START HERE — Kit Guide & 2026 Compliance Dates — Child Safety Ready 2026

Product: Child Safety Ready 2026 — ECEC Child-Safety Compliance Kit (editable templates) Provided by: Axior Labs (ABN 91 949 773 596) trading as ChildSafetyReady Support: hq@childsafetyready.com.au Version: 1.0 — July 2026 Regulatory references current to: July 2026

IMPORTANT — READ FIRST. This document is an editable template and general educational information only. It is not legal advice and has not been prepared for your specific service. Using this template does not, by itself, make your service compliant with the Education and Care Services National Law, the National Regulations, or your regulatory authority’s requirements. You must adapt it to your service, verify every obligation against ACECQA and your state/territory regulatory authority, and obtain professional advice where needed. References current to July 2026 and may change.

WHAT THE INSPECTOR ASKS: “How do you keep track of the 2026 child-safety obligations, and where is your evidence for each one?” THIS DOCUMENT EVIDENCES: Whole-of-kit orientation — the reg 168 policy suite, National Law Part 6A, the National Early Childhood Worker Register duty, the WWCC-before-work rule and the mandatory child-safety training duty, each covered by a numbered document below.

What this kit is

Thirty-six editable Word documents that give [SERVICE NAME] the evidence layer for the 2025–26 child-safety reforms: the policies an authorised officer asks to see, the registers that prove the policies are lived, and the acknowledgment forms that protect your educators from penalties they never saw coming. Maximum penalties tripled on 2 January 2026, and infringement notices (PINs) now sit at 10% of the maximum penalty on an expanded offence list — the point of this kit is that no educator at your service cops a fine, and your rating never suffers, because of a missing document.

What this kit is NOT

• Not legal advice. Every document must be adapted and verified for your service and jurisdiction.
• Not the mandatory child-safety training. The training itself is free and is delivered only through the government Geccko platform. We do not provide, sell or substitute for that training — this kit gives you the evidence documents that prove your people have done it.
• Not a substitute for ACECQA’s free guidance, which is genuinely good. What ACECQA does not give you is editable templates, working registers with countdown logic, state overlays in one place, or an inspector-question map. That is what this kit is.

Editing conventions (used in every document)

A centre director should be able to complete any document in this kit in under 30 minutes.

Recommended completion order

1. Calendar first. Open Doc 34 (2026 Compliance Calendar) and pin it in the office. Every other document hangs off those dates.
2. Policies second. Complete Group A (digital technologies), then Group F (child-safe environment and governance), then the policy items in Groups D and E. Policies set the rules your registers evidence.
3. Registers third. Populate Groups B, C and D registers (WWCC expiry, Worker Register, training evidence) plus the device registers in Group A — these are the documents inspectors actually open.
4. Binder index last. Complete Doc 35 (Inspector Evidence Binder Index) once everything else has a location, then run the Doc 32 self-drill.

State-specific documents (7, 8, 10, 21): use the version for your jurisdiction — see Doc 36 (State Cover Sheet).

The 2026 dates table

Training and device offences carry penalties of approximately $6,600 (individual) / $34,200 (body corporate) — per person, per breach.

The 36 documents

Group A — Device & digital technology 1. Safe Use of Digital Technologies & Online Environments Policy 2. Personal Device Ban Procedure + Signed Staff Acknowledgment Form 3. Service-Issued Device Register & Authorisation Log 4. Image & Video Parent Authorisation Form + Retention/Destruction Schedule 5. CCTV / Optical Surveillance Policy + Footage Access Log 6. Personal Device Exception Register

Group B — WWCC before work 7. WWCC Verification-Before-Work SOP (8 state versions) 8. Contractor / Volunteer / Student-Placement Check Checklist (8 state versions) 9. WWCC Expiry & Renewal Register (90/60/30-day countdown) 10. WWCC Status-Change & Negative Notice Response Procedure (8 state versions)

Group C — National Early Childhood Worker Register 11. NECWR Onboarding & Data-Entry Procedure 12. NECWR 14-Day Update SOP + Change-Trigger Checklist 13. Monthly Register Reconciliation Audit

Group D — Child-safety training evidence 14. Child Safety Training Evidence Register 15. New-Starter 14-Day Training Compliance Checklist 16. Biennial Refresher Training Scheduler 17. Child Protection Training Policy + Jurisdiction-Approved Course List

Group E — 24-hour abuse-allegation reporting 18. 24-Hour Abuse-Allegation Notification Procedure 19. Allegation Intake & Notification Decision Tree 20. Notification Record Template 21. Reportable Conduct Scheme Cross-Map (8 state versions)

Group F — Child-safe environment + QA7 governance 22. Providing a Child Safe Environment Policy (2026 edition) 23. Child Safe Recruitment & Employment Policy 24. Staff Code of Conduct (child-safe edition) 25. Child Safety Risk Register 26. QA7 Governance & Accountability Pack 27. Protected Disclosures / Speak-Up Procedure

Group G — Incident & notification templates 28. Incident, Injury, Trauma & Illness Record (updated) 29. Serious Incident & Notification Template Set + Timeframe Cheat-Sheet 30. Complaints Handling Procedure & Register 31. Post-Allegation Staff Management Procedure

Group H — Spot-visit / A&R preparation 32. Unannounced Visit Readiness Checklist 33. Child Safety Self-Assessment vs QA2/QA7 (2026 NQS refinements) 34. 2026 Compliance Calendar 35. Inspector Evidence Binder Index — the kit’s signature artefact: every likely inspector question → document → location

Reference 36. State Cover Sheet — state-overlay map + 8-jurisdiction WWCC table 00. This guide

“Guidance — delete before finalising.” Print this guide and Doc 34, hand one copy to your Nominated Supervisor, and book a 90-minute block this week: calendar on the wall, then two policies per day until Group A and Group F are done, then one register per day. By the end of a fortnight you are inspector-ready. Delete this box from your working copy.

Support

Questions about the templates: hq@childsafetyready.com.au. Questions about your obligations: your regulatory authority and ACECQA — always the final word.

Safe Use of Digital Technologies & Online Environments Policy — Child Safety Ready 2026

Product: Child Safety Ready 2026 — ECEC Child-Safety Compliance Kit (editable templates) Provided by: Axior Labs (ABN 91 949 773 596) trading as ChildSafetyReady Support: hq@childsafetyready.com.au Version: 1.0 — July 2026 Regulatory references current to: July 2026

IMPORTANT — READ FIRST. This document is an editable template and general educational information only. It is not legal advice and has not been prepared for your specific service. Using this template does not, by itself, make your service compliant with the Education and Care Services National Law, the National Regulations, or your regulatory authority’s requirements. You must adapt it to your service, verify every obligation against ACECQA and your state/territory regulatory authority, and obtain professional advice where needed. References current to July 2026 and may change.

WHAT THE INSPECTOR ASKS: “Show me your digital technologies policy and its last review date.” THIS DOCUMENT EVIDENCES: reg 168(2)(ha) — required policy and procedures on the safe use of digital technologies and online environments (in force 1 September 2025).

1. Purpose

[SERVICE NAME] must have in place a policy and procedures on the safe use of digital technologies and online environments (reg 168(2)(ha), in force 1 September 2025). This policy sets out how our service manages every digital technology that touches children in our care, protecting educators from inadvertent breaches and evidencing compliance when an authorised officer asks.

Guidance — delete before finalising. Reg 168(2)(ha) prescribes five matters your policy must address — subparagraphs (i) to (v) below; authorised officers check the policy against each. Do not delete a section that “doesn’t apply” (e.g. no CCTV) — state instead that the technology is not used. Keep the Version & Review History table current: the inspector asks for the last review date.

2. Scope

This policy applies to:

• the approved provider, nominated supervisor, all educators and staff, family day care educators (if applicable), volunteers, students on placement, contractors and visitors at [SERVICE NAME]; and
• all digital technologies used at, or in connection with, the service — service-issued devices, personal devices, optical surveillance devices (including CCTV), online platforms and apps used to document learning or communicate with families, and digital devices used by children.

3. Definitions

4. Images and videos of children (reg 168(2)(ha)(i), in force 1 September 2025)

• Images and videos of children are taken only on service-issued devices listed in the Service-Issued Device Register (Doc 03), only for documentation of learning, safety or family-communication purposes.
• Images are used only for the purposes the child’s parent has authorised (section 5), stored only in [APPROVED STORAGE LOCATION/SYSTEM, e.g. service-controlled drive or platform], and destroyed in accordance with the Retention & Destruction Schedule (Doc 04).
• No image or video of a child is transferred to any personal device, email or cloud account, or posted to any social media account other than [SERVICE ACCOUNT(S), IF ANY] — and then only with the specific authorisation in Doc 04.

5. Parent authorisation (reg 168(2)(ha)(ii), in force 1 September 2025)

We obtain written authorisation from a parent before taking, using or storing images or videos of a child, using the Image & Video Authorisation Form (Doc 04). Authorisations are recorded against each child’s enrolment record, checked before publication or display, and can be withdrawn at any time. Children without authorisation are listed on the room-level [NO-IMAGE LIST LOCATION], which educators check before documenting group experiences.

6. Optical surveillance devices (reg 168(2)(ha)(iii), in force 1 September 2025)

[SELECT ONE: This service does not currently operate any optical surveillance device, including CCTV. Any future proposal will require a documented decision by the approved provider, family consultation, and adoption of the CCTV & Optical Surveillance Policy (Doc 05) before installation. / This service operates CCTV under the CCTV & Optical Surveillance Policy (Doc 05), which governs placement, purpose, access, retention and the Footage Access Log.]

7. Service-issued digital devices (reg 168(2)(ha)(iv), in force 1 September 2025)

Every device authorised to capture, store or transmit images of children is recorded in the Service-Issued Device Register & Authorisation Log (Doc 03), is configured in line with this policy (passcode-protected, service-controlled accounts only, automatic upload to [APPROVED STORAGE] where available), and is reviewed regularly for appropriate use. Service devices are used exclusively for, or in connection with, providing education and care.

8. Children’s use of digital devices (reg 168(2)(ha)(v), in force 1 September 2025)

Where children use digital devices as part of the educational program:

• use is planned, time-limited, age-appropriate and always actively supervised by an educator;
• devices are service-issued, with content restrictions and safe-search enabled, and no open internet browsing or unsupervised camera use by children;
• online environments accessed by children are limited to [LIST APPROVED APPS/PLATFORMS], reviewed by the nominated supervisor before first use.

9. Personal devices — National Law Part 6A (in force 27 February 2026)

From 27 February 2026, a person must not have a personal device capable of taking, storing or transmitting images or videos in their possession or control while working directly with children (National Law Part 6A, in force 27 February 2026). The penalty for an individual is approximately $6,600, and from 2 January 2026 the regulator can issue an infringement notice at 10% of the maximum penalty without going to court. Our enforcement procedure, storage arrangements and staff acknowledgments are in the Personal Device Ban Procedure (Doc 02). Documented exceptions (for example disability or health support, essential family communication, or backup where a service device fails) are managed through the Personal Device Exception Register (Doc 06).

Guidance — delete before finalising. NSW services must also comply with the Education and Care Services (Supply, Authorisation and Use of Devices) Order 2026 (in force 27 February 2026), which imposes stricter record-keeping and extends obligations to contractors, volunteers and family day care. Kit Docs 02, 03 and 06 build those NSW requirements in.

10. Online environments and family communication

• The service communicates with families only through [APPROVED CHANNELS, e.g. service app, service email]. Educators do not communicate with families about children through personal accounts, personal social media or personal messaging.
• Access to the service’s family-communication platform is limited to current staff and the enrolled child’s own family; access is removed within [NUMBER] days when a staff member leaves or a child’s enrolment ends.

11. Roles and responsibilities

12. Breaches

Suspected breaches are reported immediately to the nominated supervisor, recorded, and managed under [STAFF DISCIPLINARY/PERFORMANCE PROCEDURE]. Where a breach may be an offence or a notifiable matter, the approved provider seeks advice and makes any required notification within the applicable timeframe.

13. Review

This policy is reviewed at least every 12 months, and immediately after any regulatory change, incident or near-miss involving digital technology. Families are notified of significant changes in advance [VERIFY: minimum notice period for policy changes affecting families under reg 172 in the current National Regulations].

14. Related kit documents

Doc 02 (Personal Device Ban Procedure & Acknowledgment) · Doc 03 (Service-Issued Device Register) · Doc 04 (Image & Video Authorisation + Retention/Destruction) · Doc 05 (CCTV & Optical Surveillance Policy) · Doc 06 (Personal Device Exception Register).

Version & review history

Adoption

Personal Device Ban Procedure & Staff Acknowledgment — Child Safety Ready 2026

Product: Child Safety Ready 2026 — ECEC Child-Safety Compliance Kit (editable templates) Provided by: Axior Labs (ABN 91 949 773 596) trading as ChildSafetyReady Support: hq@childsafetyready.com.au Version: 1.0 — July 2026 Regulatory references current to: July 2026

IMPORTANT — READ FIRST. This document is an editable template and general educational information only. It is not legal advice and has not been prepared for your specific service. Using this template does not, by itself, make your service compliant with the Education and Care Services National Law, the National Regulations, or your regulatory authority’s requirements. You must adapt it to your service, verify every obligation against ACECQA and your state/territory regulatory authority, and obtain professional advice where needed. References current to July 2026 and may change.

WHAT THE INSPECTOR ASKS: “How do staff know the rule — show me signed acknowledgments.” THIS DOCUMENT EVIDENCES: National Law Part 6A personal device ban (in force 27 February 2026; individual offence approximately $6,600).

1. The rule

From 27 February 2026, a person must not have a personal device capable of taking, storing or transmitting images or videos in their possession or control while working directly with children (National Law Part 6A, in force 27 February 2026). This covers personal phones, smartwatches with cameras, tablets, and cameras.

Why this procedure protects you: the offence exposes an individual to a penalty of approximately $6,600 and a body corporate to approximately $34,200. From 2 January 2026, maximum penalties under the National Law tripled and the regulator can issue an infringement notice at 10% of the maximum penalty on the spot — no court required. Following this procedure means no educator at [SERVICE NAME] is ever personally exposed for simply having their phone in their pocket.

“Working directly with children” means being physically present with a child or children while employed, engaged or appointed to provide education and care to them at that time. A short break away from children does not count — unless enrolled children are present with you during the break. [VERIFY: this definition reflects the NSW Devices Order 2026 — confirm the definition applied in your jurisdiction]

Guidance — delete before finalising. In NSW, the Education and Care Services (Supply, Authorisation and Use of Devices) Order 2026 (in force 27 February 2026) extends the ban to every “relevant person” — approved provider, nominated supervisor, educators, family day care educators, employees, contractors and volunteers — and extends the excursion provisions to regular outings. If you operate in NSW, keep the wider scope below. Other states: confirm scope with your regulatory authority.

2. Who this procedure applies to

All educators and staff, the nominated supervisor, the approved provider when working directly with children, family day care educators (if applicable), casuals and agency staff, volunteers, students on placement, and contractors at [SERVICE NAME].

3. Daily procedure

1. On arrival, before entering any room or space where children are present, store all personal devices (including smartwatches capable of taking images) in [DESIGNATED STORAGE, e.g. staff lockers in the staff room]. Devices stay there, silenced, for the whole shift.
2. Breaks: personal devices may be used only in [STAFF ROOM / DESIGNATED AREA] during breaks taken away from children. If enrolled children are present in that space, the ban still applies.
3. Urgent contact: family and emergency contacts reach staff on the service phone [SERVICE PHONE NUMBER]. The person answering relays messages immediately. This number is given to staff at induction to pass to their families.
4. Excursions and regular outings: a service-issued device from the Service-Issued Device Register (Doc 03) is taken for photos, communication and emergencies. The personal-device ban continues to apply off-site.
5. Programming/documentation: all photos and videos of children are taken only on service-issued devices (Doc 03) with parent authorisation in place (Doc 04).
6. Casuals, agency staff, volunteers and students are told the rule before their first shift and sign the acknowledgment below on day one, before working directly with children.
7. Contractors and visitors are advised at sign-in that no photography or filming is permitted and personal device use around children is restricted to [SIGN-IN AREA / OFFICE].

4. Exceptions

The only lawful way to carry a personal device while working directly with children is a written authorisation from the approved provider recorded in the Personal Device Exception Register (Doc 06) — for example, support for a disability or health need, essential family communication, or backup where a service-issued device fails. No written record, no exception.

5. If the rule is breached

1. Any person who sees a personal device out around children reminds the holder immediately and asks them to store it.
2. The nominated supervisor is informed the same day and records the incident in [INCIDENT/BREACH RECORD LOCATION]: who, what device, where, duration, and whether any images were taken.
3. If any image or video of a child was taken on a personal device, the nominated supervisor ensures it is shown to be deleted, records this, and the approved provider assesses whether the matter requires notification to the regulatory authority and seeks advice where unsure.
4. Repeated or deliberate breaches are managed under [DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURE].

6. How the service supports staff

• Lockable storage is provided at no cost: [STORAGE ARRANGEMENT].
• The service phone number is publicised to staff families for urgent contact.
• Exception requests are dealt with within [NUMBER] working days and never unreasonably refused where a genuine need exists (Doc 06).

Part B — Staff Acknowledgment Form

Service: [SERVICE NAME] · Approved provider: [APPROVED PROVIDER]

I acknowledge that:

1. I have read and understood the Personal Device Ban Procedure and the Safe Use of Digital Technologies & Online Environments Policy (Doc 01).
2. From 27 February 2026, I must not have a personal device capable of taking, storing or transmitting images or videos in my possession or control while working directly with children (National Law Part 6A), unless I hold a current written authorisation recorded in the Personal Device Exception Register.
3. I will store my personal device(s), including any camera-capable smartwatch, in [DESIGNATED STORAGE] for the duration of every shift.
4. I understand a breach may expose me personally to a penalty of approximately $6,600 and will be managed under the service’s procedures.
5. I will report any breach I observe to the nominated supervisor.

Guidance — delete before finalising. Have every current staff member, volunteer and regular contractor sign before 27 February 2026 (or immediately if later); new starters sign at induction before their first shift with children. File signed forms in the staff record and log them below — the log is what you hand the inspector.

Part C — Acknowledgment Register

Adoption

Service-Issued Device Register & Authorisation Log — Child Safety Ready 2026

Product: Child Safety Ready 2026 — ECEC Child-Safety Compliance Kit (editable templates) Provided by: Axior Labs (ABN 91 949 773 596) trading as ChildSafetyReady Support: hq@childsafetyready.com.au Version: 1.0 — July 2026 Regulatory references current to: July 2026

IMPORTANT — READ FIRST. This document is an editable template and general educational information only. It is not legal advice and has not been prepared for your specific service. Using this template does not, by itself, make your service compliant with the Education and Care Services National Law, the National Regulations, or your regulatory authority’s requirements. You must adapt it to your service, verify every obligation against ACECQA and your state/territory regulatory authority, and obtain professional advice where needed. References current to July 2026 and may change.

WHAT THE INSPECTOR ASKS: “Which devices may photograph children and where is that recorded?” THIS DOCUMENT EVIDENCES: National Law Part 6A authorised-device requirements (in force 27 February 2026); reg 168(2)(ha)(iv) service-issued device element (in force 1 September 2025); NSW: Education and Care Services (Supply, Authorisation and Use of Devices) Order 2026.

How to use this register

From 27 February 2026, only devices supplied or authorised by the approved provider may be used to capture, store or transmit images or videos of children (National Law Part 6A, in force 27 February 2026). This register is the single record of every such device. If a device is not on this register, it does not photograph children — that one sentence is your answer to the inspector.

Guidance — delete before finalising. NSW services: the Devices Order 2026 (cl 4-5) mandates the written record fields used below — date of supply/authorisation, device type, make/model/serial where available, a declaration that the device is configured in accordance with your child-safety/device-security policies, name and signature of the approved provider (or authorised delegate), and revocation details — and requires the record to be kept in a safe and secure place at the service premises for at least 3 years from the date it was made. It also requires regular reviews of whether devices are being used appropriately (cl 6-7). [VERIFY: additional record-keeping requirements for authorised devices in your jurisdiction — the mandated fields above are NSW-specific; Part 6A itself applies nationally]

“Supplied” = service-owned device issued by the provider. “Authorised” = a device the provider authorises for service use — the usual route for family day care educators’ own equipment.

Part A — Device Register

Configuration declaration standard (edit to match Doc 01): passcode or biometric lock; signed in to service-controlled accounts only; images auto-upload to [APPROVED STORAGE] and are removed from the device within [NUMBER] days; no personal accounts, personal cloud backup or social media apps; location of overnight storage: [LOCATION].

Part B — Authorisation & Revocation Log

Record every lifecycle event so the register shows not just what is authorised, but who did it and when — the inspector cross-checks this against Part A.

Guidance — delete before finalising. On revocation or disposal: wipe images from the device, confirm the wipe, record it here the same day, and keep the record — NSW requires revocation details (date, name, signature) in the written record itself.

Part C — Regular Device-Use Review

The approved provider and nominated supervisor must ensure processes are in place, and followed, to regularly review whether service devices are being used appropriately for providing education and care (NSW Devices Order 2026 cl 6-7; good practice nationally). [SERVICE NAME] reviews every registered device at least [QUARTERLY].

Register maintenance

Image & Video Authorisation Form + Retention & Destruction Schedule — Child Safety Ready 2026

Product: Child Safety Ready 2026 — ECEC Child-Safety Compliance Kit (editable templates) Provided by: Axior Labs (ABN 91 949 773 596) trading as ChildSafetyReady Support: hq@childsafetyready.com.au Version: 1.0 — July 2026 Regulatory references current to: July 2026

IMPORTANT — READ FIRST. This document is an editable template and general educational information only. It is not legal advice and has not been prepared for your specific service. Using this template does not, by itself, make your service compliant with the Education and Care Services National Law, the National Regulations, or your regulatory authority’s requirements. You must adapt it to your service, verify every obligation against ACECQA and your state/territory regulatory authority, and obtain professional advice where needed. References current to July 2026 and may change.

WHAT THE INSPECTOR ASKS: “Show me a current authorisation and how you destroy images when a child leaves.” THIS DOCUMENT EVIDENCES: reg 168(2)(ha)(i) — taking, use, storage and destruction of images and videos of children; reg 168(2)(ha)(ii) — obtaining authorisation from parents to take, use and store images and videos (both in force 1 September 2025).

Guidance — delete before finalising. This document has two halves and the inspector question has two halves. Part A (the signed form, filed per child) answers “show me a current authorisation”. Part B (the schedule and destruction log) answers “how do you destroy images when a child leaves”. Services routinely have the first and not the second — the destruction log is what sets you apart. ACECQA’s free National Model Code on taking images is good background reading; this document is the working artefact it doesn’t give you.

Part A — Parent/Guardian Image & Video Authorisation Form

Service: [SERVICE NAME] · Approved provider: [APPROVED PROVIDER]

Child’s name: [CHILD NAME] · Date of birth: [DOB] · Room/group: [ROOM]

Under reg 168(2)(ha)(ii) (in force 1 September 2025), we must obtain your authorisation before taking, using or storing images or videos of your child. Images are taken only on service-issued devices listed in our device register — never on staff personal devices (National Law Part 6A, in force 27 February 2026). You may tick some boxes and not others, and you may withdraw any authorisation at any time in writing.

1. Taking and storing (core authorisation)

2. Uses (tick each use you authorise)

External media, advertising or any use not listed above will never occur without a further specific written authorisation.

3. Duration and withdrawal. This authorisation lasts until my child’s enrolment ends or I withdraw it in writing to [CONTACT], whichever is earlier. Withdrawal applies from the date received; the service will act on published images as far as practicable and record the action taken.

Guidance — delete before finalising. Where parents do not authorise, add the child to the room-level no-image list referenced in Doc 01 §5 and brief all educators, including casuals. Re-issue this form when your uses change (e.g. you open a social media account) — an old form does not cover a new use.

Part B — Retention & Destruction Schedule

Reg 168(2)(ha)(i) requires our policy and procedures to cover the destruction of images and videos, not just their taking and storage. This schedule is how [SERVICE NAME] does it.

When a child leaves the service: within [NUMBER] days of the enrolment ending, the [ROLE] works through each row above for that child, destroys or hands over images as scheduled, and records it in the Destruction Log. Images that form part of records the service must keep by law are retained per the verified retention period and destroyed at its end.

Destruction Log

Annual image audit

Once every 12 months, the [ROLE] samples each storage location against current enrolments and authorisations, confirms no images sit outside approved storage, and records the audit here: [AUDIT RECORD LOCATION].

Adoption

CCTV & Optical Surveillance Policy + Footage Access Log — Child Safety Ready 2026

Product: Child Safety Ready 2026 — ECEC Child-Safety Compliance Kit (editable templates) Provided by: Axior Labs (ABN 91 949 773 596) trading as ChildSafetyReady Support: hq@childsafetyready.com.au Version: 1.0 — July 2026 Regulatory references current to: July 2026

IMPORTANT — READ FIRST. This document is an editable template and general educational information only. It is not legal advice and has not been prepared for your specific service. Using this template does not, by itself, make your service compliant with the Education and Care Services National Law, the National Regulations, or your regulatory authority’s requirements. You must adapt it to your service, verify every obligation against ACECQA and your state/territory regulatory authority, and obtain professional advice where needed. References current to July 2026 and may change.

WHAT THE INSPECTOR ASKS: “Who can view footage; show me the access log.” THIS DOCUMENT EVIDENCES: reg 168(2)(ha)(iii) — required policy and procedures on the use of any optical surveillance devices at the service (in force 1 September 2025).

1. Purpose and status at this service

Reg 168(2)(ha)(iii) (in force 1 September 2025) requires our digital technologies policy to cover the use of any optical surveillance device at the service — a device capable of visually recording or observing activity, of which CCTV is the most common example. This policy applies whether or not the service currently operates such devices.

Current status at [SERVICE NAME] (select one):

• No optical surveillance devices are operated. Sections 2 and 6 still apply: no device (including baby monitors with recording capability, doorbell cameras or trial equipment) may be installed without the approved provider’s documented decision under this policy, and any future installation requires family and staff notification before it begins operating.
• The service operates the devices listed in the Camera Schedule (section 3).

Guidance — delete before finalising. Even services with no CCTV must be able to hand the inspector a policy covering optical surveillance — a blank stare is a gap against reg 168(2)(ha)(iii). Tick the first box and you are covered. If you do operate CCTV, complete every section and keep the access log religiously: “who can view footage” is answered by section 5, “show me the access log” by section 8. [VERIFY: your state or territory surveillance devices legislation for notice, consent and placement restrictions before installing or relocating any camera]

2. Purpose limitation

Optical surveillance at [SERVICE NAME] may be used only for: security of premises outside operating hours; safety of children and staff; and reviewing specific incidents. It is never used for: general performance monitoring of staff; live-streaming to families; or any purpose not listed here. Cameras are never placed in toileting, nappy-change, or staff change areas.

3. Camera Schedule

4. Notification and signage

• Families are informed of camera locations and this policy at enrolment and when cameras change; staff, volunteers and students at induction.
• Signage at [ENTRY POINTS] states that CCTV operates at the service.
• This policy is available to families at [LOCATION/PLATFORM].

5. Who may view footage

No other person — including other staff and family members — may view footage except as set out below. Every access to recorded footage is entered in the Footage Access Log (section 8) at the time of access.

Requests from families: a parent may request footage of an incident involving their child in writing to [CONTACT]. Because footage usually shows other children and staff, the service will [VERIFY: how your privacy obligations apply to releasing footage showing third parties — obtain advice before releasing] and will respond within [NUMBER] days, recording the request and outcome in the log.

Regulatory authority and police: footage is made available to authorised officers and police on lawful request; the request and what was provided are recorded in the log.

6. Installation, relocation and decommissioning

Any new device, relocation or decommissioning requires: a documented decision by the approved provider (purpose, placement, field of view); a check against section 2 exclusions; family/staff notification before operation; and an update to the Camera Schedule the same day.

7. Storage, retention and security

• Footage is stored in [RECORDER/CLOUD SYSTEM], access-controlled with individual credentials — no shared logins.
• Footage is retained for [NUMBER] days and then automatically overwritten, unless preserved for an incident, complaint, notification or lawful request — preserved footage is moved to [SECURE LOCATION] and logged.
• Exports are made only by the system administrator, watermarked/labelled where possible, and recorded in the log with the reason and recipient.

8. Footage Access Log

9. Breaches and review

Unauthorised viewing, export or disclosure of footage is a breach of this policy, reported to the approved provider immediately and managed under [DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURE]; the approved provider assesses any notification or privacy-response obligations. This policy is reviewed at least every 12 months and whenever cameras change.

Adoption

Personal Device Exception Register — Child Safety Ready 2026

Product: Child Safety Ready 2026 — ECEC Child-Safety Compliance Kit (editable templates) Provided by: Axior Labs (ABN 91 949 773 596) trading as ChildSafetyReady Support: hq@childsafetyready.com.au Version: 1.0 — July 2026 Regulatory references current to: July 2026

IMPORTANT — READ FIRST. This document is an editable template and general educational information only. It is not legal advice and has not been prepared for your specific service. Using this template does not, by itself, make your service compliant with the Education and Care Services National Law, the National Regulations, or your regulatory authority’s requirements. You must adapt it to your service, verify every obligation against ACECQA and your state/territory regulatory authority, and obtain professional advice where needed. References current to July 2026 and may change.

WHAT THE INSPECTOR ASKS: “That educator carries a phone — where is the documented exception?” THIS DOCUMENT EVIDENCES: National Law Part 6A written authorisation for possession or control of a personal device while working directly with children (in force 27 February 2026); NSW: Devices Order 2026 cl 12.

How this register protects your staff

From 27 February 2026, an educator with a personal device in their possession or control while working directly with children commits an offence (National Law Part 6A, in force 27 February 2026; penalty approximately $6,600 for an individual) — unless a written authorisation from the approved provider is in place. This register is where those written authorisations live. An undocumented “the director said it was fine” does not protect anyone; a signed entry here does.

Recognised exception categories (reflecting the National Law and, in NSW, Devices Order 2026 cl 10(4) and 11(3)):

1. Support or assistance with the person’s disability or health needs (e.g. glucose monitoring app, hearing-aid controller)
2. Essential communication with a family member
3. Safety or the provision of education and care where a service-supplied or service-authorised device ceases working (temporary backup)
4. Use in an emergency
5. Work health and safety
6. Essential communication with an institution (e.g. school, hospital, aged care facility) concerning the person’s family member
7. Other essential communication

[VERIFY: the exception categories and written-authorisation requirements recognised in your jurisdiction — categories 4-7 above are grounded in the NSW Devices Order 2026]

Guidance — delete before finalising. Keep authorisations narrow: name the device, the category, and conditions (e.g. “device remains in pocket, alerts only, no camera use; any call taken away from children with cover arranged”). NSW services: the written record must also include the service’s name and address and the person’s address and date of birth (Devices Order 2026 cl 12(a)); every authorisation still in effect at three months must be reviewed, and if there is no valid reason to continue it, revoked in writing within 48 hours of the provider becoming aware (cl 12(b)); records are kept in a safe and secure location at the service premises (cl 12(c)).

Part A — Written Authorisation Record (one per exception)

Part B — Exception Register (summary of all authorisations)

Part C — Three-Month Review Log

Register maintenance

WWCC Verification-Before-Work SOP — Child Safety Ready 2026

Product: Child Safety Ready 2026 — ECEC Child-Safety Compliance Kit (editable templates) Provided by: Axior Labs (ABN 91 949 773 596) trading as ChildSafetyReady Support: hq@childsafetyready.com.au Version: 1.0 — July 2026 Regulatory references current to: July 2026

IMPORTANT — READ FIRST. This document is an editable template and general educational information only. It is not legal advice and has not been prepared for your specific service. Using this template does not, by itself, make your service compliant with the Education and Care Services National Law, the National Regulations, or your regulatory authority’s requirements. You must adapt it to your service, verify every obligation against ACECQA and your state/territory regulatory authority, and obtain professional advice where needed. References current to July 2026 and may change.

WHAT THE INSPECTOR ASKS: “Walk me through what happened before your newest educator’s first shift.” THIS DOCUMENT EVIDENCES: The National Law WWCC-before-work requirement (in force 27 February 2026 — no pending-application starts, no grace period; NSW: ss 166A and 5AA of the applied law), and the educator-record duty to hold each educator’s WWCC number with room/time allocations (reg 151, from 24 April 2026 — verified NSW; [VERIFY commencement in your state]).

1. Purpose

This Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) sets out how [SERVICE NAME] guarantees that no person begins work in any role involving children before their working-with-children check has been verified at the source — and how we prove that to an authorised officer in under five minutes.

From 27 February 2026, the National Law makes this a bright-line rule:

• A verified, current check must exist before the first shift. Sighting a card or certificate is not enough — the check must be verified against the issuing body’s register.
• A pending application does not count. There are no “started the application” starts.
• There is no grace period for a lapsed, suspended or cancelled check. The moment a check stops being valid, the person stops child-related work (see Doc 10 of this kit).

Guidance — delete before finalising. The point of this SOP is the evidence trail, not the rule itself. Maximum penalties under the National Law tripled on 2 January 2026, and expanded penalty infringement notices (PINs) are now set at 10% of the maximum penalty. A missing verification record exposes your service and the individual staff member who rostered the person — this SOP protects both.

2. Scope

This SOP applies to every person engaged by [SERVICE NAME] in a role covered by working-with-children requirements, including:

• employed educators and staff (permanent, part-time, casual);
• agency staff — verify before their first shift, exactly as for direct employees;
• the Nominated Supervisor and persons in day-to-day charge;
• volunteers and students on placement (see Doc 08 for the extended checklist);
• the approved provider and persons with management or control, where required in your jurisdiction.

3. The verification-before-work procedure

Responsible officer: [NOMINATED SUPERVISOR / ROLE]. Backup: [BACKUP ROLE].

Guidance — delete before finalising. Step 8 matters: verification is not a one-off. The NSW regulator’s guidance states providers must verify clearances before commencement and every time the WWCC is renewed, including for agency staff and volunteers. Build re-verification into the 90/60/30-day countdown in Doc 09.

4. Verification Evidence Log

5. STATE OVERLAY TABLE

This SOP is national. Apply the row for the jurisdiction where the person works. Complete the portal column for your state: [VERIFY: current employer verification portal URL for your jurisdiction with the issuing body].

6. No-start and stop-work decision rules

7. Records

Keep for each person: the verification screenshot/receipt, the signed log entry, the reg 151 educator-record entry (WWCC number, and room/time allocations where applicable), the recruitment-enquiry declaration, and the NECWR confirmation. Store at [STAFF FILE LOCATION — physical and/or digital].

Guidance — delete before finalising. In an unannounced visit, the officer will pick your newest starter and ask for exactly this trail, in date order: verification before first shift → record entry → NECWR entry → sign-off. Rehearse it with Doc 32 (Unannounced Visit Readiness Checklist).

8. Related kit documents

Doc 08 (Contractor / Volunteer / Student-Placement Check Checklist) · Doc 09 (WWCC Expiry & Renewal Register) · Doc 10 (WWCC Status-Change & Negative Notice Response Procedure) · Documents 11–12 (NECWR procedures).

Adoption

Contractor / Volunteer / Student-Placement Check Checklist — Child Safety Ready 2026

Product: Child Safety Ready 2026 — ECEC Child-Safety Compliance Kit (editable templates) Provided by: Axior Labs (ABN 91 949 773 596) trading as ChildSafetyReady Support: hq@childsafetyready.com.au Version: 1.0 — July 2026 Regulatory references current to: July 2026

IMPORTANT — READ FIRST. This document is an editable template and general educational information only. It is not legal advice and has not been prepared for your specific service. Using this template does not, by itself, make your service compliant with the Education and Care Services National Law, the National Regulations, or your regulatory authority’s requirements. You must adapt it to your service, verify every obligation against ACECQA and your state/territory regulatory authority, and obtain professional advice where needed. References current to July 2026 and may change.

WHAT THE INSPECTOR ASKS: “The photographer / student on placement last week — what check did you verify?” THIS DOCUMENT EVIDENCES: Extension of the WWCC-before-work rule (National Law, 27 February 2026) to every person engaged at the service — contractors, volunteers, students and agency workers — including the state teacher-registration substitution rules, and the child-safe recruitment enquiry duty (reg 168(2)(i)(ia)–(ib), from 24 April 2026 — verified NSW; [VERIFY commencement in your state]).

1. Why this checklist exists

The 27 February 2026 WWCC-before-work rule does not stop at employees. The people most likely to be missed are the ones who are not on payroll: the photographer at the Book Week event, the student on a three-week placement, the parent who volunteers every Friday, the agency casual who arrived at 6:45am. This checklist puts one gate in front of all of them, so [SERVICE NAME] can answer the inspector’s question with a register row, not a memory.

Guidance — delete before finalising. Penalties tripled on 2 January 2026 and PINs now equal 10% of the maximum penalty. The person exposed when an unchecked contractor walks in is usually the educator who let them in — this checklist is how you protect your staff from carrying that risk.

2. Who needs what — engagement-type decision table

3. Pre-engagement checklist (complete one per person)

Person: [NAME] · Engagement type: [CONTRACTOR / VOLUNTEER / STUDENT / AGENCY] · Engaged for: [PURPOSE] · Dates: [START]–[END]

• 1. Identity confirmed (photo ID sighted; name matches check record)
• 2. Correct check type for the jurisdiction where they will work identified (see State Overlay Table)
• 3. Check (or teacher registration, where substitution applies) verified at the source — issuer’s employer verification service, not a sighted card
• 4. Verification evidence saved (screenshot/receipt) to [FILE LOCATION]
• 5. Expiry date entered in the WWCC Expiry & Renewal Register (Doc 09)
• 6. Reasonable enquiries made: person has declared in writing they are not subject to a suspension notice, supervision notice, prohibition notice or enforceable undertaking (reg 168(2)(i)(ia)–(ib), from 24 April 2026 — verified NSW)
• 7. If agency-supplied: written confirmation obtained from the agency (section 5)
• 8. If student: placement agreement from the training provider on file
• 9. Entered in the National Early Childhood Worker Register where in scope (NECWR, mandatory from 27 February 2026; updates within 14 days)
• 10. Induction completed: device rules (Part 6A), supervision arrangements, who they report to
• 11. Register row completed (section 6) and signed off by [NOMINATED SUPERVISOR / ROLE]

Sign-off: [NAME], [ROLE] · Date: [DATE]

4. Teacher-registration substitution rules

Guidance — delete before finalising. Substitution is narrow. A VIT-registered teacher running your kinder program in Victoria is covered; the same person volunteering for a non-teaching role in another state is not. When the role or state changes, re-run this checklist.

5. Agency staff — the extra step

From 10 December 2025, it is an offence under s 188B of the National Law for a person to make a false statement to a recruitment/staffing agency about being subject to a prohibition notice. Protect the service by requiring, in writing, before first shift:

• the worker’s full name, DOB, check type and number (so you can verify at source — the agency’s assurance is not your verification);
• the agency’s written confirmation that the worker holds a current check and has declared they are not subject to a prohibition notice;
• the agency’s contact for status-change notifications (Doc 10 applies to agency staff too).

6. Contractor / Volunteer / Student Check Register

7. STATE OVERLAY TABLE

Adoption

WWCC Expiry & Renewal Register (90/60/30-Day Countdown) — Child Safety Ready 2026

Product: Child Safety Ready 2026 — ECEC Child-Safety Compliance Kit (editable templates) Provided by: Axior Labs (ABN 91 949 773 596) trading as ChildSafetyReady Support: hq@childsafetyready.com.au Version: 1.0 — July 2026 Regulatory references current to: July 2026

IMPORTANT — READ FIRST. This document is an editable template and general educational information only. It is not legal advice and has not been prepared for your specific service. Using this template does not, by itself, make your service compliant with the Education and Care Services National Law, the National Regulations, or your regulatory authority’s requirements. You must adapt it to your service, verify every obligation against ACECQA and your state/territory regulatory authority, and obtain professional advice where needed. References current to July 2026 and may change.

WHAT THE INSPECTOR ASKS: “Show me current check status for everyone on today’s roster.” THIS DOCUMENT EVIDENCES: The continuous-validity duty under the WWCC-before-work rule (National Law, 27 February 2026 — no grace period for lapsed checks) and the duty to hold each educator’s WWCC number in educator records (reg 151, from 24 April 2026 — verified NSW; [VERIFY commencement in your state]).

1. How to use this register

1. Every person with a check goes in — employees, agency staff, regular contractors, volunteers, students (Documents 07 and 08 feed this register).
2. Use the validity period for the person’s own jurisdiction (section 4). A NT Ochre Card lapses in 2 years; a NSW WWCC in 5. One default countdown will miss someone.
3. Update “days remaining” at least monthly and action the 90/60/30 triggers (section 3). Record the monthly review in section 5.
4. On renewal, re-verify at the source (Doc 07, Step 8) before updating the expiry date — a renewal you have not verified does not exist.

Guidance — delete before finalising. There is no grace period: a check that expires overnight means no child-related work in the morning. The countdown exists so an expiry never surprises you or the educator — a lapsed check is a penalty exposure for them as well as the service, and penalties tripled on 2 January 2026.

2. The register

Register last fully reviewed: [DATE] by [NAME, ROLE]

3. The 90/60/30 countdown procedure

4. Validity quick-reference (set the countdown per state)

5. Monthly review sign-off

Guidance — delete before finalising. The inspector’s question is roster-shaped: “everyone on today’s roster.” Keep a printed or one-click copy of this register with your Unannounced Visit Readiness pack (Doc 32), and cross-check it against the roster in your monthly review — a person on the roster but not on this register is the exact gap an authorised officer is trained to find.

Adoption

WWCC Status-Change & Negative Notice Response Procedure — Child Safety Ready 2026

Product: Child Safety Ready 2026 — ECEC Child-Safety Compliance Kit (editable templates) Provided by: Axior Labs (ABN 91 949 773 596) trading as ChildSafetyReady Support: hq@childsafetyready.com.au Version: 1.0 — July 2026 Regulatory references current to: July 2026

IMPORTANT — READ FIRST. This document is an editable template and general educational information only. It is not legal advice and has not been prepared for your specific service. Using this template does not, by itself, make your service compliant with the Education and Care Services National Law, the National Regulations, or your regulatory authority’s requirements. You must adapt it to your service, verify every obligation against ACECQA and your state/territory regulatory authority, and obtain professional advice where needed. References current to July 2026 and may change.

WHAT THE INSPECTOR ASKS: “An educator gets a negative notice this morning — what happens by lunchtime?” THIS DOCUMENT EVIDENCES: The status-change notification duties in force with the 27 February 2026 WWCC reforms — worker notifies the provider in writing within 72 hours of the event (NSW: s 174AA of the applied law), provider notifies the regulatory authority within 24 hours of becoming aware (NSW: s 174AB) — and the no-grace-period removal duty (National Law, 27 February 2026).

1. Purpose

This procedure gives [SERVICE NAME] a clock-driven response for the day a working-with-children check stops being reliable: a negative notice, an interim bar, a suspension, a cancellation, a refusal on renewal — or, for teachers relying on registration substitution, a change to their registration/accreditation. The duties are NSW-verified; the State Overlay Table (section 6) adapts the timings and channels for the other seven jurisdictions.

What counts as a “status change” for this procedure (NSW-verified definition): becoming a disqualified person; receiving an interim bar; having a clearance refused or cancelled; receiving a negative notice (including a mutual-recognition negative notice); suspension of a check; and changes to teacher accreditation/registration where substitution applies.

Guidance — delete before finalising. This procedure is how you protect your team. An educator whose check is suspended has not necessarily done anything wrong — but every hour they remain rostered after the service becomes aware is penalty exposure for them, for the Nominated Supervisor, and for the approved provider. Maximum penalties tripled on 2 January 2026 and PINs are now 10% of the maximum. Fast, documented removal is protective, not punitive.

2. The two statutory clocks

The issuing body may also notify the provider directly (in NSW, the OCG notifies the approved provider when an employee’s check is suspended or barred). Whichever way you become aware — worker, issuer, or otherwise — the 24-hour provider clock starts then.

3. The by-lunchtime timeline

Awareness at 9:00am is used as the example. Responsible officer: [NOMINATED SUPERVISOR]; escalation: [APPROVED PROVIDER CONTACT].

4. The worker’s duty — acknowledgment clause

Include this clause in employment/engagement paperwork and have every worker sign it (file with Doc 07 records):

I, [WORKER NAME], acknowledge that I must give [APPROVED PROVIDER] written notice within 72 hours if I receive a negative notice or interim bar, my working-with-children check is suspended, cancelled or refused, I become a disqualified person, or (where I rely on teacher registration) my registration or accreditation changes. I understand I must not perform child-related work while my check is not current, and that providing false or misleading information about my check status is an offence (NSW: s 188A; false statements to a recruitment agency about a prohibition notice: s 188B, from 10 December 2025).

Signed: ______________ Date: [DATE]

5. Status-Change Event Log

6. STATE OVERLAY TABLE

The 72-hour worker / 24-hour provider timings are NSW-verified. This kit adopts them as the national internal standard — no state permits a slower response to be safe. For each non-NSW jurisdiction, confirm the exact statutory timeframe and channel before adoption: [VERIFY: statutory worker-notification and provider-notification timeframes and lodgement channel for your jurisdiction with your regulatory authority and check issuer].

7. Related kit documents

Doc 07 (Verification-Before-Work SOP — return-to-work re-verification) · Doc 09 (Expiry & Renewal Register) · Doc 12 (NECWR 14-Day Update SOP) · Doc 18 (24-Hour Abuse-Allegation Notification Procedure) · Doc 31 (Post-Allegation Staff Management Procedure).

Adoption

NECWR Onboarding & Data-Entry Procedure — Child Safety Ready 2026

Product: Child Safety Ready 2026 — ECEC Child-Safety Compliance Kit (editable templates) Provided by: Axior Labs (ABN 91 949 773 596) trading as ChildSafetyReady Support: hq@childsafetyready.com.au Version: 1.0 — July 2026 Regulatory references current to: July 2026

IMPORTANT — READ FIRST. This document is an editable template and general educational information only. It is not legal advice and has not been prepared for your specific service. Using this template does not, by itself, make your service compliant with the Education and Care Services National Law, the National Regulations, or your regulatory authority’s requirements. You must adapt it to your service, verify every obligation against ACECQA and your state/territory regulatory authority, and obtain professional advice where needed. References current to July 2026 and may change.

WHAT THE INSPECTOR ASKS: “Pull up this educator in the Worker Register.” THIS DOCUMENT EVIDENCES: The National Early Childhood Worker Register (NECWR) duty under the National Law (mandatory from 27 February 2026; existing workforce loaded by 27 March 2026; 14-day update duty), per the ACECQA NECWR Operational Policy Guide.

1. Purpose

From 27 February 2026, [APPROVED PROVIDER] must record and maintain workforce information for [SERVICE NAME] in the National Early Childhood Worker Register (NECWR) developed by ACECQA. New workers must be entered within 14 days of being employed, engaged or appointed, and the existing workforce had to be loaded by 27 March 2026. This procedure sets out exactly who enters what, from which source document, and by when — so that when an authorised officer says “pull up this educator”, the record is complete, current and matches your staff records. Maximum penalties across the National Law tripled on 2 January 2026 and PINs are now 10% of the maximum penalty, so a stale register is no longer a paperwork problem — it is a fine waiting for a spot visit.

2. Who is responsible

“Guidance — delete before finalising.” Name real people, not just roles. The single most common reconciliation failure (Doc 13) is “the person who did register entry left and nobody was assigned.” Access to the NECWR is via [NECWR ACCESS PORTAL / URL — record how your service logs in]. Delete this box.

3. Who must be entered (scope)

Enter every person employed, engaged or appointed to work at [SERVICE NAME], including direct employees (permanent, part-time, casual) and agency / labour-hire staff. [VERIFY: current ACECQA NECWR Operational Policy Guide scope rules for volunteers and students on placement before excluding anyone from the register.]

4. When entry happens

“Guidance — delete before finalising.” The 14-day clock and the WWCC-before-work rule are different duties. WWCC verification (doc 7) must be complete before the first shift — no pending applications, no grace period (27 Feb 2026). Register entry has 14 days. Doing both before the first shift means one sitting, one evidence trail. Delete this box.

5. Data-entry field checklist

Complete every row for every worker. Sight the source document — never key from memory or from the worker’s say-so.

6. Background-check type by jurisdiction

The NECWR is national but records the check type required by the worker’s own jurisdiction:

Full state detail, including teacher-registration substitution rules: Doc 36 (State Cover Sheet) and your state version of doc 7.

7. Onboarding procedure (step by step)

1. Before offer is confirmed: verify background check per doc 7 (state version) and doc 8 for contractors/students. No verified check = no start.
2. Collect source documents: ID, contract, qualifications, check details, Geccko training evidence (new starters must complete foundation training within 14 days of starting, or before working directly with children if earlier).
3. Enter the worker in the NECWR: complete all 10 fields in section 5.
4. Record the entry in the onboarding log below the same day.
5. File source documents in the worker’s staff record (regs 145–152). From 24 April 2026, educator records must also include the WWCC number and room/time allocations (reg 151 — verified NSW; [VERIFY commencement in your state]).
6. Diarise: check expiry into doc 9’s countdown register; training refresher (2-year cycle) into Doc 16.

8. NECWR onboarding data-entry log

9. Related documents

Doc 7 (WWCC before work) · Doc 9 (expiry countdown) · Doc 12 (14-day updates) · Doc 13 (monthly reconciliation) · Docs 14–16 (training evidence) · Doc 36 (state table).

Adopted by: [APPROVED PROVIDER / AUTHORISED PERSON] Role: [ROLE] Date adopted: [DATE] Review due: [DATE + 12 MONTHS] Signature: ______________________

NECWR 14-Day Update SOP + Change-Trigger Checklist — Child Safety Ready 2026

Product: Child Safety Ready 2026 — ECEC Child-Safety Compliance Kit (editable templates) Provided by: Axior Labs (ABN 91 949 773 596) trading as ChildSafetyReady Support: hq@childsafetyready.com.au Version: 1.0 — July 2026 Regulatory references current to: July 2026

IMPORTANT — READ FIRST. This document is an editable template and general educational information only. It is not legal advice and has not been prepared for your specific service. Using this template does not, by itself, make your service compliant with the Education and Care Services National Law, the National Regulations, or your regulatory authority’s requirements. You must adapt it to your service, verify every obligation against ACECQA and your state/territory regulatory authority, and obtain professional advice where needed. References current to July 2026 and may change.

WHAT THE INSPECTOR ASKS: “This person left last month — when was the register updated?” THIS DOCUMENT EVIDENCES: The NECWR 14-day update duty under the National Law (in force 27 February 2026): update within 14 days of a worker being employed, engaged or appointed, and within 14 days of becoming aware of any changes.

1. Purpose

The Worker Register duty is not one-and-done. Two 14-day clocks run permanently at [SERVICE NAME]:

1. New engagement clock — a new worker must be entered within 14 days of being employed, engaged or appointed (Doc 11 covers entry).
2. Change clock — recorded information must be updated within 14 days of [SERVICE NAME] becoming aware of the change.

The inspector’s question above is answered from the SLA log in section 5: change date, awareness date, deadline, update date, days taken. If you can produce that row, the visit moves on. If you cannot, you are explaining a lapsed statutory deadline in an environment where penalties tripled on 2 January 2026 and PINs are 10% of the maximum. This SOP exists to protect [REGISTER ADMINISTRATOR] and every educator whose record depends on it.

2. Change-trigger checklist

Any of these starts a 14-day clock the day the service becomes aware:

“Guidance — delete before finalising.” Trigger 6 has a trap: the 14 days is the register-update deadline only. A suspension, cancellation or negative notice also triggers Doc 10 — removal from child-related work immediately and regulator notification within 24 hours (NSW-verified timings; see your state version). Never read this SOP as “we have two weeks to act on a bad check.” You have two weeks to update the register; you have hours to act on the person. Delete this box.

3. How changes are detected

Waiting to be told is not a system. [SERVICE NAME] detects changes through:

• Payroll/HR feed: [PAYROLL OFFICER] forwards every start, termination and role change to [REGISTER ADMINISTRATOR] the day it is processed.
• Standing agenda item: “Any register changes?” at every staff meeting on [MEETING DAY].
• Worker self-report duty: workers must report name, contact, qualification and check changes within [X] days (build into contracts and Doc 24 Code of Conduct).
• Doc 9 countdown register: WWCC expiries surface at 90/60/30 days.
• Doc 13 monthly reconciliation: the backstop that catches anything the above missed.

4. Update procedure (step by step)

1. Log the trigger in section 5 the day you become aware — even before you update the register. The awareness date starts the statutory clock; record it honestly.
2. Sight the evidence per the section 2 table. No update on hearsay.
3. Update the NECWR — the affected fields only; check the rest of the record while you are in it.
4. Complete the log row: update date, days taken, your initials.
5. File the evidence in the staff record (regs 145–152).
6. Day-10 escalation: any open row at day 10 escalates to [NOMINATED SUPERVISOR] same day; any row that lapses past day 14 is reported to [APPROVED PROVIDER] with the reason, and the gap is noted in Doc 13’s audit.

5. 14-day update SLA log

“Guidance — delete before finalising.” Keep every completed row — the log is your proof of a working system, and Doc 13’s monthly reconciliation cross-checks it. A log full of 0–3 day turnarounds is exactly what “we take this seriously” looks like to an authorised officer. Delete this box.

6. Related documents

Doc 10 (negative-notice response — do not wait 14 days) · Doc 11 (onboarding entry) · Doc 13 (monthly reconciliation) · Docs 14–16 (training evidence) · Doc 9 (WWCC countdown).

Adopted by: [APPROVED PROVIDER / AUTHORISED PERSON] Role: [ROLE] Date adopted: [DATE] Review due: [DATE + 12 MONTHS] Signature: ______________________

Monthly Register Reconciliation Audit — Child Safety Ready 2026

Product: Child Safety Ready 2026 — ECEC Child-Safety Compliance Kit (editable templates) Provided by: Axior Labs (ABN 91 949 773 596) trading as ChildSafetyReady Support: hq@childsafetyready.com.au Version: 1.0 — July 2026 Regulatory references current to: July 2026

IMPORTANT — READ FIRST. This document is an editable template and general educational information only. It is not legal advice and has not been prepared for your specific service. Using this template does not, by itself, make your service compliant with the Education and Care Services National Law, the National Regulations, or your regulatory authority’s requirements. You must adapt it to your service, verify every obligation against ACECQA and your state/territory regulatory authority, and obtain professional advice where needed. References current to July 2026 and may change.

WHAT THE INSPECTOR ASKS: “How do you know the register is accurate?” THIS DOCUMENT EVIDENCES: A working accuracy system behind the NECWR duty (in force 27 February 2026, 14-day update duty) cross-checked against staff records kept under regs 145–152.

1. Purpose

Doc 11 gets workers into the register; Doc 12 keeps changes flowing. This audit is the backstop: once a month, [AUDITOR — name/role, not the person who does data entry] reconciles three sources against each other and signs off. When an authorised officer asks how you know the register is right, the answer is a dated, signed audit trail — not “we’re pretty careful.”

The three sources:

2. Audit procedure

1. Schedule: [DAY] of each month, calendar-recurring. Auditor is independent of data entry — the person who keys the register must not be the only person who checks it.
2. Pull all three sources as at the same date. Note extract dates on the checklist.
3. Three-way cross-check — run the checklist in section 3 line by line.
4. Log every discrepancy in section 4, classify it, and fix it: if within an open 14-day window, update immediately and note it; if the window has lapsed, update immediately, record the lapse honestly, and identify the root cause.
5. Check Doc 12’s SLA log — any open rows past day 10? Any lapses this month?
6. Sign off (section 5). File the extracts with the signed audit.
7. Report: discrepancy count and any lapses go to [APPROVED PROVIDER] monthly; repeated root causes trigger a procedure fix, not just a data fix.

3. Reconciliation checklist

4. Discrepancy log

5. Monthly sign-off

“Guidance — delete before finalising.” Do not sanitise the log. An audit trail showing two discrepancies found, fixed and root-caused is stronger evidence of a working system than a suspicious run of perfect months — and it is what protects your administrator if a lapse ever surfaces during a visit. Delete this box.

6. Related documents

Doc 9 (WWCC countdown) · Doc 11 (onboarding entry) · Doc 12 (14-day SLA log) · Docs 14–16 (training evidence) · Doc 32 (visit readiness — file the latest signed audit in the binder, Doc 35).

Adopted by: [APPROVED PROVIDER / AUTHORISED PERSON] Role: [ROLE] Date adopted: [DATE] Review due: [DATE + 12 MONTHS] Signature: ______________________

Child Safety Training Evidence Register — Child Safety Ready 2026

Product: Child Safety Ready 2026 — ECEC Child-Safety Compliance Kit (editable templates) Provided by: Axior Labs (ABN 91 949 773 596) trading as ChildSafetyReady Support: hq@childsafetyready.com.au Version: 1.0 — July 2026 Regulatory references current to: July 2026

IMPORTANT — READ FIRST. This document is an editable template and general educational information only. It is not legal advice and has not been prepared for your specific service. Using this template does not, by itself, make your service compliant with the Education and Care Services National Law, the National Regulations, or your regulatory authority’s requirements. You must adapt it to your service, verify every obligation against ACECQA and your state/territory regulatory authority, and obtain professional advice where needed. References current to July 2026 and may change.

WHAT THE INSPECTOR ASKS: “Show completion evidence for every person in the building today.” THIS DOCUMENT EVIDENCES: The mandatory child-safety training duty under the National Law (in force 27 February 2026), the 27 August 2026 all-staff transition deadline, the 14-day new-starter rule and the 2-year recompletion cycle. Offences carry penalties of approximately $6,600 (individual) / $34,200 (body corporate), and infringement notices are 10% of the maximum penalty (from 2 January 2026).

1. Purpose

This register is [SERVICE NAME]’s single source of truth for mandatory child-safety training completion. It exists so that, at any moment, [NOMINATED SUPERVISOR] or [APPROVED PROVIDER] can answer the inspector’s question above with a printed page — no searching inboxes, no calling head office.

Guidance — delete before finalising. The mandatory training itself is free and is delivered only through the government’s Geccko platform (foundation modules available since September 2025 — NSW Department of Education child-safety reforms page). This kit does not provide or sell the training — it provides the evidence documents an authorised officer will ask for. Keep this register wherever your Nominated Supervisor can print it within five minutes of an unannounced visit.

2. Who must appear in this register

Guidance — delete before finalising. If you are unsure whether a particular contractor or occasional visitor is in scope, check with your regulatory authority — and if in doubt, record them anyway. An extra row costs nothing; a missing one costs an uncomfortable conversation with an authorised officer.

3. The register

Status key: Current = foundation training completed and recompletion not yet due. In window = new starter inside their 14-day period. OVERDUE = past deadline — escalate to [APPROVED PROVIDER] same day.

4. Master deadline tracker

5. What counts as completion evidence

• The Geccko completion certificate (or platform completion record) showing the person’s name and completion date.
• The name on the certificate must match the name in this register and in the National Early Childhood Worker Register (NECWR).
• File one copy in the staff/volunteer/student file and one in [DRIVE/FOLDER LOCATION]; record the reference in column 7.
• Update the NECWR within 14 days of sighting new training evidence (NECWR 14-day update duty, in force 27 February 2026) — see Docs 11–12.

6. The “everyone in the building today” test

Guidance — delete before finalising. Once a week, take today’s roster plus any volunteers and students on site, and check every name shows Current or In window in this register. That is exactly the test an authorised officer applies. Record each drill below.

7. Document control

Register owner: [NOMINATED SUPERVISOR] | Maintained by: [NAME / ROLE] | Last full audit: [DATE] | Next review: [DATE — 12 months]

New-Starter 14-Day Training Compliance Checklist — Child Safety Ready 2026

Product: Child Safety Ready 2026 — ECEC Child-Safety Compliance Kit (editable templates) Provided by: Axior Labs (ABN 91 949 773 596) trading as ChildSafetyReady Support: hq@childsafetyready.com.au Version: 1.0 — July 2026 Regulatory references current to: July 2026

IMPORTANT — READ FIRST. This document is an editable template and general educational information only. It is not legal advice and has not been prepared for your specific service. Using this template does not, by itself, make your service compliant with the Education and Care Services National Law, the National Regulations, or your regulatory authority’s requirements. You must adapt it to your service, verify every obligation against ACECQA and your state/territory regulatory authority, and obtain professional advice where needed. References current to July 2026 and may change.

WHAT THE INSPECTOR ASKS: “This educator started three weeks ago — what is their completion date?” THIS DOCUMENT EVIDENCES: The new-starter limb of the mandatory child-safety training duty (National Law, in force 27 February 2026): foundation training within 14 days of engagement, or before working directly with children — whichever is earlier. Offences approx. $6,600 (individual) / $34,200 (body corporate).

1. The rule

Every new staff member, volunteer or student must complete the free foundation child-safety training on the government Geccko platform:

• within 14 days of being employed, engaged or appointed, or
• before they first work directly with children,

whichever comes first. For most educators rostered into a room in week one, the real deadline is before their first shift with children — not day 14.

Guidance — delete before finalising. The 14 days is a maximum, not a target. The training is free and online — there is no cost reason to delay. A new starter who is chased on day 13 is a penalty risk you created for them; a starter who completes it during induction on day 1 is protected from day 1. Complete one copy of this checklist for every new starter (staff, volunteer or student) and file it with their staff file.

2. New starter details

3. The checklist

If the deadline was missed, record what happened:

4. Worked example

Guidance — delete before finalising. Note what the example shows: because the student was rostered with children on day 2, the effective deadline was day 2 — the 14-day figure never came into play. Build training into induction before the first roster and this checklist becomes a formality instead of a fire drill.

5. Sign-off

Checklist completed by: [NAME] — [ROLE] — [DATE] Confirmed by Nominated Supervisor: [NAME] — [DATE] Filed in: staff file + [DRIVE/FOLDER LOCATION]

Biennial Refresher Training Scheduler — Child Safety Ready 2026

Product: Child Safety Ready 2026 — ECEC Child-Safety Compliance Kit (editable templates) Provided by: Axior Labs (ABN 91 949 773 596) trading as ChildSafetyReady Support: hq@childsafetyready.com.au Version: 1.0 — July 2026 Regulatory references current to: July 2026

IMPORTANT — READ FIRST. This document is an editable template and general educational information only. It is not legal advice and has not been prepared for your specific service. Using this template does not, by itself, make your service compliant with the Education and Care Services National Law, the National Regulations, or your regulatory authority’s requirements. You must adapt it to your service, verify every obligation against ACECQA and your state/territory regulatory authority, and obtain professional advice where needed. References current to July 2026 and may change.

WHAT THE INSPECTOR ASKS: “Who falls due next quarter and how will you catch them?” THIS DOCUMENT EVIDENCES: The 2-year recompletion limb of the mandatory child-safety training duty (National Law, in force 27 February 2026). Offences approx. $6,600 (individual) / $34,200 (body corporate).

1. How this scheduler works

Every person’s refresher date is their own completion date + 2 years — it is anchored to the individual, not the calendar year. A service that completed everyone’s foundation training across late 2025 and 2026 will have refresher dates scattered across late 2027 and 2028. This scheduler catches them with three tools:

1. a master table (one row per person, sorted by due date),
2. a forward-quarter view (the exact answer to the inspector’s question), and
3. a monthly routine with 90/60/30-day reminders.

Guidance — delete before finalising. The refresher is completed on the same free government Geccko platform as the foundation training. When a refresher is completed, update three places: this scheduler (new due date = new completion + 2 years), the Training Evidence Register (Doc 14), and the NECWR within 14 days of sighting the new certificate (Docs 11–12).

2. Master scheduler

Sort by “Refresher due” — the top rows are always the next people you will chase.

Status key: Not yet due → Due next quarter — reminder sent → Booked → Completed (new cycle entered). OVERDUE = past due date: escalate to [APPROVED PROVIDER] same day and treat as a Doc 14 gap.

3. Forward-quarter view

Update on the first Monday of each quarter. This table, printed, is the answer to “who falls due next quarter.”

4. Monthly routine

Guidance — delete before finalising. Two traps catch otherwise well-run services. Extended leave: a person on parental or long-service leave still hits their due date — either schedule the refresher before leave starts, or diarise it for their return week and do not roster them for direct work with children past an expired cycle until it is done. Casuals: they are the most likely to lapse because nobody owns them — assign every casual a named owner in the master table. Booking the refresher into paid non-contact time is how you protect your staff from a personal ~$6,600 exposure instead of making the deadline their private problem.

5. Document control

Scheduler owner: [NOMINATED SUPERVISOR] | Maintained by: [NAME / ROLE] | Last quarterly rebuild: [DATE] | Next review: [DATE — 12 months]

Child Protection Training Policy + Jurisdiction-Approved Course List — Child Safety Ready 2026

Product: Child Safety Ready 2026 — ECEC Child-Safety Compliance Kit (editable templates) Provided by: Axior Labs (ABN 91 949 773 596) trading as ChildSafetyReady Support: hq@childsafetyready.com.au Version: 1.0 — July 2026 Regulatory references current to: July 2026

IMPORTANT — READ FIRST. This document is an editable template and general educational information only. It is not legal advice and has not been prepared for your specific service. Using this template does not, by itself, make your service compliant with the Education and Care Services National Law, the National Regulations, or your regulatory authority’s requirements. You must adapt it to your service, verify every obligation against ACECQA and your state/territory regulatory authority, and obtain professional advice where needed. References current to July 2026 and may change.

WHAT THE INSPECTOR ASKS: “How do you verify the course is the approved one for this jurisdiction?” THIS DOCUMENT EVIDENCES: The child protection training obligations tied to the ACECQA-published jurisdiction-approved course list, plus reg 84 mandatory-reporter understanding (expanded 24 April 2026 — verified in force in NSW). [VERIFY: commencement of the 24 April 2026 amendments (including expanded reg 84) in your state or territory — confirmed in force in NSW]

1. Purpose and scope

This policy sets out how [SERVICE NAME] ensures every person in scope completes the correct child protection training for [STATE/TERRITORY], how the service verifies a course is the approved one, and how it ensures staff understand child protection law as reg 84 requires. It applies to [APPROVED PROVIDER], the nominated supervisor, persons in day-to-day charge, and all staff members, and — where required — volunteers and students.

2. Two distinct training obligations

Guidance — delete before finalising. Services fail inspections on this distinction. There are two separate duties, and completing one does not satisfy the other. The NSW Department of Education states expressly that the national mandatory training “does not replace existing NSW child protection training requirements” — treat the same as true in your state until your regulatory authority tells you otherwise.

3. Policy statements

1. [SERVICE NAME] only accepts child protection training that appears on the ACECQA-published approved course list for [STATE/TERRITORY] at the time of completion.
2. No certificate is filed as compliance evidence until it has passed the verification procedure in section 4.
3. Under reg 84 (expanded 24 April 2026), the service ensures relevant staff understand child protection law — including current mandatory-reporter obligations — not merely that they hold a certificate. Understanding is built and evidenced through induction, an annual refresher discussion at a staff meeting (minuted), and the confirmation column in the verification log.
4. Child protection training status is recorded in the Training Evidence Register (Doc 14) and the NECWR is updated within 14 days of sighting new training evidence (NECWR 14-day update duty, in force 27 February 2026).
5. The [NOMINATED SUPERVISOR] re-checks the ACECQA list each time this policy is reviewed and whenever a new certificate is presented, because approved courses change without notice.

4. Course verification procedure

Verification log

5. Jurisdiction-approved course list

Guidance — delete before finalising. [VERIFY: the current approved child protection course name(s) for your jurisdiction against the ACECQA jurisdiction-specific approved training list (acecqa.gov.au/media/47841) before adopting this policy — course names change and we deliberately do not hard-code them here]. Fill in the row for your jurisdiction, save a dated copy of the list entry, and delete the other rows or keep them if you operate across states.

6. Roles and responsibilities

7. Records and related documents

Certificates, dated list copies and this log are kept in [DRIVE/FOLDER LOCATION] and staff files. Related kit documents: Doc 14 (Training Evidence Register), Doc 15 (New-Starter 14-Day Checklist), Doc 16 (Biennial Refresher Scheduler), Docs 11–12 (NECWR procedures).

8. Review

This policy is reviewed at least every 12 months, and immediately upon any change to the ACECQA approved course list, the National Law or Regulations, or regulatory authority guidance.

9. Adoption

24-Hour Abuse-Allegation Notification Procedure — Child Safety Ready 2026

Product: Child Safety Ready 2026 — ECEC Child-Safety Compliance Kit (editable templates) Provided by: Axior Labs (ABN 91 949 773 596) trading as ChildSafetyReady Support: hq@childsafetyready.com.au Version: 1.0 — July 2026 Regulatory references current to: July 2026

IMPORTANT — READ FIRST. This document is an editable template and general educational information only. It is not legal advice and has not been prepared for your specific service. Using this template does not, by itself, make your service compliant with the Education and Care Services National Law, the National Regulations, or your regulatory authority’s requirements. You must adapt it to your service, verify every obligation against ACECQA and your state/territory regulatory authority, and obtain professional advice where needed. References current to July 2026 and may change.

WHAT THE INSPECTOR ASKS: “Show your last notification timestamp against when you first became aware.” THIS DOCUMENT EVIDENCES: reg 176 / s 174 — 24-hour notification of incidents or allegations of physical or sexual abuse (in force 1 September 2025), lodged via the NQA IT System.

1. Purpose

This procedure sets out how [SERVICE NAME] meets the 24-hour notification duty for incidents or allegations of physical or sexual abuse of a child while being educated or cared for by the service, and how we prove it. An authorised officer will compare two timestamps: when the service first became aware, and when the notification was lodged in the NQA IT System. This procedure exists so that gap is always well inside 24 hours — and always documented.

Guidance — delete before finalising. The single most common failure mode is not a slow lodgement — it is a slow internal escalation: an educator becomes aware on Friday afternoon and the Nominated Supervisor only hears about it on Monday. The clock does not wait for your roster. That is why this procedure sets an internal 4-hour escalation target on top of the statutory 24-hour lodgement deadline.

2. What changed on 1 September 2025

From 1 September 2025, the notification timeframe for incidents or allegations of physical or sexual abuse of a child while being educated or cared for by an education and care service reduced from 7 days to 24 hours (reg 176, supporting the notification duty in s 174; in force 1 September 2025). Notifications are lodged via the NQA IT System.

Two related changes raise the stakes:

• From 2 January 2026, maximum penalties under the National Law tripled, and the list of offences that can attract a Penalty Infringement Notice (PIN) expanded — a PIN is now 10% of the maximum penalty.
• From 24 April 2026, incident records must include the name and signature of the person who gave or attempted to give notice (reg 87(3)(e)(iii), in force 24 April 2026 — verified in NSW; [VERIFY: commencement of the 24 April 2026 amendments in your state — verified in NSW only]). Our Notification Record Template (kit Doc 20) captures this.

3. Scope — what starts the 24-hour clock

This procedure applies to any incident or allegation of physical or sexual abuse of a child while being educated or cared for by [SERVICE NAME], however it reaches us:

• direct observation by a staff member;
• a disclosure by a child;
• a complaint or report from a parent, family member or third party (a complaint containing such an allegation is still an allegation);
• an anonymous report;
• information from police, another agency, or another service.

The trigger follows the child’s situation — abuse of a child while being educated or cared for by the service — not the identity of the person alleged to be responsible.

Guidance — delete before finalising. If you are unsure whether an event is in scope, classify it using the Allegation Intake & Notification Decision Tree (kit Doc 19) and apply the default rule: if in doubt, treat it as a 24-hour notification. Lodging early is never a breach; lodging late always is. Other notifiable events (serious incidents, other complaints, circumstances) keep their own clocks — see the Serious Incident & Notification Template Set + Timeframe Cheat-Sheet (kit Doc 29).

4. The two clocks

We treat the 24-hour clock as starting when the first person at the service becomes aware — the most conservative reading, and the one that survives an inspector comparing timestamps.

5. Procedure

6. Out of hours

Awareness does not only happen between 9 and 5. If any staff member becomes aware outside operating hours (including via a weekend phone call, email or social media message):

1. Phone the [NOMINATED SUPERVISOR] on [PHONE]. If no answer within 30 minutes, phone [BACKUP CONTACT/ROLE] on [PHONE], then [APPROVED PROVIDER CONTACT] on [PHONE].
2. The 4-hour internal target and the 24-hour statutory clock both still apply — they run from awareness, not from opening time.

7. Records and evidence

For every notification (or attempted notification) we retain:

• the completed Notification Record (kit Doc 20) showing awareness timestamp, escalation log, lodgement timestamp, NQA IT System reference, and the notifier’s name and signature;
• the elapsed-time calculation (awareness → lodgement);
• the reportable-conduct second-duty check outcome (kit Doc 21).

Guidance — delete before finalising. Inspector-readiness test: pick your most recent notification and answer in under two minutes — when did we first know, when did we lodge, who lodged, where is their signature? If any answer takes longer, the record-keeping — not the response — is your gap.

8. Roles and responsibilities

9. Why this protects your team

Maximum penalties tripled on 2 January 2026 and PINs now run at 10% of the maximum penalty across an expanded offence list. A late notification is one of the easiest breaches for an authorised officer to establish — two timestamps, one subtraction. This procedure keeps every educator on the right side of that subtraction and gives the service a clean, signed evidence trail for assessment and rating (QA2 child-safety refinements applied from 1 January 2026).

10. Review

This procedure is reviewed at least every 12 months, after every use, and whenever the National Law or Regulations change.

Adopted by: [APPROVED PROVIDER / NAME] — Role: [ROLE] — Date: [DATE] Review due: [DATE + 12 MONTHS]

Allegation Intake & Notification Decision Tree — Child Safety Ready 2026

Product: Child Safety Ready 2026 — ECEC Child-Safety Compliance Kit (editable templates) Provided by: Axior Labs (ABN 91 949 773 596) trading as ChildSafetyReady Support: hq@childsafetyready.com.au Version: 1.0 — July 2026 Regulatory references current to: July 2026

IMPORTANT — READ FIRST. This document is an editable template and general educational information only. It is not legal advice and has not been prepared for your specific service. Using this template does not, by itself, make your service compliant with the Education and Care Services National Law, the National Regulations, or your regulatory authority’s requirements. You must adapt it to your service, verify every obligation against ACECQA and your state/territory regulatory authority, and obtain professional advice where needed. References current to July 2026 and may change.

WHAT THE INSPECTOR ASKS: “Who classifies an allegation and how fast?” THIS DOCUMENT EVIDENCES: reg 176 / s 174 classification and escalation — what triggers the 24-hour clock vs other timeframes (24-hour duty in force 1 September 2025).

How to use this page

Print this. Put it beside the 24-Hour Abuse-Allegation Notification Procedure (kit Doc 18) in the [OFFICE / STAFF ROOM LOCATION] and inside the Inspector Evidence Binder. Any staff member should be able to run the tree in under two minutes. Classification is completed by the [NOMINATED SUPERVISOR] within the 4-hour internal escalation target.

How allegations arrive

An allegation is in play however it reaches you: something a staff member sees, a child’s disclosure, a parent complaint, a phone call, an email, a social media message, an anonymous note, or contact from police or another agency. A complaint that contains an allegation of physical or sexual abuse is an allegation — do not park it in the complaints process and miss the clock.

The decision tree

START — a concern, disclosure, complaint or report has been received.

Q1. Is a child at immediate risk right now? - YES → Act immediately to make the child safe (supervision, separation, first aid, emergency services on 000 if required). Then continue to Q2. - NO → Continue to Q2.

Q2. Does the information involve an incident or allegation of physical or sexual abuse of a child while being educated or cared for by the service? - YES → 24-HOUR CLOCK IS RUNNING (reg 176, in force 1 September 2025). Record the date and time you became aware → escalate to the [NOMINATED SUPERVISOR] within 4 hours → lodge via the NQA IT System within 24 hours of first awareness → complete the Notification Record (kit Doc 20) → go to Q5. - NO → Continue to Q3. - UNSURE → Treat as YES. Lodging early is never a breach; lodging late always is.

Q3. Is it another notifiable event — a serious incident, another type of complaint, or a notifiable circumstance? - YES → It keeps its own statutory clock (24 hours or 7 days depending on type). Classify it using the Serious Incident & Notification Template Set + Timeframe Cheat-Sheet (kit Doc 29) and the Complaints Handling Procedure & Register (kit Doc 30). - NO → Continue to Q4.

Q4. Is it a concern about staff conduct that does not involve physical or sexual abuse of a child? - YES → Manage under the Staff Code of Conduct (kit Doc 24) and the Protected Disclosures / Speak-Up Procedure (kit Doc 27). Reassess against Q2 if new information emerges — classification is not a one-time event. - NO → Record the concern and outcome in the service’s records; no external notification is required. Note who decided this and when.

Q5. SECOND DUTY — does a reportable conduct scheme also apply? - Run the Reportable Conduct Scheme Cross-Map (kit Doc 21) the same day. The NQA IT System notification does not discharge a reportable-conduct duty, and a reportable-conduct notification does not discharge reg 176.

Q6. Does the allegation concern a current staff member, volunteer or student? - YES → Apply the Post-Allegation Staff Management Procedure (kit Doc 31) immediately. - NO → Complete records and monitor.

Who classifies, and how fast

No staff member ever “screens out” an allegation alone. The person who becomes aware records and escalates; the classification decision is made at [NOMINATED SUPERVISOR] level or above, and is recorded (who decided, what was decided, when) even when the decision is “not notifiable”.

Out-of-hours contact tree

1. [NOMINATED SUPERVISOR NAME] — [MOBILE] — try for 30 minutes
2. [BACKUP ROLE/NAME] — [MOBILE] — try for 30 minutes
3. [APPROVED PROVIDER CONTACT NAME] — [MOBILE]
4. Regulatory authority (business hours): [REGULATORY AUTHORITY PHONE]

The 24-hour clock runs from first awareness, not from when the office reopens.

Golden rules

1. If in doubt, it’s 24 hours.
2. The clock starts at first awareness by anyone at the service — not at classification, not at the next shift.
3. Escalate verbally within 4 hours. An unread email is not an escalation.
4. Every classification is recorded — including “not notifiable” decisions, with the decision-maker’s name.
5. One event can carry two duties — reg 176 and reportable conduct. Always run Q5.

Guidance — delete before finalising. Drill this quarterly: give a room leader a scenario at 3:40 pm on a Friday and time the tree to a completed classification. Log the drill in your Unannounced Visit Readiness Checklist (kit Doc 32). An inspector who asks “who classifies an allegation and how fast?” should get the same answer from your newest casual as from your Nominated Supervisor.

Adopted by: [APPROVED PROVIDER / NAME] — Role: [ROLE] — Date: [DATE] Review due: [DATE + 12 MONTHS]

Notification Record Template — Child Safety Ready 2026

Product: Child Safety Ready 2026 — ECEC Child-Safety Compliance Kit (editable templates) Provided by: Axior Labs (ABN 91 949 773 596) trading as ChildSafetyReady Support: hq@childsafetyready.com.au Version: 1.0 — July 2026 Regulatory references current to: July 2026

IMPORTANT — READ FIRST. This document is an editable template and general educational information only. It is not legal advice and has not been prepared for your specific service. Using this template does not, by itself, make your service compliant with the Education and Care Services National Law, the National Regulations, or your regulatory authority’s requirements. You must adapt it to your service, verify every obligation against ACECQA and your state/territory regulatory authority, and obtain professional advice where needed. References current to July 2026 and may change.

WHAT THE INSPECTOR ASKS: “Who lodged this and where’s their signature?” THIS DOCUMENT EVIDENCES: reg 87(3)(e)(iii) — the name and signature of the person who gave, or attempted to give, notice (in force 24 April 2026; verified in NSW — [VERIFY: commencement of the 24 April 2026 amendments in your state — verified in NSW only]); plus the reg 176 awareness-to-lodgement timeline (24-hour duty in force 1 September 2025).

Guidance — delete before finalising. Complete one record per notification (or attempted notification). This record sits alongside — it does not replace — your Incident, Injury, Trauma & Illness Record (kit Doc 28) and the lodgement itself in the NQA IT System. It exists to answer the inspector’s two favourite questions in one page: how long between awareness and lodgement, and who signed. Keep the completed record with the child’s/incident file and index it in the Inspector Evidence Binder (kit Doc 35). Do not record more identifying detail about the allegation here than needed — the substance goes in the NQA IT System lodgement; this is the timing-and-accountability record.

Record no: [YYYY-##] Service: [SERVICE NAME] Service approval no: [SE-########]

Section A — Awareness

Section B — Classification

Section C — Escalation log

Section D — Lodgement (NQA IT System)

Section E — Attempted notification (complete only if a lodgement attempt failed)

Guidance — delete before finalising. Reg 87(3)(e)(iii) covers the person who gave or attempted to give notice. If your first attempt failed, the person who attempted still completes and signs Section F, and you complete Section E as evidence the clock was respected.

Section F — Notifier declaration (reg 87(3)(e)(iii))

I gave, or attempted to give, the notice described in this record.

Name: [NAME] Role: [ROLE] Signature: ______________________ Date and time signed: [DATE] [TIME]

Section G — Second-duty check (reportable conduct)

Section H — Related actions

Section I — Sign-off and retention

Record reviewed and closed by (Approved Provider / Nominated Supervisor): [NAME], [ROLE] Signature: ______________________ Date: [DATE]

Retain this record with the service’s incident records in accordance with the record-retention periods that apply to your service — [VERIFY: retention period applying to incident and notification records for your service under reg 183 and your regulatory authority’s guidance].

Adopted by: [APPROVED PROVIDER / NAME] — Role: [ROLE] — Date: [DATE] Review due: [DATE + 12 MONTHS]

Reportable Conduct Scheme Cross-Map — Child Safety Ready 2026

Product: Child Safety Ready 2026 — ECEC Child-Safety Compliance Kit (editable templates) Provided by: Axior Labs (ABN 91 949 773 596) trading as ChildSafetyReady Support: hq@childsafetyready.com.au Version: 1.0 — July 2026 Regulatory references current to: July 2026

IMPORTANT — READ FIRST. This document is an editable template and general educational information only. It is not legal advice and has not been prepared for your specific service. Using this template does not, by itself, make your service compliant with the Education and Care Services National Law, the National Regulations, or your regulatory authority’s requirements. You must adapt it to your service, verify every obligation against ACECQA and your state/territory regulatory authority, and obtain professional advice where needed. References current to July 2026 and may change.

WHAT THE INSPECTOR ASKS: “Did you also notify the reportable conduct body?” THIS DOCUMENT EVIDENCES: the service’s second, state-based reporting duty running alongside reg 176 / s 174 (24-hour NQA IT System notification, in force 1 September 2025) — the duty many services miss.

1. Why this document exists

One event can carry two separate reporting duties:

1. National Law duty — notify the regulatory authority via the NQA IT System within 24 hours of becoming aware of an incident or allegation of physical or sexual abuse of a child while being educated or cared for by the service (reg 176, in force 1 September 2025).
2. State-based reportable conduct duty — in jurisdictions with a reportable conduct scheme, the head of the organisation must also notify the scheme’s oversight body about reportable allegations concerning workers.

Neither notification discharges the other. A service that lodges a perfect NQA IT System notification and stops there is still exposed in every scheme jurisdiction — and this is precisely the gap a regulator or authorised officer probes with “did you also notify the reportable conduct body?”

2. The two duties side by side

3. The 8-jurisdiction cross-map

Guidance — delete before finalising. Delete the seven rows that do not apply to your service (keep them if you operate across borders), then confirm your scheme’s current notification timeframe, forms and portal directly with the oversight body and record them at [SCHEME BODY CONTACT / PORTAL URL]. Scheme definitions of “reportable conduct” are set by each state and are typically broader than reg 176 — they can cover conduct by a worker outside work hours and categories beyond physical and sexual abuse. Never assume the reg 176 classification answers the scheme question.

4. Dual-duty procedure

1. Any event classified for notification under the Decision Tree (kit Doc 19) triggers this check the same day.
2. [NOMINATED SUPERVISOR] confirms from the table above whether a scheme operates in our jurisdiction.
3. If yes and the event involves a worker: [HEAD OF ENTITY NAME/ROLE] assesses against the scheme’s definition of reportable conduct and notifies the oversight body within the scheme’s timeframe.
4. Record both notifications (or the documented decision that the scheme duty was not triggered, and why) in the log below and in Section G of the Notification Record (kit Doc 20).
5. If the allegation concerns a worker, also apply the Post-Allegation Staff Management Procedure (kit Doc 31).

5. Reportable conduct notification log

6. Why this protects your team and your rating

Maximum National Law penalties tripled on 2 January 2026, and PINs now run at 10% of the maximum penalty across an expanded offence list — while scheme bodies hold their own enforcement powers. The dual-duty check takes five minutes with this map on the wall; discovering the second duty for the first time during a spot visit takes considerably longer to live down. No free national source combines both duties in one working document — this map is the artefact that closes the gap.

7. Review

Review this cross-map every 12 months and at each scheme milestone relevant to your jurisdiction (next national milestone: Queensland ECEC enters Phase 2 in January 2027).

Adopted by: [APPROVED PROVIDER / NAME] — Role: [ROLE] — Date: [DATE] Review due: [DATE + 12 MONTHS]

Providing a Child Safe Environment Policy (2026 Edition) — Child Safety Ready 2026

Product: Child Safety Ready 2026 — ECEC Child-Safety Compliance Kit (editable templates) Provided by: Axior Labs (ABN 91 949 773 596) trading as ChildSafetyReady Support: hq@childsafetyready.com.au Version: 1.0 — July 2026 Regulatory references current to: July 2026

IMPORTANT — READ FIRST. This document is an editable template and general educational information only. It is not legal advice and has not been prepared for your specific service. Using this template does not, by itself, make your service compliant with the Education and Care Services National Law, the National Regulations, or your regulatory authority’s requirements. You must adapt it to your service, verify every obligation against ACECQA and your state/territory regulatory authority, and obtain professional advice where needed. References current to July 2026 and may change.

WHAT THE INSPECTOR ASKS: “Show me where your policy addresses each new required element.” THIS DOCUMENT EVIDENCES: reg 168(2)(h) — providing a child safe environment, as expanded from 24 April 2026 (verified in force in NSW; [VERIFY commencement of the 24 April 2026 tranche in your state or territory — WA in particular has historically adopted national regulation amendments late]). Also supports NQS Quality Area 2 (child-safety refinements applied 1 January 2026).

Guidance — delete before finalising. From 24 April 2026, reg 168(2)(h) no longer accepts a generic “child safe environment” policy — the regulation names specific elements, and authorised officers check element by element. Section 2 maps each required element to the section that addresses it: keep it, because it answers the inspector’s question in under a minute. Replace all [BRACKETED FIELDS], delete guidance blocks and example rows, then adopt via the signature block. Penalty context: maximums tripled on 2 January 2026 and PINs now run at 10% of the maximum — an element-complete policy is how you protect your staff and your rating.

1. Purpose and scope

This policy sets out how [SERVICE NAME] (the service), operated by [APPROVED PROVIDER], provides a child safe environment under reg 168(2)(h) of the National Regulations. It applies to the approved provider, persons with management or control, the nominated supervisor, persons in day-to-day charge, all staff (including casuals and agency staff), volunteers, students, contractors and visitors.

2. Required-element map (show this page to the inspector)

Related policies: safe use of digital technologies and online environments, including images and optical surveillance (reg 168(2)(ha), in force 1 September 2025 — Doc 1); child-safe recruitment and employment (reg 168(2)(i)(ia)–(ib), from 24 April 2026 — Doc 23); Staff Code of Conduct (Doc 24).

3. Policy elements

3.1 Paramountcy of children’s safety, welfare and wellbeing

The service is committed to ensuring each child’s safety, welfare and wellbeing are paramount in every decision. From 27 February 2026, s 4 of the National Law provides that the rights and best interests of the child prevail over any other obligation or interest — including the approved provider’s financial interests and duties owed by persons with management or control. Where any staff member perceives a conflict between a child’s safety and any other interest, the conflict is resolved in favour of the child and escalated to the [NOMINATED SUPERVISOR], who records the decision and rationale; unresolved conflicts go to [APPROVED PROVIDER / GOVERNANCE BODY] under Doc 26.

3.2 Staff child-safety training

Every person in scope (persons with management or control, nominated supervisor, persons in day-to-day charge, staff, volunteers and students) completes the mandatory child-safety training required under the National Law (duty commenced 27 February 2026). The service applies these clocks:

• New staff: foundation training within 14 days of engagement or before working directly with children, whichever is earlier.
• All existing staff: completed by 27 August 2026.
• Recompletion: every 2 years.

Training is free and delivered only via the government Geccko platform; completion evidence is kept in the Training Evidence Register (Doc 14). Educators also maintain a current understanding of their mandatory-reporter obligations (reg 84, expanded 24 April 2026). Non-compliance exposes individuals to roughly $6,600 and the provider to roughly $34,200 — a current register protects your staff, not just the service.

3.3 Register of child protection concerns

The service maintains a register of child protection concerns. Every concern — however raised — is entered on the day it is raised, classified using the Allegation Intake & Notification Decision Tree (Doc 19), and actioned. Where a concern involves an incident or allegation of physical or sexual abuse, the regulatory authority is notified within 24 hours of the service becoming aware (reg 176, in force 1 September 2025), and the notification record captures the name and signature of the person who gave or attempted to give notice (reg 87(3)(e)(iii), from 24 April 2026).

3.4 Reporting procedures and accessible reporting guide

All staff are inducted in how to report concerns internally (to the [NOMINATED SUPERVISOR] or via the Speak-Up Procedure, Doc 27) and externally (regulatory authority, police, child protection agency, reportable conduct body — see Doc 21). A printed reporting guide is kept at [LOCATION — e.g. staff room noticeboard] and is accessible to all staff including casuals. NSW services: reg 168(2)(h) as amended requires the NSW Early Learning Commission’s Reporting Guide to be kept in a place accessible by all staff. [VERIFY: outside NSW, confirm your jurisdiction’s equivalent reporting guide or use your regulatory authority’s published reporting guidance.]

3.5 Child protection risk assessments

The service conducts and documents child protection risk assessments at least annually and after any incident, allegation, environment change or staffing-model change, using the Child Safety Risk Register (Doc 25). Assessments address systemic risk (s 5D of the National Law) as well as room-level risks.

3.6 Accurate daily attendance records

The service maintains accurate daily attendance records so that every child is accounted for at all times: sign-in/sign-out on arrival and departure, headcounts at every transition (indoor/outdoor, excursions, bus runs, room moves) recorded at [FREQUENCY], and immediate escalation to the [NOMINATED SUPERVISOR] of any discrepancy.

4. Roles, breaches and review

The full duty matrix (who is accountable for each element) is in the QA7 Governance & Accountability Pack (Doc 26). Breaches of this policy are managed under the Staff Code of Conduct (Doc 24) and, where applicable, Doc 31. This policy is reviewed at least every 12 months, after any notifiable incident, and whenever the law changes (see the 2026 Compliance Calendar, Doc 34); families are notified of significant changes.

Guidance — delete before finalising. Keep your superseded versions. Inspectors ask for the “last review date” — a dated version history is the fastest proof.

Adoption

Child Safe Recruitment & Employment Policy — Child Safety Ready 2026

Product: Child Safety Ready 2026 — ECEC Child-Safety Compliance Kit (editable templates) Provided by: Axior Labs (ABN 91 949 773 596) trading as ChildSafetyReady Support: hq@childsafetyready.com.au Version: 1.0 — July 2026 Regulatory references current to: July 2026

IMPORTANT — READ FIRST. This document is an editable template and general educational information only. It is not legal advice and has not been prepared for your specific service. Using this template does not, by itself, make your service compliant with the Education and Care Services National Law, the National Regulations, or your regulatory authority’s requirements. You must adapt it to your service, verify every obligation against ACECQA and your state/territory regulatory authority, and obtain professional advice where needed. References current to July 2026 and may change.

WHAT THE INSPECTOR ASKS: “Show recruitment policy plus interview/referee evidence for your last hire.” THIS DOCUMENT EVIDENCES: reg 168(2)(i)(ia) and (ib) — child-safe recruitment and employment practices in staffing policies (from 24 April 2026; verified in force in NSW; [VERIFY commencement of the 24 April 2026 tranche in your state or territory]). Aligned to ACECQA’s National Model Code for Recruitment.

Guidance — delete before finalising. The inspector question has two halves: the policy AND the evidence for your last hire. This template gives you both — the policy (sections 1–3) and the two record templates (sections 4–5) that become your evidence trail. Run every hire, including casuals and agency staff, through the pre-engagement checklist in section 3. From 27 February 2026 there is no lawful way to let someone start with a pending WWCC application or a lapsed check — no grace period — and from 2 January 2026 penalties on the expanded infringement list run at 10% of tripled maximums. This process is how you protect the person you are hiring as much as the service.

1. Purpose and scope

This policy sets out the child-safe recruitment and employment practices of [SERVICE NAME], operated by [APPROVED PROVIDER]. It applies to every person engaged to work at the service in any capacity: permanent, part-time and casual staff, agency staff, contractors, volunteers and students on placement.

2. Policy statement

Recruitment at this service is a child-safety control, not an administrative step. We recruit for child-safe values as well as qualifications, verify every check before any work begins, and keep evidence of every stage. The rights and best interests of children prevail over any operational pressure to fill a shift (s 4 National Law, from 27 February 2026).

3. The recruitment lifecycle

3.1 Position design and advertising

• Every advertisement and position description states: “[SERVICE NAME] is a child safe organisation. All roles require a valid [WWCC / state equivalent] verified before commencement and completion of mandatory child-safety training.”
• Position descriptions list child-safety duties expressly (supervision, reporting, code of conduct compliance).

3.2 Screening before interview

• Identity verified against photo ID; qualifications sighted and copied.
• Working with children check verified with the issuing state body before any work — not merely sighted (27 February 2026 National Law duty: no pending applications, no grace period). Full workflow: WWCC Verification-Before-Work SOP (Doc 7).
• Employment history reviewed for unexplained gaps; gaps explored at interview.
• Agency staff: obtain the agency’s written confirmation of identity, check status and training status before the first shift. Note for agencies: knowingly making a false statement to a recruitment agency about prohibition-notice status is an offence (s 188B, from 10 December 2025) — our engagement terms require agencies to pass through this warning to candidates.

3.3 Values-based interview

At least [2] interviewers, at least one child-safety scenario question per interview, responses recorded on the Interview Record (section 4). Example question bank (adapt, do not read verbatim): 1. “Describe a time you put a child’s needs ahead of an instruction from a colleague or manager. What did you do?” 2. “A parent asks to connect on your personal social media. What do you do?” 3. “What does appropriate physical contact look like in a toddler room?” 4. “You notice a colleague photographing children on a personal phone. Walk me through your next ten minutes.” 5. “Why do you want to work with children?”

3.4 Referee checks

Minimum [2] referees, at least one a direct supervisor from child-related work, contacted verbally. Every referee is asked, verbatim: “Do you have any reservations about this person working directly with children?” The answer is recorded word-for-word on the Referee Check Record (section 5).

3.5 Pre-engagement checklist (no first shift until all items are dated and initialled)

3.6 Ongoing employment

Probation review at [90 days] includes a child-safety practice observation. WWCC expiry is tracked on the 90/60/30-day countdown register (Doc 9); NECWR is updated within 14 days of any change (Doc 12); training recompletion every 2 years (Doc 16).

4. Interview Record (file one per candidate)

5. Referee Check Record (file one per referee)

6. Records and review

Interview and referee records are kept for [7 years / per your record-keeping policy] and produced on request to authorised officers. This policy is reviewed every 12 months and on any legislative change.

Adoption

Staff Code of Conduct (Child-Safe Edition) — Child Safety Ready 2026

Product: Child Safety Ready 2026 — ECEC Child-Safety Compliance Kit (editable templates) Provided by: Axior Labs (ABN 91 949 773 596) trading as ChildSafetyReady Support: hq@childsafetyready.com.au Version: 1.0 — July 2026 Regulatory references current to: July 2026

IMPORTANT — READ FIRST. This document is an editable template and general educational information only. It is not legal advice and has not been prepared for your specific service. Using this template does not, by itself, make your service compliant with the Education and Care Services National Law, the National Regulations, or your regulatory authority’s requirements. You must adapt it to your service, verify every obligation against ACECQA and your state/territory regulatory authority, and obtain professional advice where needed. References current to July 2026 and may change.

WHAT THE INSPECTOR ASKS: “Signed codes of conduct for all staff?” THIS DOCUMENT EVIDENCES: conduct expectations supporting the service’s child safe environment policy (reg 168(2)(h)) and the National Law inappropriate-conduct and device offences, including the Part 6A personal device ban (from 27 February 2026).

Guidance — delete before finalising. The inspector question is about coverage: all staff, including casuals and agency staff on today’s roster. Two things make this document work: (1) the signature page — one per person, re-signed whenever the code changes; (2) the signature register at the end — one table that proves coverage at a glance. The device rules matter most: a personal phone in a pocket while working directly with children is now an individual offence carrying roughly $6,600 — this code is how you keep your educators out of that exposure. Never frame the code to staff as distrust; frame it as the rules that protect them.

1. Who this code covers

This Code of Conduct applies to every person working at [SERVICE NAME] in any capacity: employees (permanent, part-time, casual), agency staff, contractors, volunteers and students on placement. Every person signs the acknowledgment at section 6 before their first shift and re-signs whenever the code is updated.

2. Professional conduct — I will

• Treat every child with dignity and respect, and act so that each child’s safety, welfare and wellbeing are paramount in every decision (s 4 National Law, from 27 February 2026).
• Follow the service’s child safe environment policy (Doc 22), supervision requirements and attendance/headcount procedures at all times.
• Complete mandatory child-safety training on time (within 14 days of starting; recompletion every 2 years; all existing staff by 27 August 2026) — the training is free via the government Geccko platform.
• Report every child-safety concern, policy breach or near-miss the same day — to the [NOMINATED SUPERVISOR], or via the Speak-Up Procedure (Doc 27) if I am not comfortable reporting in line.

3. Physical contact and one-to-one situations

• Physical contact only where it serves the child’s needs (comfort, care routines, safety, first aid), is age-appropriate, and — wherever practicable — occurs in sight of another adult.
• No physical discipline of any kind, ever.
• I avoid being alone with a child out of sight of others. Where one-to-one care is unavoidable (nappy change, toileting, sleep settling), it happens in areas designed for visibility, with another educator aware of where I am.
• I do not seek contact with children of the service outside the service (including babysitting arrangements with families of enrolled children) without disclosing it to and obtaining written acknowledgment from the [NOMINATED SUPERVISOR].

4. Devices, images and digital communications

• I do not carry or use a personal phone, smartwatch, camera or any personal device capable of capturing or transmitting images while working directly with children (National Law Part 6A, from 27 February 2026 — an individual offence of approximately $6,600). Personal devices are stored at [LOCATION — e.g. staff lockers] during rostered contact time.
• I only capture, store or transmit images of children on service-issued authorised devices listed on the Device Register (Doc 3), and only for children with a current parent authorisation (Doc 4).
• If I need a documented Part 6A exception (disability or health support, essential family communication, service-device failure backup), it must be approved and recorded on the Exception Register (Doc 6) before I rely on it.
• I communicate with families only through service channels ([SERVICE APP / SERVICE EMAIL / SERVICE PHONE]). I do not add families or children as contacts on personal social media, and I do not discuss children, families or colleagues on any social media.
• I never post, share or keep images of the service’s children on personal accounts or devices.

5. Breaches

Suspected breaches are reported to the [NOMINATED SUPERVISOR] or via Doc 27 and managed under [DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURE / Doc 31 where an allegation is involved]. Breaches may constitute offences under the National Law (penalties tripled from 2 January 2026; infringement notices now 10% of the maximum penalty) and may be notifiable to the regulatory authority or a reportable conduct body (Docs 18–21). Nothing in this code prevents any person making a report directly to the regulatory authority, police or any external body.

6. Acknowledgment (one per person — file the signed copy)

I, [STAFF NAME], [ROLE], have read and understood this Code of Conduct, including the personal-device rules under Part 6A of the National Law. I agree to comply with it and understand that breaches may result in disciplinary action and may expose me personally to penalties under the National Law.

7. Code of Conduct signature register (service copy — proves coverage)

Guidance — delete before finalising. Reconcile this register against your roster monthly (pair it with the NECWR reconciliation, Doc 13). Anyone on the roster who is not on this register is the gap the inspector will find.

Adoption

Child Safety Risk Register — Child Safety Ready 2026

Product: Child Safety Ready 2026 — ECEC Child-Safety Compliance Kit (editable templates) Provided by: Axior Labs (ABN 91 949 773 596) trading as ChildSafetyReady Support: hq@childsafetyready.com.au Version: 1.0 — July 2026 Regulatory references current to: July 2026

IMPORTANT — READ FIRST. This document is an editable template and general educational information only. It is not legal advice and has not been prepared for your specific service. Using this template does not, by itself, make your service compliant with the Education and Care Services National Law, the National Regulations, or your regulatory authority’s requirements. You must adapt it to your service, verify every obligation against ACECQA and your state/territory regulatory authority, and obtain professional advice where needed. References current to July 2026 and may change.

WHAT THE INSPECTOR ASKS: “What child-safety risks did you assess this year and what changed as a result?” THIS DOCUMENT EVIDENCES: the service-level child protection risk assessments required by reg 168(2)(h) (element from 24 April 2026, verified NSW; [VERIFY commencement of the 24 April 2026 tranche in your state or territory]), aligned to the systemic-risk concept in s 5D of the National Law and NQS Quality Area 2 (refinements applied 1 January 2026).

Guidance — delete before finalising. The inspector question has a sting in the tail: “…and what changed as a result?” A register full of risks with no “change made” column reads as paperwork; a register showing dated changes reads as a working system. Rules for use: (1) review at least annually and after every incident, allegation, environment change or staffing-model change; (2) every risk has one named owner; (3) never close a risk without recording what changed; (4) include systemic risks (governance, registers, rostering, provider-level patterns — the s 5D concept), not just gates and fences. Delete the example rows before finalising.

1. Risk rating matrix

Action standard: Extreme — act same day, notify [APPROVED PROVIDER]; High — action plan within [7 days]; Medium — action within [30 days]; Low — monitor at each review.

2. Risk register

Guidance — delete before finalising. Seed your first assessment from these categories: physical environment (line-of-sight, fencing, entry control); supervision and transitions (headcounts, excursions, buses); staffing and recruitment (checks, casual induction — link Doc 23); devices and digital (Part 6A, images, CCTV — link Docs 1–6); third parties (contractors, photographers, visitors — link Doc 8); systemic/governance (registers current, NECWR 14-day clock, training deadline 27 Aug 2026, policy review dates — link Docs 13, 14, 16, 26).

3. Review log

4. Sign-off

The approved provider has reviewed this register and is satisfied that identified risks are being managed with children’s safety, welfare and wellbeing as the paramount consideration (s 4 National Law, from 27 February 2026).

QA7 Governance & Accountability Pack — Child Safety Ready 2026

Product: Child Safety Ready 2026 — ECEC Child-Safety Compliance Kit (editable templates) Provided by: Axior Labs (ABN 91 949 773 596) trading as ChildSafetyReady Support: hq@childsafetyready.com.au Version: 1.0 — July 2026 Regulatory references current to: July 2026

IMPORTANT — READ FIRST. This document is an editable template and general educational information only. It is not legal advice and has not been prepared for your specific service. Using this template does not, by itself, make your service compliant with the Education and Care Services National Law, the National Regulations, or your regulatory authority’s requirements. You must adapt it to your service, verify every obligation against ACECQA and your state/territory regulatory authority, and obtain professional advice where needed. References current to July 2026 and may change.

WHAT THE INSPECTOR ASKS: “Who owns child safety, and where is your compliance history displayed?” THIS DOCUMENT EVIDENCES: the paramountcy principle in governance decision-making (s 4 National Law, from 27 February 2026), the compliance-and-quality-history display obligation (s 172(3)–(4)), and NQS Quality Area 7 (child-safety refinements applied 1 January 2026).

Guidance — delete before finalising. QA7 questions in 2026 come down to two words: ownership and visibility. This pack gives you four artefacts: (1) a signable paramountcy statement for your governance file; (2) a duty matrix that names one accountable person for every 2025–26 child-safety duty; (3) a display-obligation checklist; (4) a standing quarterly governance report template. Print the duty matrix and keep it with your Inspector Evidence Binder (Doc 35) — it is the fastest possible answer to “who owns child safety”.

Part 1 — Paramountcy Statement (adopt and file in the governance record)

[APPROVED PROVIDER], as approved provider of [SERVICE NAME], adopts the following statement:

From 27 February 2026, s 4 of the National Law provides that the rights and best interests of the child prevail over any other obligation or interest — expressly including the financial interests of the approved provider and any fiduciary duties owed by persons with management or control, including duties arising under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth). Accordingly:

1. No budget, occupancy, staffing or commercial decision of this provider will be made at the expense of any child’s safety, welfare or wellbeing.
2. Where a decision involves tension between children’s interests and any other interest, the decision record must state how the child’s interests prevailed.
3. Any director, manager or staff member may halt a decision on child-safety grounds without reprisal (see Doc 27), and the matter is decided by [GOVERNANCE BODY / APPROVED PROVIDER] with children’s interests paramount.

Part 2 — Child-safety duty matrix

Key: A = accountable (owns the outcome); R = responsible (does the work); I = informed.

Guidance — delete before finalising. Insert names, not just roles, in a copy of this matrix ([NAME] as [NOMINATED SUPERVISOR], etc.) and re-issue whenever a named person changes. An “A” means that person answers the inspector’s question on that row.

Part 3 — Compliance & quality history display obligation (s 172(3)–(4))

The service must display its compliance and quality history for families. [VERIFY: commencement date of the s 172(3)–(4) display obligation in your jurisdiction — NSW Department of Education states it applies in NSW from 6 November 2025; this kit’s national reference table anchors 27 February 2026.]

Display checklist:

Part 4 — Standing quarterly governance report (child safety)

Child safety is a standing agenda item at every [GOVERNANCE BODY / provider management] meeting. The [NOMINATED SUPERVISOR] tables this report quarterly:

Why this cadence protects you: penalties tripled on 2 January 2026 and infringement notices now run at 10% of the maximum on an expanded offence list — a quarterly report that catches a lapsed check or an overdue training booking is the cheapest compliance control the provider has, and it protects individual staff from personal penalty exposure of roughly $6,600.

Adoption

Protected Disclosures / Speak-Up Procedure — Child Safety Ready 2026

Product: Child Safety Ready 2026 — ECEC Child-Safety Compliance Kit (editable templates) Provided by: Axior Labs (ABN 91 949 773 596) trading as ChildSafetyReady Support: hq@childsafetyready.com.au Version: 1.0 — July 2026 Regulatory references current to: July 2026

IMPORTANT — READ FIRST. This document is an editable template and general educational information only. It is not legal advice and has not been prepared for your specific service. Using this template does not, by itself, make your service compliant with the Education and Care Services National Law, the National Regulations, or your regulatory authority’s requirements. You must adapt it to your service, verify every obligation against ACECQA and your state/territory regulatory authority, and obtain professional advice where needed. References current to July 2026 and may change.

WHAT THE INSPECTOR ASKS: “How can a casual educator raise a concern about a colleague safely?” THIS DOCUMENT EVIDENCES: a reprisal-free protected-disclosure channel with staff training records. NSW: mandatory under s 300E (from 24 April 2026) — every provider and service must have a protected disclosures policy explaining how disclosures are managed, and must provide regular staff training and awareness sessions on protected disclosures and the protections available. [VERIFY: whether your jurisdiction outside NSW has enacted an equivalent protected-disclosure obligation — outside NSW this procedure is national good practice.]

Guidance — delete before finalising. The inspector deliberately asks about a casual educator — the person least likely to know your systems and most likely to fear rostering consequences. Your procedure passes only if a casual on their second shift could name a person to speak to, an alternative if the concern is about that person, and an external route. Two records make this inspectable: the training/awareness register (section 6) and the de-identified disclosure log (section 7). Frame this to your team as protection: a working speak-up channel catches a lapsed check, a device breach or a supervision gap before it becomes a penalty against a colleague or a finding against your rating.

1. Purpose

This procedure explains how any person at [SERVICE NAME] can raise a concern about child safety, conduct, or compliance — safely, confidentially and without reprisal — and how the service manages those disclosures.

2. Who can speak up

Anyone: permanent, part-time and casual staff, agency staff, contractors, volunteers, students on placement, former staff, and family members. Casual and agency staff have exactly the same protections and channels as permanent staff, and this is stated at every induction.

3. What you can raise

• Concerns about the conduct of any person towards a child (including a colleague, manager, or a person with management or control).
• Breaches of the Staff Code of Conduct (Doc 24), including device and image rules (National Law Part 6A, from 27 February 2026).
• Compliance concerns: a lapsed or unverified WWCC on the roster, an overdue notification, missing training, falsified records.
• Any pressure to put occupancy, cost or reputation ahead of a child’s safety (contrary to s 4 National Law, from 27 February 2026).

Honest concerns raised through this procedure are protected even if, after review, no breach is found.

4. How to raise it — three routes, your choice

Disclosures may be made verbally or in writing, and may be made anonymously. Anonymous disclosures are assessed on their content; we act on what can be verified.

5. How disclosures are managed

1. Acknowledge — within [1 business day] (where the discloser is known).
2. Assess — the Disclosure Officer classifies the concern within [2 business days]. Escalation rule: if the disclosure includes an incident or allegation of physical or sexual abuse of a child, the service’s 24-hour notification clock under reg 176 (in force 1 September 2025) starts when the service becomes aware — route immediately to the [NOMINATED SUPERVISOR] under Doc 18/Doc 19; the notification record captures the notifier’s name and signature (reg 87(3)(e)(iii), from 24 April 2026). Staff-management steps during any investigation follow Doc 31.
3. Act — investigate proportionately, keep the discloser informed of progress [weekly], and record outcomes in the disclosure log.
4. Protect — confidentiality is maintained; identity is shared only with those who must know to act, or as required by law.

No reprisal. No person will be disadvantaged for an honest disclosure — no dismissal, roster reduction, shift-blocking of casuals, demotion, exclusion or harassment. Reprisal is itself a breach of this procedure and the Code of Conduct and will be treated as serious misconduct. Suspected reprisal is reported to [APPROVED PROVIDER / GOVERNANCE BODY] and recorded in the log.

6. Training and awareness register (s 300E: regular sessions required in NSW)

Guidance — delete before finalising. Set a recurring [6-monthly] session plus an induction module so every casual is covered from their first shift. This register is your evidence that the “regular training and awareness” duty is met.

7. Disclosure log (de-identified — keep the identified file separately, restricted to the Disclosure Officer)

Adoption

Incident, Injury, Trauma & Illness Record (2026 Edition) — Child Safety Ready 2026

Product: Child Safety Ready 2026 — ECEC Child-Safety Compliance Kit (editable templates) Provided by: Axior Labs (ABN 91 949 773 596) trading as ChildSafetyReady Support: hq@childsafetyready.com.au Version: 1.0 — July 2026 Regulatory references current to: July 2026

IMPORTANT — READ FIRST. This document is an editable template and general educational information only. It is not legal advice and has not been prepared for your specific service. Using this template does not, by itself, make your service compliant with the Education and Care Services National Law, the National Regulations, or your regulatory authority’s requirements. You must adapt it to your service, verify every obligation against ACECQA and your state/territory regulatory authority, and obtain professional advice where needed. References current to July 2026 and may change.

WHAT THE INSPECTOR ASKS: “Show me the record for the incident on [date].” THIS DOCUMENT EVIDENCES: reg 87 — Incident, injury, trauma and illness record, including the new notifier name-and-signature field (reg 87(3)(e)(iii), in force 24 April 2026 — NSW-verified; [VERIFY: commencement of the 24 April 2026 tranche in your state — verified in NSW]).

1. When this record must be completed

Complete one record per child, per event, whenever a child being educated and cared for by [SERVICE NAME]:

• is involved in any incident at the service;
• suffers any injury;
• experiences trauma; or
• becomes ill while attending the service.

If the same event affects several children, complete a separate record for each child. If the event may also be a serious incident or involves an incident or allegation of physical or sexual abuse, this record does NOT replace notification to the regulatory authority — complete Section E and go straight to Doc 29 (Timeframe Cheat-Sheet). The 24-hour clocks under reg 176(2)(bb)–(bc) (in force 1 September 2025) run from the incident/allegation or from when the approved provider becomes aware — they do not wait for this form to be finished.

Guidance — delete before finalising. [VERIFY: cross-check every field on this form against the current consolidated text of reg 87 for your jurisdiction before adopting — the field list here is a working template designed to satisfy reg 87(3), not a reproduction of the regulation.]

2. Completion rules

3. The record form

Section A — Child details

• Child’s full name: [CHILD NAME]
• Date of birth: [DOB] Age: [AGE]
• Room/group: [ROOM]
• Record number: [IITI-YYYY-###]

Section B — Event details

• Type of event (tick): ☐ Incident ☐ Injury ☐ Trauma ☐ Illness
• Date of event: [DATE] Time: [TIME]
• Location within service: [LOCATION]
• Circumstances leading to the event (what was happening before, during, after): [DESCRIPTION — facts only, no opinions]
• Names of witnesses: [NAMES + ROLES]
• Educator(s) responsible for the child at the time: [NAMES]

Section C — Injury / illness details

• Nature of injury/illness and body part(s) affected: [DETAIL]
• Circumstances/symptoms observed (illness): [DETAIL]
• Mark location on body map: [INSERT BODY MAP IMAGE IN WORD VERSION]

Section D — Action taken

• First aid administered: [DETAIL] By: [NAME] Time: [TIME]
• Medication administered (if any): [DETAIL + AUTHORISATION REFERENCE]
• Medical personnel contacted: ☐ No ☐ Yes — [WHO / TIME / ADVICE GIVEN]
• Emergency services attended: ☐ No ☐ Yes — [SERVICE / TIME] (if yes, this is likely a serious incident — see Section F)
• Follow-up required: [DETAIL]

Section E — Notifications

Guidance — delete before finalising. The signature column is the field inspectors now look for: from 24 April 2026, the record must include the name and signature of the person who gave or attempted to give notice of the incident (reg 87(3)(e)(iii) — NSW-verified). “Attempted” counts — if you rang a parent and got voicemail, record it and sign it.

Section F — Regulatory escalation cross-check (tick before filing)

• Is this a serious incident? → notify within 24 hours via the NQA IT System (see Doc 29)
• Is this an incident of physical or sexual abuse? → 24 hours (reg 176(2)(bb), in force 1 September 2025)
• Has an allegation of physical or sexual abuse been made? → 24 hours (reg 176(2)(bc), in force 1 September 2025) + Doc 31 (staff management)
• None of the above — file the record; no regulatory notification required for this event

Section G — Record completion and review

• Record made by: [NAME] Role: [ROLE] Signature: ____________ Date/time record made: [DATE/TIME]
• Reviewed by: [NOMINATED SUPERVISOR] Signature: ____________ Date: [DATE]
• Follow-up actions / practice changes: [DETAIL]

4. Incident record index (register)

Keep this index at the front of the incident records folder so any record can be produced on request during a visit.

Guidance — delete before finalising. An authorised officer will typically pick a date from your index and ask for the full record. The index proves you can find any record fast; the signature fields prove the record is reg 87-complete. With maximum penalties tripled from 2 January 2026 and PINs now set at 10% of the maximum penalty, an incomplete record is an expensive gap — this form is how you protect your educators from it.

Adoption

Serious Incident & Notification Template Set + Timeframe Cheat-Sheet — Child Safety Ready 2026

Product: Child Safety Ready 2026 — ECEC Child-Safety Compliance Kit (editable templates) Provided by: Axior Labs (ABN 91 949 773 596) trading as ChildSafetyReady Support: hq@childsafetyready.com.au Version: 1.0 — July 2026 Regulatory references current to: July 2026

IMPORTANT — READ FIRST. This document is an editable template and general educational information only. It is not legal advice and has not been prepared for your specific service. Using this template does not, by itself, make your service compliant with the Education and Care Services National Law, the National Regulations, or your regulatory authority’s requirements. You must adapt it to your service, verify every obligation against ACECQA and your state/territory regulatory authority, and obtain professional advice where needed. References current to July 2026 and may change.

WHAT THE INSPECTOR ASKS: “How do you know which timeframe applies?” THIS DOCUMENT EVIDENCES: s 174 and regs 175–176 notification duties, including the 24-hour clocks for incidents and allegations of physical or sexual abuse (reg 176(2)(bb)–(bc), in force 1 September 2025) and notifier signature capture (reg 87(3)(e)(iii), in force 24 April 2026 — NSW-verified).

1. The timeframe cheat-sheet (print this page and keep it at the sign-in desk)

Guidance — delete before finalising. Rows 3 and 4 changed on 1 September 2025 — these notifications dropped from 7 days to 24 hours, bringing them into line with serious incidents and complaints. If your old procedure still says “7 days” anywhere, it is out of date and an authorised officer will notice. Note rows 2 and 4 overlap: a complaint that alleges physical or sexual abuse triggers BOTH — classify once, notify within 24 hours, record both anchors.

House rule at [SERVICE NAME]: the internal escalation target is 4 hours. Whoever first becomes aware tells the [NOMINATED SUPERVISOR] immediately; the [APPROVED PROVIDER / PERSON WITH MANAGEMENT OR CONTROL] is briefed and the NQA IT System lodgement is started within 4 hours. Never plan to use the full 24.

2. What counts as a serious incident

Guidance — delete before finalising. [VERIFY: the exact “serious incident” definition in reg 12 of your state’s consolidated National Regulations — the categories below are a plain-language working summary, not the regulation text.] Commonly captured categories: death of a child; serious injury, trauma or illness requiring urgent attention from a registered medical practitioner or attendance at hospital; attendance of emergency services; a child missing or unaccounted for; a child taken or removed contrary to the regulations; a child locked in or out of the service.

The “became aware” timestamp rule. The moment anyone at the service becomes aware of a notifiable event, they record the date and time of awareness in the incident record (Doc 28, Section B/E). Inspectors check your NQA IT System lodgement timestamp against when you first became aware — the gap between those two timestamps is your compliance evidence. A clean 3-hour gap protects your team; an unexplained 30-hour gap is a penalty conversation, and maximum penalties tripled on 2 January 2026 (PINs = 10% of the maximum).

3. Pre-lodgement templates (fill before you open the NQA IT System)

The NQA IT System will time-stamp your submission. Fill the matching template first so the lodgement takes minutes, not an hour of hunting for details.

Template A — Serious incident notification

• Service name / approval number: [SERVICE NAME] / SE-[NUMBER]
• Date/time of incident: [DATE/TIME] Date/time we became aware: [DATE/TIME]
• Child affected (name, DOB): [DETAILS]
• Serious incident category: [CATEGORY]
• Factual description (what, where, who was present): [DESCRIPTION]
• Immediate action taken (first aid, emergency services, parent contact): [ACTIONS]
• Linked incident record no.: [IITI-YYYY-###] (Doc 28)
• Person lodging — name, role: [NAME, ROLE] Signature: ____________ (reg 87(3)(e)(iii))

Template B — Incident OR allegation of physical or sexual abuse (24-hour clock)

• Service name / approval number: [SERVICE NAME] / SE-[NUMBER]
• Tick: ☐ Incident (reg 176(2)(bb)) ☐ Allegation (reg 176(2)(bc))
• Date/time of incident / allegation made: [DATE/TIME] Date/time provider became aware: [DATE/TIME]
• Child(ren) affected: [DETAILS]
• Person subject of allegation (if staff — also open Doc 31 immediately): [NAME, ROLE]
• Factual description — report words used, do not investigate before notifying: [DESCRIPTION]
• Interim staff-management action taken (Doc 31): [ACTION + TIME]
• Reportable conduct body also notified? (Doc 21): ☐ Yes — [BODY/DATE/TIME] ☐ Not applicable in [STATE]
• Person lodging — name, role: [NAME, ROLE] Signature: ____________

Template C — Complaint notification (s 174(2)(b))

• Complaint register ID (Doc 30): [C-YYYY-###]
• Date/time complaint received: [DATE/TIME]
• What the complaint alleges (serious incident / contravention of the Law): [SUMMARY]
• Person lodging — name, role: [NAME, ROLE] Signature: ____________

4. Out-of-hours path

If the responsible person becomes aware after hours: phone [NOMINATED SUPERVISOR MOBILE], then [APPROVED PROVIDER CONTACT]. The 24-hour clock does not pause overnight or on weekends. [BACKUP PERSON WITH NQA ITS LOGIN] holds second credentials so lodgement never waits for one person’s availability.

5. After lodging — the evidence trail

1. Save/print the NQA IT System confirmation and attach it to the Doc 28 record.
2. Complete the notification signature fields — from 24 April 2026 the record must show the name and signature of the person who gave or attempted to give notice (reg 87(3)(e)(iii) — NSW-verified; [VERIFY: commencement of the 24 April 2026 tranche in your state]).
3. Log the event in the notification log below.

Adoption

Complaints Handling Procedure & Register — Child Safety Ready 2026

Product: Child Safety Ready 2026 — ECEC Child-Safety Compliance Kit (editable templates) Provided by: Axior Labs (ABN 91 949 773 596) trading as ChildSafetyReady Support: hq@childsafetyready.com.au Version: 1.0 — July 2026 Regulatory references current to: July 2026

IMPORTANT — READ FIRST. This document is an editable template and general educational information only. It is not legal advice and has not been prepared for your specific service. Using this template does not, by itself, make your service compliant with the Education and Care Services National Law, the National Regulations, or your regulatory authority’s requirements. You must adapt it to your service, verify every obligation against ACECQA and your state/territory regulatory authority, and obtain professional advice where needed. References current to July 2026 and may change.

WHAT THE INSPECTOR ASKS: “Show me your complaints register and how the last complaint was notified.” THIS DOCUMENT EVIDENCES: reg 168(2)(o) — policies and procedures for dealing with complaints; s 174(2)(b) — notification of complaints to the regulatory authority.

1. Purpose and scope

This procedure sets out how [SERVICE NAME] receives, records, classifies, investigates and resolves complaints, and how it meets the duty to notify the regulatory authority of notifiable complaints. It applies to complaints from parents/carers, staff, volunteers, students, visitors and anonymous sources, about any aspect of the service.

Definitions used at this service:

• Complaint — an expression of dissatisfaction requiring a response (distinct from routine feedback or a suggestion).
• Notifiable complaint — a complaint alleging that a serious incident has occurred at the service or that the National Law has been contravened (s 174(2)(b)). [VERIFY: the exact wording of s 174(2)(b) against your state’s consolidated National Law]
• Abuse-allegation complaint — any complaint containing an allegation of physical or sexual abuse of a child while being educated and cared for; this triggers the separate 24-hour duty under reg 176(2)(bc) (in force 1 September 2025) and Doc 31.

2. How complaints can be made

Complaints may be made in person, by phone [SERVICE PHONE], by email [SERVICE EMAIL], in writing, via [PARENT APP], or anonymously. The first point of contact is the [NOMINATED SUPERVISOR]; complaints about the Nominated Supervisor go to the [APPROVED PROVIDER] at [PROVIDER CONTACT]. The name and contact details of the person to whom complaints are made are displayed at [DISPLAY LOCATION — e.g. foyer notice board].

Guidance — delete before finalising. Staff who raise concerns about a colleague’s conduct should be directed to the Protected Disclosures / Speak-Up Procedure (Doc 27) so they are covered by its reprisal protections — but their concern still enters this register if it is a complaint.

3. Procedure

4. The classification test (apply to every complaint, same day)

1. Does the complaint allege physical or sexual abuse of a child? → Notify the regulatory authority within 24 hours (reg 176(2)(bc), in force 1 September 2025), open Doc 31 for any staff member involved, check the reportable conduct map (Doc 21), and continue this procedure in parallel.
2. Does it allege a serious incident occurred, or that the National Law has been contravened (e.g. ratios, supervision, unauthorised persons)? → Notifiable under s 174(2)(b) — lodge via the NQA IT System within 24 hours.
3. Neither? → Not notifiable; resolve through steps 4–7 and record the “not notifiable” decision and reasons in the register.

Guidance — delete before finalising. When in doubt, notify. There is no penalty for notifying a complaint that turns out to be minor; the exposure runs the other way — maximum penalties tripled from 2 January 2026 and PINs are now 10% of the maximum. Recording a reasoned “not notifiable” decision protects the person who made the call.

5. Complaints Register

Guidance — delete before finalising. The register is what the authorised officer reads first. The two columns they cross-check are Received (date/time) and RA notified (date/time) — that gap is your s 174(2)(b) evidence. Keep the register itself free of sensitive detail (use the C-number to link to the confidential file) so it can be produced on the spot without a privacy problem.

6. Confidentiality and no reprisal

Complaint files are stored at [CONFIDENTIAL STORAGE LOCATION], accessible only to [ROLES]. No staff member, family or child will suffer adverse treatment for raising a complaint in good faith. Complaints about staff conduct are handled under this procedure together with Doc 31; the subject staff member receives procedural fairness — informed of the substance, given a chance to respond, and supported throughout.

7. Review

This procedure and the register are reviewed [ANNUALLY / AFTER EACH CLASSIFICATION-1 OR -2 COMPLAINT] by the [APPROVED PROVIDER] as part of QA7 governance (NQS child-safety refinements applied from 1 January 2026). Families are notified of significant changes to this procedure.

Adoption

Post-Allegation Staff Management Procedure — Child Safety Ready 2026

Product: Child Safety Ready 2026 — ECEC Child-Safety Compliance Kit (editable templates) Provided by: Axior Labs (ABN 91 949 773 596) trading as ChildSafetyReady Support: hq@childsafetyready.com.au Version: 1.0 — July 2026 Regulatory references current to: July 2026

IMPORTANT — READ FIRST. This document is an editable template and general educational information only. It is not legal advice and has not been prepared for your specific service. Using this template does not, by itself, make your service compliant with the Education and Care Services National Law, the National Regulations, or your regulatory authority’s requirements. You must adapt it to your service, verify every obligation against ACECQA and your state/territory regulatory authority, and obtain professional advice where needed. References current to July 2026 and may change.

WHAT THE INSPECTOR ASKS: “An allegation is made at 9am — what does that educator do at 9:30?” THIS DOCUMENT EVIDENCES: service-level alignment with the regulator’s staff-management powers — suspension of educators (s 178, including s 178(3) with-or-without-notice suspension), direct-supervision orders (s 178A) and training directions (ss 178D–178E) — together with the 24-hour allegation notification duty (reg 176(2)(bc), in force 1 September 2025).

1. Purpose and principles

This procedure sets out exactly what [SERVICE NAME] does with an educator’s duties from the moment an allegation is made against them until the matter is resolved. It exists to protect three things at once: the children in our care, the educator — an allegation is not a finding, and a documented, fair process is the best protection any staff member has — and the service’s rating and compliance record.

Principles: the safety, health and wellbeing of children is paramount; the educator receives procedural fairness (told the substance of the allegation, given the opportunity to respond, supported throughout); interim measures are protective, not punitive; everything is decided by the [DECISION MAKER — NOMINATED SUPERVISOR / APPROVED PROVIDER] and written down at the time.

2. The first-day timeline (the “9am → 9:30” answer)

3. Interim duty options (choose the least restrictive option that removes the risk)

Guidance — delete before finalising. Record WHY the chosen level removes the alleged risk. If the regulatory authority later imposes its own conditions, your decision log shows you acted first and proportionately — that is exactly the evidence an authorised officer wants to see.

4. The regulator’s own powers (know them before they are used)

Since the 2025–26 reforms, the regulatory authority does not have to wait for your process:

• Suspension of an educator (s 178): educators — including volunteers — may be suspended for a breach of the law or where there is a risk to children, with or without notice (s 178(3)). Commenced December 2025 per the NSW reform timeline. [VERIFY: exact commencement dates of ss 178–178A in your jurisdiction]
• Direct-supervision orders (s 178A): the approved provider can be ordered to provide direct supervision of an educator following a breach — level 1 above is how this service would implement such an order on day one.
• Training directions (ss 178D–178E, from 27 February 2026): the regulator may direct nominated supervisors, staff or volunteers to undertake specific training related to compliance issues. Completion evidence goes into the Training Evidence Register (Doc 14).

If any such notice is received: comply immediately, file the notice, record actions in the Decision Log, and confirm compliance in writing to the regulatory authority. Non-compliance sits in the tripled-penalty regime in force from 2 January 2026 (PINs = 10% of the maximum penalty).

5. Decision Log (allegation staff-management register)

6. Confidentiality, communication and support

• Only [NAMED ROLES] know the educator’s identity and the allegation substance. The register above uses initials; the confidential file sits at [CONFIDENTIAL STORAGE LOCATION].
• No discussion with other staff or families beyond what supervision arrangements strictly require. Media or written enquiries go to the [APPROVED PROVIDER] only.
• The educator is offered [EAP PROVIDER / SUPPORT CONTACT], a support person at every meeting, and written updates at least [WEEKLY].
• The educator must not contact the complainant or any witness about the matter while the process is open.

7. Outcomes and closure

On conclusion (internal investigation, regulator action, or reportable conduct finding): record the outcome in the Decision Log; either restore full duties with a documented return conversation, or implement the employment/regulatory consequence advised; complete any NECWR update within 14 days if role or engagement status changed; and debrief what the service learned into the Child Safety Risk Register (Doc 25).

An unsubstantiated allegation ends with the educator’s duties fully restored and the file closed — the record then protects them: it shows a fair process, run on time, with their name cleared in writing.

Adoption

Unannounced Visit Readiness Checklist — Child Safety Ready 2026

Product: Child Safety Ready 2026 — ECEC Child-Safety Compliance Kit (editable templates) Provided by: Axior Labs (ABN 91 949 773 596) trading as ChildSafetyReady Support: hq@childsafetyready.com.au Version: 1.0 — July 2026 Regulatory references current to: July 2026

IMPORTANT — READ FIRST. This document is an editable template and general educational information only. It is not legal advice and has not been prepared for your specific service. Using this template does not, by itself, make your service compliant with the Education and Care Services National Law, the National Regulations, or your regulatory authority’s requirements. You must adapt it to your service, verify every obligation against ACECQA and your state/territory regulatory authority, and obtain professional advice where needed. References current to July 2026 and may change.

WHAT THE INSPECTOR ASKS: In effect — every question in this kit, in order: “Show me your policy. Show me the register. Show me the evidence.” THIS DOCUMENT EVIDENCES: Readiness for authorised-officer entry and inspection powers (National Law ss 197 and 199), across every obligation evidenced by Documents 1–35 of this kit.

1. Why this document exists

Authorised officers do not have to book. Under the National Law they may enter and inspect an approved service (ss 197 and 199), and from 27 February 2026 the premises definition for family day care expanded (ss 197(6) and 199(5)) so officers can inspect rooms and outside areas near the residence that are not used for education and care. In NSW, s 199(2) permits entry to those additional areas without the occupier’s consent. [VERIFY: entry-without-consent scope under your jurisdiction’s applied National Law — s 199(2) position verified for NSW]

Since 2 January 2026 maximum penalties have tripled and infringement notices apply to an expanded list of offences, with each PIN set at 10% of the maximum penalty. A visit that goes badly is no longer a warning letter — it is a fines event. A visit that goes well is one where every document an officer asks for surfaces in minutes, from a named location, by a named person. That is what this checklist drills.

Guidance — delete before finalising. Complete every [BRACKETED FIELD], run the Section 5 drill once with your actual team before you rely on this document, and store the finished version at the front of your Inspector Evidence Binder (Doc 35). This checklist protects your educators: when documents surface fast, officers spend less time in rooms and your staff are not put on the spot.

2. First 5 minutes — who does what

Guidance — delete before finalising. Never leave the officer waiting alone at the front desk while the whole leadership team scrambles. One person hosts; one person runs documents; everyone else keeps the service running normally.

3. First 15 minutes — the document pull list

This is the order in which officers typically work through the 2026 child-safety obligations. Every row must have a filled [LOCATION] and a named owner.

4. The walk-through — what officers look at beyond paper

• Phones in rooms. Any personal device visible on an educator working directly with children invites a Part 6A conversation (offence ~$6,600 individual). Staff must be able to say, unprompted, where service devices live and where the exception register is (Docs 3 and 6).
• The display. The compliance and quality history display (s 172(3)–(4)) must be current and visible to families.
• Staff answers. Officers ask educators directly: “What training have you done? What’s the device rule? Who do you tell if you have a concern?” Your team’s answers are evidence — brief staff at [STAFF MEETING FREQUENCY] using Docs 2, 14 and 27.
• Today’s roster vs registers. The people physically present must match the roster, the WWCC register (Doc 9) and the Worker Register (Doc 11).

5. Monthly self-drill sheet

Run one drill per month. Pick three rows from Section 3 at random, plus the full binder pull. Targets: any single document in under 3 minutes; the full Section 3 list in under 15 minutes.

Guidance — delete before finalising. A drill that finds gaps is a successful drill — it found them before an officer did. Log every gap and close it within 7 days.

6. After any visit (real or drill)

1. Record every question asked and every document produced: [VISIT RECORD LOCATION].
2. Update the Inspector Evidence Binder Index (Doc 35) if any location or owner changed.
3. Add any commitments made to the officer to the 2026 Compliance Calendar (Doc 34) with a due date and owner.
4. Debrief staff within [X] days — what went well, what to tighten. Keep the tone protective, not punitive.

Adoption

Child Safety Self-Assessment — QA2 & QA7 (2026 NQS Refinements) — Child Safety Ready 2026

Product: Child Safety Ready 2026 — ECEC Child-Safety Compliance Kit (editable templates) Provided by: Axior Labs (ABN 91 949 773 596) trading as ChildSafetyReady Support: hq@childsafetyready.com.au Version: 1.0 — July 2026 Regulatory references current to: July 2026

IMPORTANT — READ FIRST. This document is an editable template and general educational information only. It is not legal advice and has not been prepared for your specific service. Using this template does not, by itself, make your service compliant with the Education and Care Services National Law, the National Regulations, or your regulatory authority’s requirements. You must adapt it to your service, verify every obligation against ACECQA and your state/territory regulatory authority, and obtain professional advice where needed. References current to July 2026 and may change.

WHAT THE INSPECTOR ASKS: “How do you self-assess against the updated elements?” THIS DOCUMENT EVIDENCES: Self-assessment against the NQS QA2/QA7 child-safety refinements applied from 1 January 2026.

1. Purpose and how to use

From 1 January 2026 the National Quality Standard was refined with a sharper child-safety focus in Quality Area 2 (Children’s Health and Safety) and Quality Area 7 (Governance and Leadership). Assessors at your next assessment and rating (A&R) will test your evidence against the updated elements — and they will expect your self-assessment and Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) to already speak the 2026 language.

Complete this self-assessment:

• annually at [MONTH] as part of your policy review cycle;
• before any A&R visit or when notified of one; and
• after any significant change (new nominated supervisor, new premises, a serious incident, or a compliance action).

Ratings used in this document: M = Meeting, WT = Working Towards, E = evidence of Exceeding themes. Every “WT” must generate a row in the Section 5 action plan.

Guidance — delete before finalising. This is a working document, not a display document. Be honest in the ratings — an assessor who finds a gap you already identified and scheduled a fix for sees a functioning governance system (QA7 evidence in itself). An assessor who finds a gap your self-assessment called “Meeting” sees the opposite.

2. What changed on 1 January 2026

• Element 2.2.3 was reframed as “Child safety and protection”, with an explicit focus on educators’ ability to identify and respond to children at risk of abuse or neglect (per SA Education Standards Board summary of the national changes).
• Standard 7.1 and Element 7.1.2 were updated to explicitly reference child-safe service operations — governance and management systems must now visibly carry child safety, not just general quality.
• These NQS refinements sit alongside the NQS QA2/QA7 child-safety refinements’ regulatory companions already covered elsewhere in this kit (reg 168(2)(ha) digital technologies, 1 September 2025; National Law Part 6A, 27 February 2026; mandatory training deadline 27 August 2026).

[VERIFY: exact revised wording of Element 2.2.3, Standard 7.1 and Element 7.1.2 against ACECQA’s current published NQS and Guide to the NQF before finalising this document]

3. QA2 self-assessment matrix — Children’s Health and Safety

4. QA7 self-assessment matrix — Governance and Leadership

5. Action plan — every “Working Towards” lands here

6. Feeding the QIP

Transfer every open action above into your QIP under the matching Quality Area, quoting the 2026 element language. Attach this completed self-assessment to the QIP as evidence of self-assessment practice — assessors ask for it by name.

Guidance — delete before finalising. The training itself is free and delivered only through the government platform — this kit never provides or sells the training. What assessors ask you for is the evidence trail, and that is what Docs 14–17 and this self-assessment produce.

Adoption

2026 Compliance Calendar — Child Safety Ready 2026

Product: Child Safety Ready 2026 — ECEC Child-Safety Compliance Kit (editable templates) Provided by: Axior Labs (ABN 91 949 773 596) trading as ChildSafetyReady Support: hq@childsafetyready.com.au Version: 1.0 — July 2026 Regulatory references current to: July 2026

IMPORTANT — READ FIRST. This document is an editable template and general educational information only. It is not legal advice and has not been prepared for your specific service. Using this template does not, by itself, make your service compliant with the Education and Care Services National Law, the National Regulations, or your regulatory authority’s requirements. You must adapt it to your service, verify every obligation against ACECQA and your state/territory regulatory authority, and obtain professional advice where needed. References current to July 2026 and may change.

WHAT THE INSPECTOR ASKS: “How do you track new obligations?” THIS DOCUMENT EVIDENCES: A dated system for tracking the 2025–26 child-safety reform commencements (reg 168(2)(ha); reg 176; National Law Part 6A; NECWR; mandatory training deadline 27 August 2026) and the recurring clocks they create.

1. How to use

Print this page (A3 recommended), pin it in the office, and fill the Status at [SERVICE NAME] column with a date and initials as each item is confirmed done. Review it at every leadership meeting: [MEETING FREQUENCY]. This single page is your answer when an officer asks how you track new obligations — and it is the master feed for the monthly drill (Doc 32) and the self-assessment (Doc 33).

Guidance — delete before finalising. Do not delete rows for dates already past — the officer’s question is “how do you track”, and a filled-in history is exactly the evidence. Every date below is drawn from this kit’s verified reform timeline; where a tranche’s commencement varies by state, that is flagged in the row.

2. Master reform timeline

3. Recurring clocks the reforms created

4. Countdown board — the next six weeks (as at July 2026)

The one date left that can still fine you this year is 27 August 2026. Six weeks out is exactly when stragglers get missed.

Guidance — delete before finalising. The training is free and delivered only via the government platform — budget zero dollars, but budget hours. The exposure is ~$6,600 per individual / $34,200 body corporate, and PINs now run at 10% of tripled maximums. Protect your staff from a fine that is purely administrative to prevent.

Adoption

Inspector Evidence Binder Index — Child Safety Ready 2026

Product: Child Safety Ready 2026 — ECEC Child-Safety Compliance Kit (editable templates) Provided by: Axior Labs (ABN 91 949 773 596) trading as ChildSafetyReady Support: hq@childsafetyready.com.au Version: 1.0 — July 2026 Regulatory references current to: July 2026

IMPORTANT — READ FIRST. This document is an editable template and general educational information only. It is not legal advice and has not been prepared for your specific service. Using this template does not, by itself, make your service compliant with the Education and Care Services National Law, the National Regulations, or your regulatory authority’s requirements. You must adapt it to your service, verify every obligation against ACECQA and your state/territory regulatory authority, and obtain professional advice where needed. References current to July 2026 and may change.

WHAT THE INSPECTOR ASKS: “Show me.” — every request an authorised officer is likely to make, mapped to the exact document and its location. THIS DOCUMENT EVIDENCES: Readiness for authorised-officer entry and inspection powers (National Law ss 197 and 199) across every obligation evidenced by this kit.

1. How to use

1. Fill every [LOCATION] field below. Use the location key in Section 2 — be specific enough that a casual educator could find the document alone.
2. Print this index landscape and make it the first page of your physical Inspector Evidence Binder. Tab numbers in the binder = kit document numbers.
3. When an officer asks a question, find the matching row, hand them the document, and log the request (Doc 32, Section 6).
4. Re-check every location during the monthly drill (Doc 32, Section 5). A perfect index with a stale location fails the drill.

Guidance — delete before finalising. This page is the kit’s signature artefact: requirement → document → location, on one sheet. Officers do not award marks for it, but it converts a multi-hour visit into minutes, keeps your educators off the spot, and shows a QA7-grade governance system at a glance.

2. Location key

3. Master index — every likely question, every document

Front matter — kit orientation

Group A — Devices & digital technology

Group B — WWCC before work

Group C — National Early Childhood Worker Register

Group D — Child-safety training evidence

Group E — 24-hour abuse-allegation reporting