Quality Area 2 – Children's Health and Safety requires all stakeholders to have responsibility for supporting the health, protection, safety and wellbeing of all children. In exercising their responsibilities, they must take reasonable care to protect children from foreseeable risk of harm, injury and infection.
The following lists the documentation services are required to have in order to support achievement of QA2 in each element.
2.1 – Each Child’s Health And Physical Activity Is Supported and Promoted
2.1.1 – Each child’s wellbeing and comfort is provided for, including appropriate opportunities to meet each child’s need for sleep and rest and relaxation.
Documentation to support this includes:
- evidence demonstrating that the service’s approach to addressing individual clothing needs and preferences is shared with families
- evidence demonstrating that the service’s approach to sleep and rest is shared with families
- evidence that babies who are asleep are checked at regular intervals
- evidence that families are provided with daily information about their child’s nappy change/toileting patterns
- planning that reflects the input of children into rules and routines of the service that relates to the comfort of individuals and the group
2.1.2 – Effective illness and injury management and hygiene practices are promoted and implemented.
Documentation to support this includes:
- policies and procedures relating to health and hygiene
- written procedures and schedules for maintaining a regular regime of washing children’s toys and equipment
- evidence that families are provided with information and support that helps them to follow the service’s hygiene procedures
- current nappy-changing and toileting procedures displayed in the toilet and nappy-changing areas
- information about correct hand-washing procedures displayed in relevant areas of the service, such as bathrooms, nappy change areas and food preparation areas
- visual aids and hand-washing signs displayed where children wash their hands.
2.1.3 – Healthy Eating and Physical activity are promoted and appropriate for each child.
Documentation to support this includes:
- how the planned program incorporates physical activity that meets each child’s capabilities and extends their development, including how it balances quiet/passive play times with more energetic outdoor play
- evidence that information about the importance of physical activity to children’s health and development is communicated to families
2.2 – Each Child is Protected
2.2.1 – At all times, reasonable precaution and adequate supervision ensure children are protected from harm and hazard.
- written procedures for conducting daily safety checks and identifying and undertaking the maintenance of buildings and equipment
- completed daily safety checks of buildings, equipment and the general environment
- records of pest/vermin inspections and/or eradication
- in relation to excursions - the service’s policy and procedures on excursions
- evidence of planning for excursions that include a written risk assessment undertaken prior to conducting an excursion and provided to families
- documented evidence of detailed information provided to families regarding excursions, including the destination, mode of transport, educator-to-child ratio and number of adults in attendance
- documented authorization for children to be taken outside the service’s premises or to alternative areas within the premises (for example an area of the building or school premises that is not approved space or that cannot be used during normal operating hours)
- the service’s medical conditions policy
- the service’s policy on dealing with water safety, including safety during water-based activities
- enrolment records that include authorisations and health information
- the service’s policy and procedures on sun protection and evidence that information about the service’s approach to sun protection is shared with families
- evidence that information about the service’s approach to safe sleep is documented and shared with families
2.2.2 –Plans to effectively manage incidents and emergencies are developed in consultation with relevant authorities, practised and implemented
Documents to support this includes:
- procedures for managing incidents and emergencies and providing a child safe environment
- records of emergency drills, and evaluations of these
- a current, portable record of children’s emergency contacts that can be
- carried by educators in case of emergencies and/or evacuations
- written emergency and evacuation procedures that include instructions for what must be done in the event of an emergency and an emergency
- evacuation floor plan (for example, a plan for a bushfire in a bushfire-prone area)
- written plans to manage an emergency that may be likely to affect individuals at the service (for example, the management of an asthma attack, anaphylactic reaction or epileptic fit)
- written communication with families about the service’s emergency
- procedures and plans to manage incidents
- evidence that emergency equipment is tested as recommended by recognised authorities
2.2.3 – Management, educators and staff are aware of their roles and responsibilities to identify and respond to every child at risk of abuse or neglect.
Documentation to support this includes:
- current information about child protection procedures and expectations is provided to service staff
- nominated supervisors, educators, co-ordinators and family day care educator assistants have attended training or professional development on child protection
- information is provided to families about the service’s practices in relation to child protection
- nominated supervisors, educators and co-ordinators work collaboratively with other authorities and/or professionals to support children who have specific protection needs
- educators’ families have been provided with information and/or training to support their understanding and response to suspected child protection issues
- a current list of local community resources that can provide information and support for children, families and service staff in relation to children at risk of abuse and/or neglect.
Click to download: Supporting Doc QA2 Checklist - a checklist of documentation (listed above) that is required in order to achieve Quality Area 2 - Children's health and Safety.
For a list of outcomes under each element: How To Achieve Quality Area 2
Here is the list of the EYLF Learning Outcomes that you can use as a guide or reference for your documentation and planning. The EYLF
The EYLF is a guide which consists of Principles, Practices and 5 main Learning Outcomes along with each of their sub outcomes, based on identity,
This is a guide on How to Write a Learning Story. It provides information on What Is A Learning Story, Writing A Learning Story, Sample
One of the most important types of documentation methods that educators needs to be familiar with are “observations”. Observations are crucial for all early childhood
To support children achieve learning outcomes from the EYLF Framework, the following list gives educators examples of how to promote children's learning in each individual
Reflective practice is learning from everyday situations and issues and concerns that arise which form part of our daily routine while working in an early
Within Australia, Programming and Planning is reflected and supported by the Early Years Learning Framework. Educators within early childhood settings, use the EYLF to guide
This is a guide for educators on what to observe under each sub learning outcome from the EYLF Framework, when a child is engaged in
When observing children, it's important that we use a range of different observation methods from running records, learning stories to photographs and work samples. Using
The Early Years Learning Framework describes the curriculum as “all the interactions, experiences, activities, routines and events, planned and unplanned, that occur in an environment
