Significant progress has been made since the release of the
review of child safety arrangements under the National Quality Framework (NQF) (PDF, 529KB) (the Review).
Public consultation closed
The public consultation process for the national child safety review has now closed. We sincerely thank everyone who took the time to provide their valuable input.
Your feedback will be instrumental in shaping a safer and more supportive environment for children in education and care services.
Next steps
Governments will consider implementation of changes following analysis of public consultation responses. A Decision Regulation Impact Statement, which outlines the outcome of the process, will be released later in 2025, after a determination has been made by Education Ministers.
Upcoming changes to the National Quality Framework
From 1 September 2025
New policy and procedures: Safe use of digital technologies and online environments at the service (regulation 168)
Services will be required to implement a policy and procedures to ensure children's safety when using digital technologies and online environments.
The policy and procedures must address:
- the taking, use, storage, and destruction of images and videos of children being educated and cared for
- parental authorisation for taking, using, and storing images and videos
- the use of any optical surveillance devices (e.g. CCTV)
- the use of any digital device issued by the service
- the use of digital devices by children while at the service.
Support available: The
National Model Code—taking images in early childhood education and care and accompanying guidelines (introduced in 2024) can assist in developing or updating your policies.
ACECQA will release additional guidance on preparing the policy and procedures.
Notification timeframes for physical and sexual abuse
The timeframe for
notifying the Regulatory Authority of allegations or incidents of physical and sexual abuse will reduce from 7 days to 24 hours.
Prohibition of vaping devices and substances
The use of vaping devices and substances will be prohibited in service environments, aligning with existing requirements to keep children safe from tobacco and alcohol.
Support available—2 new NQF child safety guides have been released to help approved providers and their services prepare for the changes:
From 1 January 2026
National Quality Standard
Minor refinements, sharpening the focus on child safety, will take effect:
- Quality Area 2: Children's health and safety
- Element 2.2.3 will be renamed 'Child safety and protection', emphasising the need for educators to identify and respond to children at risk of abuse or neglect.
- Quality Area 7: Governance and leadership
- Quality Area 7 including Standard 7.1 and Element 7.1.2 will explicitly reference and support the operation of child safe services.
Support available—in addition to the new NQF child safety guides, some updated content will also be provided in the guide to the NQF.
Ongoing collaboration for child safety
Australian governments will continue to work closely with the sector to implement stronger safeguards for child safety, ensuring better support for early childhood providers, teachers and educators.
This collaboration is essential to ensure the sector is equipped to protect children in every early childhood setting.
Child safety is everyone's responsibility.
More information
For more information on the upcoming changes, read the
Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority information sheet (PDF, 3.4MB).
Related initiatives
Statement of Shared Commitment—Queensland Early Childhood Regulatory Authority