Incident prevention and management: Protecting children through proactive safety practices

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) services are entrusted with one of the most important responsibilities, ensuring the health, safety and wellbeing of children. Effective incident prevention and management practices are vital to meeting this responsibility, and are mandated under both federal legislation and the National Quality Framework (NQF).

Under section 167 of the Education and Care Services National Law, approved providers, nominated supervisors and family day care educators must take every reasonable precaution to protect children from harm and hazards likely to cause injury. Fulfilling this duty requires more than compliance, it demands a safety-first culture embedded in daily practice.

Prevention begins with the ability to anticipate risk. Services are required to implement robust systems of control that identify, assess, mitigate and monitor risk on an ongoing basis. This includes developing and maintaining comprehensive risk assessments, regularly reviewing policies and procedures, and ensuring educators have a shared understanding of their roles and responsibilities.

Strong systems of control are underpinned by:

• Clear governance—defined roles and responsibilities at all levels of the service
• Regular reviews—systems that are dynamic, not static, and adapt to emerging risks
• Reflective practice—a culture of ongoing learning and improvement

Supporting children to engage in challenging and active play is also essential to their development. Approved providers and educators are encouraged to consider the benefits of ‘risky play’ through a risk-benefit lens. This involves professional judgement, responsive supervision, and a balance between safety and developmental opportunity.

Key prevention strategies include:

• Maintaining adequate supervision at all times
• Implementing and reviewing risk assessments and management plans
• Ensuring policies and procedures are known, understood and followed

When systems are applied consistently, services are better positioned to predict, detect and ultimately prevent incidents before they occur.

Despite best efforts, incidents can and do occur. How a service responds in the moment can significantly influence outcomes for children, families and staff, and the effectiveness of that response depends on preparation.

Every service should have a critical incident management plan in place. This plan forms a key component of a strong incident response framework, ensuring that all staff understand their responsibilities and can act swiftly and appropriately in high-pressure situations.

A well-developed critical incident management plan supports educators and leaders to:

• Administer first aid in line with the service’s approved policies and proceduresAdminister first aid in line with the service’s approved policies and procedures
• Contact emergency services or medical professionals promptly, erring on the side of caution
• Notify and support families in a timely, transparent and respectful manner
• Provide emotional support to children and staff affected by the incident
• Maintain adequate supervision of all children, ensuring their ongoing safety while responding to the incident
  

Having a clearly documented, regularly reviewed plan in place enables services to respond with confidence, reduce harm and support recovery.

Following an incident, services must notify families and the Regulatory Authority within prescribed timeframes, in accordance with National Regulations. Beyond compliance, incident review is a key part of ongoing quality improvement. This includes updating risk assessments, modifying environments, reviewing staff roles, and delivering additional training as needed.

For detailed information and resources visit the Queensland Government Early Childhood Education and Care website.