adult residents of FDC residences (PDF, 196KB) to ensure they are fit and proper (regulation 169).
Additionally, approved providers of FDC services must require FDC educators to notify them of any new adult residents and any circumstances related to adult residents and educator assistants that may affect whether the person is fit and proper to be in the company of children (regulation 164).
The FDC educator must make these notifications to the approved provider (regulation 164). This requirement was
further strengthened on 1 October 2023 (PDF, 893KB).
How information is shared across agencies
Approved providers must notify the Regulatory Authority:
- of any incident or allegation of physical or sexual abuse of a child or children during the course of education and care at the service
- if they are notified of the suspension or cancellation of a working with children card or teacher registration of, or disciplinary proceedings under an education law of a participating jurisdiction in respect of, a nominated supervisor engaged by the service.
Education and care regulatory authorities are required to inform other jurisdictions' regulatory authorities of the suspension or cancellation of a working with children check or card, or teacher registration (section 271—5).
In Queensland, the Regulatory Authority is required to notify Blue Card Services when it gives a prohibition notice to an individual stating the information about the prohibition that is relevant to employment screening (Education and Care Services National Law (Queensland) Act 2011 section 21).
It is an offence for approved providers to employ or continue to employ a prohibited person. Approved providers should
check a person's prohibition status prior to employing them (section 188).
Read what more you can do to
strengthen child protection in education and care services.
Other requirements for child safe services
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