Safety starts with supervision: responding to real risks in ECEC

Reports of young children found alone on busy roads or in car parks, later returned to their early childhood education and care (ECEC) services by members of the public, serve as a sobering reminder: it only takes a moment for a child to leave a service unsupervised and unnoticed.

The Early Childhood Regulatory Authority (ECRA) in Queensland continues to receive serious incident notifications where children have left service premises alone. In some cases, educators were unaware a child was missing until the child was brought back highlighting critical lapses in supervision, environment security and awareness of individual children.

Every educator believes it could never happen in their service, but the truth is, unless there are strong systems and checks in place, these incidents can and do happen.

Understanding the risks

Incidents where children leave services undetected are preventable and usually occur due to weaknesses across three key areas:

• Environment – unsecured gates, climbable fences or access points that are not adequately monitored or maintained can create easy exits for curious or determined children.
• Supervision – educators may become distracted or fail to conduct frequent head counts or roll calls, especially during transitions or outdoor play.
• Knowledge of children – understanding each child’s developmental needs, behaviour patterns and risk profile is essential. Children who are known climbers or who struggle with engagement may require additional support or supervision.

When these factors combine, the risk of a child leaving undetected increases significantly. Identifying these vulnerabilities is the first step toward implementing effective control measures.

Prevention is a regulatory priority

Preventing such incidents is one of ECRA’s regulatory priorities. The authority is calling on all approved providers and educators to reflect on their current risk management practices and assess whether they are doing enough to protect children from harm.

Key questions for services to consider include:

• Are all gates, fences and access points secure and regularly checked?
• Are supervision strategies clearly documented and consistently implemented across all areas and routines?
• Are educators aware of which children may need additional supervision, and is programming engaging for all children?
• Are regular roll calls and head counts integrated into everyday practice?

Small oversights can have serious consequences. By being proactive, educators can avoid incidents that not only endanger children, but also cause distress for families and can result in compliance action under the Education and Care Services National Law and Regulations.

Learn from experience

To support services in recognising and addressing the factors that lead to these incidents, ECRA has released an animated video resource that illustrates how such events occur and outlines practical strategies to prevent them.

The video covers:

• How environmental, supervision and planning issues can align to allow a child to leave unnoticed
• Realistic scenarios that highlight where control measures failed
• Recommended actions to manage and report incidents effectively
• The role of the approved provider in ensuring compliance and quality improvement

ECRA encourages all services to watch the video with their teams and use it as a reflective tool for staff meetings, professional development or quality improvement planning.

A shared responsibility

Every educator has a role to play in keeping children safe. When a child leaves a service unsupervised, the consequences can be immediate and severe. The emotional impact on the child, families and educators is profound and the regulatory implications can be serious.

Visit ECRA to access guidance, view the animated video and learn more about incident prevention and response strategies.