ACECQA launches new risk assessment and management tool

ACECQA has a new risk assessment and management tool available on its website, which aims to help approved providers, leaders, educators, teachers and staff to understand the importance of assessing and managing risk as an embedded part of quality practice and improvement.

Suitable for all early childhood education and care (ECEC) services, the tool includes a range of user-friendly resources and templates which are intended as a starting point for services and can be adapted to meet individual needs.

The tool can assist in identifying, assessing and managing the risk of harm to anticipate the likelihood and consequence of an incident, and has been designed to be adjusted to suit the context of each service, when new hazards are identified or as circumstances change.

Individual templates include: 

• Risk assessment and management template – Excursions
• Risk assessment and management template – Transporting children
• Risk assessment and management – Indoor and outdoor learning environment safety checklist
• Risk assessment and management – Learning experience plan – Educators/Teachers

The collection is complemented by a range of infographics which can be used with staff teams and children to support collaborative thinking and discussion about risk. 

Risk assessment and management for children over 5 and Risk assessment and management for children under 5 have been designed to be used as a starting point for children to participate actively with the risk assessment and management cycle.

Risk assessment and management – Adequate supervision infographic is intended as a display item in an ECEC service, and offers a useful strategy to support staff in understanding and engaging in adequate supervision practices.

The Risk assessment and management cycle is designed to identify, assess, manage, evaluate, review, monitor and document the risk of harm to minimise the risk of an incident occurring.

For more information on risk management in an ECEC context please see here.