Here’s a concise compliance cheat sheet for Quality Area 1 (Educational Programme and Practice) under the National Quality NQS. It highlights the essential elements, documentation requirements, and reflective practices you need to demonstrate compliance while maintaining authentic pedagogy.

Join Dr. Mary Anne Hall, from EPEC Education, for a FREE webinar as she breaks down the new inappropriate conduct offense. Exploring how this requirement can be embedded in your workplace and be used as a tool to protect children from harm, abuse, and neglect.

Educators in Australia must conduct at least one emergency evacuation drill per year under AS 3745-2010, with best practice being every six months. Fire drills are directly linked to the Education and Care Services National Regulations and Quality Area 2 of the National Quality Standard (NQS), ensuring children’s safety and wellbeing.

Duty of care is more than a legal obligation—it is the foundation of safe, ethical, and professional practice. In education, healthcare, and community services, it means ensuring that every decision, action, and environment prioritizes the wellbeing of those in our care. Compliance is not about ticking boxes; it is about embedding responsibility into everyday routines.

Spot checks are unannounced, in-person visits conducted by authorised officers and will continue in 2026. Their purpose is to ensure services are meeting their legal obligations and correctly managing the CCS. These checks are part of strengthening compliance and safeguarding children’s well-being.

The government has made National Child Safety Training mandatory for everyone working in early childhood education and care (ECEC). This training is free to complete, but it takes time—and that’s where the subsidy comes in.

National child safety training is now mandatory for everybody working or volunteering in an ECEC service regulated under the NQF. Foundation training is the first stage of national child safety training and is available now. Foundation training is mandatory for any person who works or volunteers in an ECEC service regulated under the NQF.

As of today, February 27th, 2026, all ECE services are required to provide workforce information to the Register. Approved providers must now enter who is working in their services and keep it up to date.

From today, February 27, 2026, significant amendments to the Education and Care Services National Law and National Regulations are now being enforced, introducing new digital device safety standards across early childhood education and care services. By formally including these standards in regulations such as Regulation 168 (Policies and Procedures), Regulations 97 & 99 (Children’s Safety), and Regulation 73 (Educational Program), the changes make digital safety a legal requirement, reinforcing the sector’s role as a champion of child safety in a technology-driven world.

These reforms embed modern child protection measures directly into the national regulations, requiring services to update policies, strengthen risk management, and train staff to ensure digital devices are used safely and responsibly.

ECEC services and policies around technology use are designed to protect children’s safety, privacy, and well-being. One common question is whether educators are permitted to wear smart watches in the workplace. The answer depends on the functions of the device.