ACA welcomes Child Safety Review and commits to working with government on reforms 

The Australian Childcare Alliance (ACA) today welcomes the findings of the Rapid Child Safety Review  and supports the Victorian Government’s commitment to implementing all 22 recommendations. 

ACA President Paul Mondo said the Review’s recommendations outline an important framework to  strengthen safeguards for children and build confidence in the sector. 

“Child safety must always be at the centre of everything we do in early learning. These  recommendations are a significant step forward, and we fully support their urgent implementation,” Mr  Mondo said. 

Key reforms include: 

• Establishing an independent Early Childhood Regulator with the most rigorous inspection regime in the country. 
• Strengthening the Working with Children Check and Reportable Conduct Scheme to ensure risks are identified and acted on swiftly.
• Creating a Victorian Early Childhood Workforce Register compatible with a future national system.
• Providing parents with clearer information, advice, and tools to raise concerns and understand service quality

Mr Mondo said the ACA is ready to work with government and regulators to ensure reforms are  implemented in a way that both strengthens safety and supports services to deliver the highest quality  of care. 

“Families must have absolute trust that early learning services are safe environments for their children.  Educators already work tirelessly to keep children safe and we have been advocating for stronger,  nationally consistent systems to close loopholes and protect against those who should never be allowed  near children,” he said. 

ACA also welcomed the Victorian Government’s push for mandatory child safety training for all staff. 

“These reforms will only succeed if they are implemented across every state and territory. It is vital to  strive for consistent policies across the country to ensure early learning services remain safe, nurturing,  and trusted environments for every child, no matter where they are located.” 

We believe that the vast majority of service providers and their staff are already delivering high quality  ECEC that protects children’s safety. We hope that these measures give families the confidence they  need, whilst driving improvement in the places needed.