Building a Culture of Safety: The National Child Safety Training Initiative in ECEC

Every child deserves to feel safe, valued, and supported, especially in the environments where they learn and grow. In response to this foundational truth, the National Child Safety Training Project is reshaping how Australia’s ECEC sector approaches child safeguarding.

Led by the Australian Centre for Child Protection (ACCP) on behalf of the Queensland Department of Education and all state, territory, and federal governments, this initiative marks a historic step toward nationally consistent child safety training. It reflects a shared commitment to strengthening safeguarding practices across diverse settings—from long day care to family day care, kindergartens, and preschools.

Why This Training Matters

The training responds directly to recommendations from the Review of Child Safety Arrangements under the National Quality Framework, which identified gaps in safeguarding knowledge and called for mandatory child safety training. The goal is not just compliance but transformation.

Key aims include:

• Empowering educators with practical, trauma-informed strategies
• Promoting inclusive, culturally responsive environments
• Fostering a shared language of safety and accountability
• Embedding child voice and agency into everyday practice

In July 2025, ACCP completed a national scoping project that identified sector needs, training priorities, and opportunities for growth. By September 2025, development began on a suite of training modules tailored to the realities of ECEC work—recognizing the emotional labor, cultural complexity, and relational depth that educators navigate daily.

What Educators Can Expect

The training will include:

• Scenario-based learning to explore real-world safeguarding dilemmas
• Interactive modules on identifying and responding to harm
• Tools for documentation and reflection, including symbolic and emotionally intelligent formats
• Resources for engaging families and communities in child safety conversations

This initiative isn’t just about training—it’s about culture. It invites educators, leaders, and families to co-create environments where safety is not just a rule but a relationship. Where children are not just protected but empowered. And where every voice—especially the smallest—is heard, respected, and held with care.

For more information: National Child Safety Training for the Early Childhood Education and Care Sector