Goodstart strengthens child safeguarding with new investment and initiatives

As National Child Protection Week commences, early learning providers across Australia are highlighting the importance of creating safe environments for children. In line with this focus, Goodstart Early Learning has announced further investment in its safeguarding systems, processes and workforce, reinforcing its long-standing commitment to child protection and child safe practice.

Goodstart Early Learning has announced further investment in its safeguarding systems, processes and workforce, building on long-standing commitments to child protection and child safe practice.

The provider, which has centres across all states and territories, has already implemented a wide range of measures to strengthen child safety, including mandatory safeguarding training, digital device restrictions, visitor management protocols and protective strategies to empower children.

Goodstart National Lead, Safeguarding Children, Sara Evans said safeguarding children is “core to everything we do,” noting that while significant progress has been made, ongoing improvement remains essential.

“Safety starts with each of us, but at Goodstart it is more than that. We recognise the importance of safety for children, families and staff. That is why we are continuing to invest in people, systems and practices that ensure safety is not only maintained, but strengthened over time,” Ms Evans said.

Current safeguarding measures

Goodstart has a national network of Child Protection Advocates in all states and territories who play an active role in preventing abuse and neglect, supported by rigorous recruitment processes and strict visitor entry requirements.

Protective strategies, such as the Feel Safe, Be Safe kit, are used to empower children with knowledge about their right to feel safe and speak to a trusted adult. The kit, which won the Queensland Child Protection Week Award, has been made freely available to the wider sector and community.

The organisation has also adopted the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations and implemented the National Model Code, including a ban on digital devices in centres from March 2025. Clear policies and obligations guide staff to identify and report safeguarding concerns.

New investment and initiatives

Building on these foundations, Goodstart is investing a further $3 million in safeguarding resources and systems:

• $1 million in additional resourcing for its internal safeguarding and investigations team, including new roles such as Child Protection Partners, Child Protection Specialists, Internal Investigators and working with Children Check (WWCC)  Compliance Officers.
• $2 million in process and system improvements, with enhancements to safeguarding prevention strategies, reporting and investigation processes, and WWCC and visitor management systems.

Other initiatives include:

• Development of an in-house Situational Crime Prevention Assessment Tool, combining risk assessments, culture reviews and staff practice surveys across centres.
• Use of advanced data science and machine learning to model safeguarding risks at a centre level and proactively implement interventions.
• Ongoing rollout of CCTV trials in centres, as part of a layered approach to safeguarding.
• Continued investment in sector-leading systems for case reporting and management, first introduced in 2024 and refined through 2025–26.
• Launching of a new sexual behaviour framework during Child Protection Week 2025 to guide staff in recognising, interpreting and responding to children’s sexual behaviours, distinguishing between safe and unsafe behaviours.

Goodstart’s safeguarding work has been recognised nationally, winning the Queensland Child Protection Week Awards for Child Safe Organisation in 2023 and 2024, and receiving further recognition at the Australian Institute of Training and Development Awards.

The provider also works closely with governments on safeguarding policy and implementation, supporting initiatives to improve national systems such as WWCC processes and educator registers.

Goodstart says the continued rollout of assessments, new frameworks and system improvements will help ensure safeguarding practices are embedded consistently across its national network.

“Safeguarding children is a responsibility that can never stand still,” Ms Evans said.
“We will keep learning, strengthening and investing so that every child in our care is safe from harm, neglect and abuse.”

Learn more about Goodstart’s safeguarding framework here and access the free Feel Safe, Be Safe protective strategies kit here.