VECRA increases visits and enforcement activity across Victorian ECEC services

Victoria’s early childhood regulator has increased its compliance and enforcement activity across the sector, undertaking 2,791 service visits and more than 2,400 enforcement actions in the first six months of 2026.

The Victorian Early Childhood Regulatory Authority (VECRA) has released new data showing a rise in visits, inspections and enforcement activity across early childhood education and care (ECEC) services.

Between 1 January and 30 June 2026, VECRA undertook 2,791 visits to Victorian services, compared with 2,703 during the same period in 2025. Many were unannounced or conducted in response to community complaints.

The regulator is preparing to increase its presence further, with additional authorised officers expected to join in coming months and a goal of increasing unannounced visits to one per service each year. VECRA is also increasing the frequency of Assessment and Rating visits.

The increased regulatory presence has been accompanied by a substantial rise in enforcement activity.

VECRA took 2,414 enforcement actions against approved providers, services and educators during the first six months of 2026, up from 1,736 during the corresponding period in 2025.

The regulator also recorded 532 regulatory actions during the six-month period, compared with 32 during the same period a year earlier.

VECRA issued 21 prohibition orders or suspension directions during the period, measures designed to prevent potentially unsuitable educators from working with children.

Despite the increase in regulatory activity, VECRA said the majority of Victorian services continue to provide high-quality education and care, with 96.2 per cent of services rated Meeting National Quality Standard or above.

Early Childhood Regulator Wendy Steendam said the additional resources and powers available to VECRA had increased its capacity to visit and assess services.

She said VECRA would continue to work constructively with providers and educators, while taking action where children’s safety, rights and best interests were not prioritised.

VECRA is also working with the Social Services Regulator, Victorian Institute of Teaching and Victoria Police to share intelligence and coordinate regulatory action.

The closer coordination reflects a broader focus on identifying risks earlier and ensuring concerns involving child safety can be acted on across relevant regulatory and law enforcement bodies.

For approved providers and service leaders, the approach reinforces the importance of strong governance, accurate recordkeeping, effective incident management and clear escalation processes.

VECRA commenced operations on 1 January 2026 as Victoria’s independent early childhood regulator.

Its establishment followed a recommendation of the 2025 Rapid Child Safety Review, which was established in response to allegations of child sexual abuse in early childhood education and care settings. The review also recommended greater transparency around enforcement and compliance activity.

VECRA said it would continue to improve the information it publishes about enforcement and compliance action, including instances where services have been suspended from operating or issued with emergency action notices.

The regulator said greater transparency is intended to provide parents and carers with more information when choosing an early childhood service.

VECRA continues to encourage families, educators and members of the community to report serious incidents, unacceptable behaviour towards children and other concerns.

The regulator highlighted the role educators can play in raising concerns early where behaviour may place children at risk.

For Victorian approved providers, the latest figures point to a more active regulatory environment, with more visits, greater enforcement activity and further unannounced inspections expected.

At the same time, the data shows that increased scrutiny is occurring alongside a sector in which more than 96 per cent of services continue to meet or exceed the National Quality Standard.

Read the full VECRA update here.