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Policies and procedures in early childhood services

Information on the policies and procedures that all early childhood services must have in place. This applies to all National Quality Framework (NQF) services and those approved under the Children’s Services Act (CS Act) services.

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Required policies and procedures for all services

All National Quality Framework (NQF) services must have policies and procedures in place for the situations listed below. This also applies to occasional care and limited hours care services regulated under the Children’s Services Act 1996.

  • nutrition, food, and dietary requirements
  • sun protection
  • water safety, including during any water-based activities
  • the administration of first aid
  • sleep and rest for children
  • incidents, injury, trauma, and illness procedures
  • infectious diseases
  • medical conditions
  • emergency and evacuation
  • delivery and collection of children
  • excursions
  • transportation – if the service transports or arranges the transportation of children other than as a part of excursions
  • the safe arrival of children
  • providing a child safe environment
  • the safe use of digital technologies and online environments at the service, including:
    • the taking, use, storage and destruction of images and videos of children being educated and cared for by the service
    • obtaining authorisation from parents to take, use and store images and videos of children being educated and cared for by the service
    • the use of any optical surveillance device at the service
    • the use of any digital device issued by the service
    • the use of digital devices by children being educated and cared for by the service.
  • staffing – must include:
    • a code of conduct
    • determining the responsible person present at the service
    • the participation of volunteers and students on practicum placements
  • interactions with children
  • enrolment and orientation
  • governance and management of the service, including confidentiality of records
  • acceptance and refusal of authorisations
  • payment of fees
  • dealing with complaints.

Resources for providers and services

Guide to the National Quality Framework

Section 7.1 of the Guide to the NQF has detailed information on policies and procedures.

Preparing NQF policies and procedures

The Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) has detailed information and guidance for all policies and procedures services must have in place.

The policy and procedure guidelines step providers and services through the information to consider when:

  • preparing policies
  • reviewing policies – to make sure they are still up to date.

Policies must be tailored to suit each service.

Following policies and procedures

Providers must take reasonable steps to ensure staff follow their service’s policies and procedures.

This requires:

  • training for all staff and volunteers
  • orientation for new staff and volunteers.

Read ACECQA’s guidance ‘Six reasonable steps to ensure staff follow policies and procedures’ at Preparing NQF policies and procedures.

Additional policies for family day care (FDC) services

Family day care (FDC) providers must have all the policies and procedures listed above, as well as additional policies and procedures specific to FDC.

They also need to have systems in place to support employees who often work alone, and at large distances from each other:

  • educators
  • FDC coordinators
  • FDC assistants.

FDC providers must have policies and procedures that describe:

  • how proposed FDC residences and venues will be assessed before education and care is provided to children to ensure that the health, safety and wellbeing of children is protected
  • how FDC educators, and educator assistants will be engaged or registered
  • how the register of all FDC educators, coordinators and educator assistants that includes the information required by regulation 153 – National Law will be kept
  • how all FDC educators will be monitored, supported and supervised, including those in remote locations
  • how FDC educators, assistants and all persons over 18 that live at the FDC residence will be assessed to make sure they are:
  • how visitors to the residence or venue will be managed
  • how information, assistance and training will be provided to FDC educators.

FDC resources

Refer to ACECQA’s Family Day Care information sheets on the following topics:

  • Family day care – enrolment and orientation
  • Record keeping in family day care services.

Refer to ACECQA’s guidance on preparing policies and procedures, which includes the following resources specifically for FDC services:

  • Assessment and re-assessment of FDC residences and venues
  • Assessment of FDC educators, FDC educator assistants and persons residing at FDC residences
  • Engagement or registration of FDC educators
  • Engagement or registration of FDC educator assistants
  • Keeping a register of FDC educators, coordinators and educator assistants
  • Monitoring, support and supervision of FDC educators
  • Provision of information, assistance and training to FDC educators
  • Visitors to FDC residences and venues while education and care is being provided to children.
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