National Child Safety Training recognised as finalist in IPAA Spirit of Service Awards

Australia’s mandatory National Child Safety Training initiative has been recognised for its collaborative approach to strengthening child safety across the early childhood education and care sector, securing a finalist position in the 2026 IPAA ACT Spirit of Service Awards.

The initiative has been named a finalist in the Collaboration category, which recognises public-sector projects that bring organisations together to achieve meaningful outcomes for Australian communities.

Developed through a partnership between the Australian Government Department of Education, Queensland Department of Education and Australian Centre for Child Protection at Adelaide University, the training was delivered on behalf of all Australian governments.

It represents a coordinated national effort to establish consistent, evidence-informed child safety training for people working and volunteering across early childhood education and care (ECEC).

The initiative was developed in response to recommendations calling for a more consistent approach to child safety training across the sector.

It brought together expertise in government policy, digital learning, child protection research and ECEC practice to replace fragmented jurisdictional arrangements with a nationally coordinated training program.

Extensive consultation with governments, regulatory authorities, child protection specialists and sector representatives helped ensure the training reflected the diverse roles and service environments found across ECEC.

Under strengthened National Quality Framework requirements introduced on 27 February 2026, people involved in providing education and care must complete the national training relevant to their role.

This includes persons with management or control, nominated supervisors, people in day-to-day charge, staff members and eligible volunteers and students.

The National Child Safety Training is intended to provide people across the sector with a shared foundation of knowledge, skills and confidence to help keep children safe.

The foundation component includes two courses:

• Understanding Child Safety
• Understanding and Identifying Child Abuse and Neglect

Advanced training builds on this foundation through courses addressing the prevention of child abuse and neglect, responses to safeguarding concerns, and leadership and governance of child safety.

The free training is delivered through Geccko, the Australian Government Department of Education’s online learning platform for the ECEC sector.

Rather than treating child safety as a standalone compliance activity, the program is designed to support its integration into everyday decision-making, professional practice, leadership and service culture.

Since launching in February 2026, the initiative has supported a national learning community of more than 400,000 people.

Feedback collected by the Australian Centre for Child Protection indicates that learners have developed greater confidence, stronger advocacy skills and a clearer understanding of their responsibility to protect children.

One Tasmanian educator said the training had provided practical tools that could be used to help children feel “more safe, more heard and more respected”.

An experienced New South Wales educator said the course had strengthened their confidence to advocate for children and reinforced the responsibility shared by everyone working within an early learning service.

The IPAA ACT Spirit of Service Awards celebrate public-sector initiatives demonstrating innovation, collaboration, learning and positive community impact.

The National Child Safety Training initiative was recognised for bringing governments and specialist partners together to develop a credible national framework for the ECEC workforce.

Its selection as a finalist highlights the scale of coordination required to deliver consistent training across different jurisdictions, service types and workforce roles.

It also reinforces an important message for the sector: creating safer environments for children requires shared responsibility across governments, regulators, providers, leaders, educators, staff members and volunteers.

While the program’s national reach is significant, its lasting impact will depend on how effectively services translate the training into everyday practice.

Approved providers and service leaders will need to ensure the learning is reflected in induction, supervision, professional boundaries, risk management, responses to disclosures and concerns, and the creation of environments in which children feel safe to speak and be heard.

Training completion provides a common foundation, but strong child-safe cultures also require consistent leadership, ongoing reflection and the willingness to examine how policies operate in practice.

Finalists will present their initiatives to the Spirit of Service Awards judging panel on 22 September 2026.

Award recipients will be announced at a gala event at the National Arboretum Canberra on 5 November.

The initiative is also eligible for the CSC People’s Choice Award, with voting open to public-sector employees until 5 pm on 30 September.

Further information is available through the Australian Government Department of Education, while training requirements and completion timeframes are outlined by ACECQA.