New ACECQA child safety guides support upcoming regulation changes

As part of its response to the 2023 National Child Safety Review, the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) has released two new resources to support early childhood education and care (ECEC) providers in strengthening child safety across services.

The National Quality Framework (NQF) Child Safe Culture Guide and the NQF Online Safety Guide are designed to help services align with new child safety requirements being introduced to the Education and Care Services National Regulations. These changes will take effect on 1 September 2025.

The NQF Child Safe Culture Guide focuses on embedding child-safe attitudes, behaviours and practices throughout ECEC services. It provides practical guidance on building cultures where children feel safe, respected and heard, and where safety concerns are identified and addressed early.

The NQF Online Safety Guide supports services to navigate the risks and opportunities presented by digital technologies. It offers advice on safe and age-appropriate use of devices, online environments and educational content, including privacy, consent and cyber safety.

Together, the guides include a suite of tools, templates and case studies to support implementation, and are designed to be flexible for a range of service contexts.

Key regulatory changes commencing 1 September 2025 include:

• new requirements for the safe use of digital technologies and online environments
• a reduction in the timeframe for notifying incidents or allegations of abuse from seven days to 24 hours
• prohibiting the use of vaping devices and substances at services.

In addition, refinements to the National Quality Standard (NQS) will take effect from 1 January 2026. These refinements aim to strengthen the focus on child safety in assessment and rating processes, ensuring safety is embedded as a core quality indicator.

The updated guidance and regulatory changes reflect a national commitment to strengthening safeguards for children in ECEC settings. They also align with the 16 recommendations made in the 2023 child safety review, which called for more proactive, transparent and responsive approaches to child safety.

To assist providers and educators with implementation, ACECQA has published an information sheet outlining what the changes mean in practice and how to prepare. Services are encouraged to begin reviewing their policies, procedures and professional learning frameworks now, using the new guides as a foundation for continuous improvement.

For access to the new guides and more information on the upcoming changes, visit www.acecqa.gov.au.