Early education report shows room to grow

A recent report has marked what could be the start of a renewed focus on children’s safety in the early childhood education sector.

In December, the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) published its report into the review of child safety arrangements under the national quality framework (NQF).

The report was a culmination of months of consultation and review into the framework and further driven by incidents and allegations of children abuse reported in the media, according to ACECQA.

“While the [review] does not address the facts of any particular alleged incident, its need and urgency are highlighted by reported critical incidents and allegations emerging as the [review] was being undertaken,” the report said.

Authorised to be made public by the federal government, the report included 16 recommendations on physical and online safety, child supervision, and staffing requirements.

A portion of the recommendations focuses on more stringent reporting regulations in the wake of increased reports of child abuse.

Recommendations include reducing reporting timeframes for physical and sexual abuse complaints to 24 hours instead of seven days, and banning electronic devices that could capture photos or videos in centrebased services with children unless approved or service-issued.

Despite the room for growth, ACECQA found the national framework was still a robust regulatory scheme.

“While the 2014 and 2019 reviews have supported the NQF to improve, it is timely to consider what reforms could and should be made to further protect more than 1.4 million children … who annually attend over 17,000 approved services, with attendance ranging from a handful of irregular hours through to more than fifty hours every week,” ACECQA’s report said.

Western Australia

While the Western Australian government was supportive of its federal counterpart reviewing the national framework, WA operates differently from other states and territories.

The same law under the framework is applied in each state and territory, with some variations to cater to specific needs.

More than 17,000 education and care services are regulated under the national framework, ACECQA said in its report.

However, the authority noted that while WA had corresponding legislation, the state had a separate legislative approach for the same intention.

“Tasmanian preschools/ kindergartens and most preschools/ kindergartens in WA are outside the scope of the NQF, as are other services that are not regulated under the national law,” ACECQA said.

Mandatory reporting requirements are limited to early childhood teachers in WA but will extend to early childhood educators from November 2024, according to the report.

“Some jurisdictions require reporting of a wide range of harms, compared to WA, which only requires reporting of sexual abuse,” the report reads.

The recent spike in vaping at schools has also been addressed, with a recommendation that service environments be free from e-cigarettes

In November, the state government introduced anti-vaping measures in schools, but WA remained the only state without legislation to ban e-cigarette use in smoke-free areas.

History

The national quality framework emerged from collaboration between Australia’s nine federal, state and territory governments in late 2007.

A new standard was set when the framework launched in 2012, replacing nine overlapping regulatory and quality assurance schemes.

In May 2023, the federal government requested ACECQA review the national framework with a focus on reducing harm, abuse and neglect.

Early Childhood Education Minister Anne Aly said the framework set a high national quality standard for providers across the country but noted the need for improvement.

“This report highlights the [framework] can be better, and the Australian government is absolutely committed to making it better so that our children have a positive, rewarding and safe early childhood education,” she said.

Education Minister Jason Clare said while the country had a good system of early childhood education and care, more could be done to ensure the framework was up to date and fit for purpose.

Their proposal was supported by state and territory governments, including in WA.

Mr Clare and Dr Aly are scheduled to meet in early 2024 to discuss implementation of the recommendations in the report.

In its report, ACECQA acknowledged it would require a significant commitment from all governments to implement the recommendations.