Last year was one of significant and meaningful change in early education and care, with the passage of the
Early Childhood Legislation Amendment (Child Safety) Act 2025 marking a major step forward in safeguarding children.
Looking to the year ahead, 2026 promises to be another transformative year for the sector, with a strong focus on implementing child safety reforms and supporting educators and families.
From 1 January, changes to the National Quality Standard came into effect, strengthening the focus on child safety and quality care.
Additionally, from 1 January 2026, the
Child Safe Standards came into force for Queensland services, and rest period conditions on service approvals were removed.
Key National Quality Framework (NQF) legislative changes commenced on 2 January, with further changes starting from 27 February 2026, ensuring we continue to make progress on child safety and regulatory compliance.
One important change from 27 February will be the requirement for all persons with management and control, nominated supervisors, persons in day-to-day charge, staff, volunteers, and students in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) to complete mandatory national child safety training. Queensland is proud to have led the development of this training on behalf of all states and territories.
You will need a Geccko account to access and complete the training. Individuals can
register now in preparation. Additional advanced modules will be available from July 2026.
In Queensland, the
Reportable Conduct Scheme, starting on 1 July 2026, will require organisations to investigate concerns about an employee's behaviour towards children and document the outcomes in a way that allows information to be shared with other organisations to help prevent harm to children.
These are significant reforms and we remain committed to providing clear, consistent, and supportive communication to help you navigate the changes. Your role in implementing these reforms is vital if we are to see the benefits for child safety that I know everyone is committed to.
Communication materials
You can highlight and communicate child safety reforms by downloading, circulating, posting, and displaying a range of posters, information sheets, social media posts and newsletter content:
For more information, visit our
child safety page which contains relevant links and resources.