Big changes are on the horizon for early childhood education and care services across Queensland, and we want to make sure you’re prepared and supported every step of the way.

Queensland is taking child safety to the next level with the introduction of the Child Safe Organisations Act. If you’re running an early childhood service, these new requirements will affect how you operate, train your team, and protect the children in your care. Let’s break down what you need to know.

Why These Changes Matter

Child safety has always been at the heart of what we do in early childhood education. These new standards build on the important work that’s already been done following the 2019 National Quality Framework Review, creating a more robust and comprehensive approach to keeping children safe.

The legislation recognizes that creating truly safe environments requires more than just policies on paper—it requires a cultural shift, ongoing education, and active participation from everyone involved in a child’s care.

Mark Your Calendar: Important Dates

There are three key dates you need to remember:

• 1 January 2026: The 10 Child Safe Standards become mandatory for all early childhood services
• 27 February 2026: Mandatory national child safety training requirements commence
• July 2026: The Reportable Conduct Scheme extends to early childhood services

Understanding the 10 Child Safe Standards

At the core of these changes are 10 Child Safe Standards that every service must implement. Think of these as the building blocks of a comprehensive child safety framework:

1. Leadership and Culture means embedding child safety into every level of your organization’s governance and daily operations. It’s about making child safety part of your DNA, not just a checkbox exercise.

2. Child Empowerment ensures that children have a voice and feel comfortable speaking up. When children feel heard and respected, they’re more likely to share concerns and feel safe in your care.

3. Family and Community Engagement recognizes that keeping children safe is a partnership. Families and communities need to be active participants in your child safety efforts, not just informed observers.

4. Equity and Diversity requires creating environments where every child—regardless of their background, abilities, or circumstances—feels safe, respected, and included.

5. Suitable Staff goes beyond the basics of Working with Children Checks. It’s about having rigorous processes for screening, selecting, and supporting staff who are genuinely committed to child safety.

6. Complaint Processes need to be child-focused and accessible. Children, families, and staff should all know how to raise concerns and feel confident that those concerns will be taken seriously.

7. Education and Training is an ongoing commitment. Child safety isn’t something you learn once and forget—it requires regular professional development and updates as best practices evolve.

8. Safe Environments covers both physical spaces and online safety. From playground equipment to digital platforms, every environment children interact with needs careful consideration.

9. Review and Improvement means regularly evaluating your child safety practices and being willing to adapt and enhance them based on what you learn.

10. Documentation ensures you have clear, accessible policies and procedures that everyone can understand and follow.

A Special Focus on Cultural Safety

Here’s something particularly important: each of these standards includes a Universal Principle of Cultural Safety. This means your service must create environments where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children feel safe, respected, valued, and genuinely included in every aspect of your service. This isn’t an add-on—it’s woven into the fabric of all 10 standards.

Who Needs Training?

From 27 February 2026, mandatory national child safety training becomes a requirement for everyone working in your service. And we mean everyone:

• Persons with management and control
• Nominated supervisors
• Persons in day-to-day charge
• All staff members
• Volunteers
• Students

This is Australia’s first formal Child Safety Training Package specifically designed for the early childhood sector, so you’ll be pioneering a new standard of professional practice.

Understanding the Reportable Conduct Scheme

The Reportable Conduct Scheme, which comes into effect in July 2026, introduces new obligations for reporting allegations of child abuse or misconduct to the Queensland Family and Child Commission. The reporting timelines are tighter than before, so having clear processes in place will be essential.

Getting Ready: Your Action Plan

So what should you be doing right now? Here are some practical steps to get started:

Start with a stocktake. Review your current child safety policies and practices honestly. Where are your strengths? Where are the gaps?

Use the tools available. The Queensland Family and Child Commission has developed self-assessment tools to help you evaluate your readiness. Take advantage of them.

Plan your training strategy. With everyone needing to complete mandatory training by February 2026, now’s the time to create a realistic training schedule that doesn’t overwhelm your team.

Engage your community. Start conversations with families and your broader community about these changes. Explain what you’re doing and why it matters.

Review your governance. Make sure your organizational structure supports strong child safety leadership and accountability.

Update your documentation. Your policies and procedures will need to reflect these new requirements, so start that review process now.

Support Available

The Queensland Family and Child Commission has released comprehensive guidelines and resources to help services prepare for these changes—you’re not expected to figure this all out alone.

And we’re here to help too. At CEL, we understand that implementing these changes while running a busy early childhood service can feel overwhelming. If you need personalized support to navigate these new requirements, develop your policies, or plan your training approach, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at info@cel.edu.au. We’re here to support you through this transition.

The Big Picture

While new requirements can feel daunting, it’s worth remembering why we’re doing this. These changes represent a significant step forward in protecting the children in our care and ensuring that early childhood services across Queensland maintain the highest standards of safety and wellbeing.

By starting your preparation now, engaging your team and families, and seeking support when you need it, you’ll be well-positioned to meet these requirements and, more importantly, to create an even safer environment for the children you serve.

Let’s embrace this opportunity to strengthen our commitment to child safety together.