Child Safe Self-Assessment tool supports stronger safeguarding in ECEC

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) providers are being encouraged to complete the NSW Child Safe Self-Assessment to strengthen their implementation of the NSW Child Safe Standards.

Developed by the NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian, the Child Safe Self-Assessment is a practical, online tool designed to help organisations identify areas of strength and opportunities for improvement in how they embed child-safe practices.

For ECEC services operating under the National Quality Framework (NQF), the tool provides an opportunity to move beyond policy compliance and undertake structured reflection on safeguarding systems.

The self-assessment guides organisations through a series of structured questions aligned to the NSW Child Safe Standards.

Upon completion, services receive a personalised Assessment and Action Report outlining:

• strengths in current child-safe practices
• identified gaps or areas requiring attention
• practical recommendations to support improvement
• access to relevant resources and guidance

Many organisations choose to use the report as part of annual child-safe implementation planning, quality improvement planning or governance reviews.

For approved providers and nominated supervisors, the tool provides evidence of proactive oversight and leadership in safeguarding.

While the NSW Child Safe Standards operate alongside the NQF, there is strong alignment between the two frameworks.

Key areas of connection include:

• National Quality Standard (NQS) Quality Area 2 – Children’s health and safety
• Regulation 168 – Policies and procedures, including child-safe environment policies
• Section 165 of the Education and Care Services National Law – Adequate supervision
• Governance responsibilities of approved providers and persons with management or control

The Child Safe Self-Assessment does not replace regulatory compliance requirements. Instead, it strengthens them by encouraging organisations to examine how child-safe culture is embedded in everyday practice.

Safeguarding is not achieved through documentation alone. It requires leadership, training, monitoring and continuous review.

Increasingly, regulators and oversight bodies expect organisations to demonstrate not only that policies exist, but that systems are actively reviewed and improved.

Completing the Child Safe Self-Assessment can support services to:

• document governance-level oversight of safeguarding
• identify workforce capability gaps
• strengthen complaint handling and reporting processes
• review risk management practices
• embed a culture of child safety across all levels of the organisation

For boards, approved providers and persons with management or control, the assessment can form part of a broader annual governance audit.

Child safety frameworks are most effective when they are reviewed regularly.

Rather than waiting for an incident, complaint or regulatory visit, services can use the self-assessment to ask critical questions:

• Are safeguarding responsibilities clearly understood at all levels?
• Are reporting pathways documented and rehearsed?
• Do staff understand acceptable and unacceptable conduct?
• Are children empowered to raise concerns in age-appropriate ways?

Embedding this reflection into planning cycles supports stronger safeguarding outcomes.

Organisations can complete the assessment and receive their personalised Assessment and Action Report from the Office of the Children’s Guardian website.

The tool is suitable for organisations of all sizes and can be revisited periodically to measure progress.

The ECEC sector operates within a robust regulatory framework. However, compliance alone does not guarantee a child-safe culture.

Tools such as the NSW Child Safe Self-Assessment support services to move from policy-based compliance to proactive, governance-led safeguarding.

For ECEC providers committed to continuous improvement, the assessment offers a practical starting point for strengthening child safety systems in 2026 and beyond.