Geccko Course 5 launches on 30 September: what ECEC leaders need to know

The final course in Australia’s national child safety training package focuses on leadership and governance. Providers can prepare by checking who needs it, scheduling completion and keeping training records current.

Course 5 of Australia’s national child safety training package is scheduled to become available through Geccko on 30 September 2026. The course, Leading and Governing Child Safety, completes the advanced training package for people with specified leadership and governance responsibilities in early childhood education and care (ECEC). 

Its release is a useful prompt for approved providers to review training across their services. The deadline depends on when a person begins a role requiring advanced training. People in a relevant role before 30 September 2026 must complete their required advanced courses by 31 March 2027. Those who start a relevant role on or after 30 September 2026 must complete them within three months of being employed, engaged or appointed at the service. 

Providers have time to plan. The task now is to identify the right courses for each role and give people a practical opportunity to complete them.

Course 5 is required for persons with management or control (PMCs), nominated supervisors and persons in day-to-day charge. These groups do not all have the same requirements for the other advanced courses.

Under the national child safety training guidance:

• PMCs must complete foundation Courses 1 and 2, and advanced Course 5.
• Nominated supervisors and persons in day-to-day charge must complete foundation Courses 1 and 2, and advanced Courses 3, 4 and 5.
• Staff who work directly with children must complete foundation Courses 1 and 2, and advanced Courses 3 and 4.

Other staff, regular or semi-regular volunteers and eligible placement students generally have foundation training requirements. Different rules apply to some services regulated under the Child Care Subsidy Minister’s Rules, so providers of those services should check the requirements relevant to them. 

This role-based distinction matters when providers assign courses. An educator does not require Course 5 solely because they work directly with children, while a PMC requires Course 5 even if they do not work directly with children. A nominated supervisor or person in day-to-day charge needs the full advanced package. 

Advanced Courses 3 and 4 became available in July. They address creating child safe cultures through everyday practice and responding to safeguarding concerns. Course 5 adds the leadership and governance component. Together, the courses are intended to strengthen the sector’s shared understanding of how to prevent harm, recognise concerns and respond appropriately. 

That gives service leaders an opportunity to connect training with decisions they make every day: how concerns reach the right people, how staff are supported to understand their responsibilities, and how leaders check whether child safety arrangements are working in practice. Completing a course is a required step; reflecting on its application can help make the learning useful across a service.

Approved providers can begin with a list of current PMCs, nominated supervisors and persons in day-to-day charge. For each person, they can confirm the relevant appointment date, required courses, completion status and deadline. The same check can be built into onboarding when someone takes up one of these roles from 30 September. 

It is also worth reviewing the training already completed. Leaders required to take Courses 3 and 4 need to know whether those courses are finished or still to be scheduled. A service-wide deadline on its own may miss the three-month timeframe that applies to someone newly appointed to a relevant role.

Training is free and must be completed through Geccko, the Australian Government’s online learning platform for ECEC. Each learner needs an individual account. Training completed through another platform or provider does not meet the national child safety training requirement. 

Providers can check account access before Course 5 opens, set aside training time around rosters and leave, and decide how they will monitor completion. The department says learners receive a certificate of completion, which approved providers should keep in staff records. Providers are responsible for ensuring people at their services complete the required training within the prescribed timeframes. 

Course 5 does not need to be completed on its release date. Its arrival does, however, give services a clear point to confirm who needs the course and when. The national child safety training page sets out the role requirements, deadlines and Geccko access information.