National guidance puts child safety at centre of ECEC building design

New national guidance is calling for child safety, effective supervision and children’s rights to be considered from the earliest stages of education and care service design, with practical examples showing how the physical environment can reduce risks to children.

New guidance on the design of education and care service premises is available to help approved providers, architects, developers and other stakeholders create environments that facilitate effective supervision and support child safety.

Facilitating Supervision and Child Safety through Building Design – Regulation 115 explains how the physical design and layout of centre-based education and care services can support compliance with regulation 115 of the Education and Care Services National Regulations.

The guidance applies to centre-based services subject to regulation 115, including long day care, preschool and kindergarten, outside school hours care (OSHC), and government and non-government school-based services.

It can be used when designing and developing new services, as well as when renovating, extending or reviewing existing premises.

Family day care services are not subject to regulation 115.

At the centre of the guidance is the principle that building design can either support or impede effective supervision.

Poor visibility, obstructed sightlines and isolated spaces can limit educators’ ability to supervise children and respond when required.

The guidance identifies ‘unimpeded supervision’ as supervision that is not hindered by the design or layout of the premises.

This includes creating clear sightlines, supporting educator mobility and reducing areas where children may be obscured from view.

It also means considering how spaces will function once furniture, equipment and other resources are added, rather than assessing supervision solely from architectural plans.

The guidance reinforces the requirement for the safety, rights and best interests of children to be the paramount consideration in decisions and actions relating to education and care services.

In building design, this means placing child safety at the centre of planning and development decisions.

Designs should enable educators to supervise children effectively, minimise risks associated with obstructed visibility and reduce opportunities for isolated interactions between adults and children.

The guidance also makes clear that child safety considerations should extend beyond educators and approved providers.

Architects, developers, planners, builders, building certifiers, local councils and other professionals involved in creating service premises all have a role in considering how design decisions affect supervision.

The 42-page resource includes illustrations and practical examples covering a range of spaces commonly found in education and care services.

These include indoor learning areas, toilets and hygiene facilities, administration areas, laundries, nappy change facilities, bottle and food preparation areas, sleep and rest spaces and outdoor environments.

The guidance encourages open indoor layouts and cautions against configurations that create secluded corners or obscured areas.

Transparent elements in doors, walls or partitions may be appropriate in some areas to improve visibility while maintaining children's dignity and privacy.

Storage, fixed furniture and equipment also need to be considered because their placement can obstruct sightlines or create supervision risks.

Importantly, the guidance says cameras, mirrors and other supporting measures should not replace building design that facilitates direct supervision.

The guidance gives particular attention to spaces where care routines can make supervision more complex.

Sleep rooms, for example, should enable educators to maintain clear visibility of children from adjoining areas.

The position of cots, windows and doors can affect whether children remain visible.

Similarly, nappy change and food preparation areas should be designed so educators can complete care routines while maintaining appropriate supervision of other children.

These examples demonstrate how seemingly small design decisions can affect the way supervision works once a service is operating.

Outdoor environments are another significant focus of the national guidance, with design expected to support both children's play and effective supervision.

This is particularly relevant in Queensland, where outdoor space is identified as a current regulatory priority.

The Queensland Department of Education says most incidents in early childhood settings occur in outdoor areas, including accidents and incidents involving children leaving service premises.

The Department says the focus on outdoor spaces should begin during the design phase before a service commences and continue through its operation and maintenance.

Outdoor environments should allow children to explore, experience nature and engage in active play while also supporting educators to supervise effectively.

Risk management, maintenance and the ongoing functionality of these spaces remain important once the service is operating.

While the guidance has a strong focus on new service development, it is also intended to help approved providers and service leaders assess existing environments.

Providers can use it to identify design-related supervision risks, inform renovations or improvements and support risk assessments where physical constraints exist.

This may be particularly relevant for services operating from older or adapted premises, heritage buildings, shared facilities or sites where major structural changes are difficult.

Where physical limitations cannot be removed, approved providers remain responsible for implementing appropriate operational controls, which may include staffing arrangements, supervision plans, policies and procedures.

The new resource does not introduce additional legal requirements or prescribe a single approach to service design.

Instead, it provides examples and considerations to help services and design professionals understand how regulation 115 can be met in practice.

Regulatory authorities may consider the guidance when assessing applications or compliance, taking into account the circumstances of each service.

Alternative design solutions may also meet the intent of regulation 115 where they demonstrate that supervision risks have been identified and appropriately mitigated.

For approved providers considering a new service, renovation or extension, the guidance reinforces the importance of bringing child safety and operational expertise into design decisions early.

For existing services, it provides another lens through which to examine whether the physical environment helps, or hinders, educators in maintaining effective supervision.

The national guidance, Facilitating Supervision and Child Safety through Building Design – Regulation 115, is available from ACECQA.