Victorian educators asked to brush up on CISS requirements and start 2023 strong

Freya Lucas

Dec 22, 2022

Save

With some early childhood education and care (ECEC) services being quieter over the Christmas and New Year period, there is an opportunity to catch up on important information, processes and procedures to start 2023 off right.

In Victoria, the Child Information Sharing Scheme (CISS) has made significant changes to the way early childhood professionals can share information with other service organisations to promote the wellbeing and safety of children.

A number of resources have been developed to help ECEC services to build and maintain trusting relationships with families in their community, including new easy to use pages in the Child Information Sharing Scheme online content.

Webpages for parents, carers, children and young people, as well as for First Nations peoples have been added which include flyers and factsheets that ECEC services can download and print to support family conversations.

There are also videos from prominent educators which explain how CISS is supporting child wellbeing and safety.

ECEC professionals can access free training through the Information Sharing and MARAM Online Learning System. To enrol, select the ‘Education Workforces’ tile and select from the options listed.

The 3.5-hour interactive online seminars are presented by a team of educators, with opportunities for discussion. Sessions are designed for all early childhood professionals, with morning and afternoon sessions available several times a week.

Funding is available to support early years educators who wish to attend information sharing webinars. For more information, email: CISandFVIS@education.vic.gov.au

To organise tailored information-sharing training for a specific team, contact the Victorian Child Information Sharing team by email: childinfosharing@education.vic.gov.au

For more information about the reforms, refer to Child protection in early childhood: privacy and information sharing, with further enquiries best directed to the Victorian Child Information Sharing Division by email: CISandFVIS@education.vic.gov.au.

Don’t miss a thing

NSW Early Learning Commission conducts 220 unannounced visits

More than 100 regulatory officers conducted unannounced inspections at over 220 early learning services in a single-day compliance operation, as the NSW Early Learning Commission intensifies oversight across the sector.

Failing the Most Vulnerable: Two WA Childcare Providers Penalised Over Supervision Breaches

In February the Western Australian State Administrative Tribunal handled two separate disciplinary proceedings brought by the CEO of the Department of Communities against out-of-school-hours care (OSHC) providers. Both cases highlight critical failures in active supervision, particularly concerning highly vulnerable children diagnosed with autism who managed to wander away from their respective services unnoticed.

What Can Australia Learn from Ontario’s Child Care Ratios?

As workforce pressures continue to shape early childhood education and care (ECEC) policy discussions in Australia, international comparisons provide useful perspectives. Canada’s approach, particularly in Ontario, offers a case study in how educator-to-child ratios, maximum group sizes and qualification requirements can be legislated as an integrated framework.

National Early Childhood Worker Register: commencing 27 February 2026

The introduction of the National Early Childhood Worker Register from the 27 February, has signalled a significant shift in workforce oversight across early childhood education and care (ECEC).

Regulation 168: do you understand your leadership responsibilities

Regulation 168 of the Education and Care Services National Regulations is not a policy checklist. For approved providers and nominated supervisors, it is a test of governance capability, risk oversight and leadership influence. The critical question is not whether policies exist, it is whether leadership understands how to review, embed and monitor them effectively.

NSW Early Learning Commission conducts 220 unannounced visits

Failing the Most Vulnerable: Two WA Childcare Providers Penalised Over Supervision Breaches

What Can Australia Learn from Ontario’s Child Care Ratios?

National Early Childhood Worker Register: commencing 27 February 2026

The introduction of the National Early Childhood Worker Register from the 27 February, has signalled a significant shift in workforce oversight across early childhood education and care (ECEC).