“Is My Child Safe?”: What Educators Must Know—and Demand—Amid a Crisis of Trust in Australian Childcare

In recent weeks, over 1,300 parents tuned in to a national safety webinar after confronting reports of abuse in early learning centres. The heartbreaking question echoed across the country: “Is my child safe?” For educators, this isn’t just a headline—it’s a summons to take action.

Federal Education Minister Jason Clare is pushing legislation to allow the Commonwealth to withhold subsidies from noncompliant providers and boost spot checks. But real safeguarding reform remains tangled in a cross-jurisdictional web where states and territories still hold critical oversight powers.

What’s Shifting—and What’s Still Missing

Educators deserve clarity and consistency. Here's what's on the table—and what still needs our voice:

• Proposed national database to track educators' movements—still under discussion.

• Unannounced inspections and public safety breach notices—promising, but reactive.

• Calls for standardised training—including annual pupil-free days for safety-focused PD.

• Victoria’s lone move to introduce educator registration and mobile device bans—an important start, but not enough.

The lack of harmonised regulation, oversight, and transparency undermines our profession. It leaves educators working in grey areas where expectations shift depending on the postcode—and children are left vulnerable to systemic gaps.

Rebuilding Trust Must Start With Us

As educators, we carry enormous weight—not just to nurture, but to safeguard. Here’s what we must collectively demand:

• Unified national supervision standards—children should never be alone with one staff member under any circumstance.

• Safeguarding-first training reforms—beyond compliance, embedding trauma-informed, risk-aware practice.

• Whistleblower protections—so educators can speak up without fear.

• Clear escalation pathways—including what happens when state and federal regulations contradict each other.

Let’s not wait for more headlines. Families trust us with their children’s lives—we must insist on systemic support to honour that trust.

From Compliance to Commitment

This moment is more than a regulatory update—it’s a turning point. It’s time to shift from fragmented compliance to principled commitment. To speak as one sector, one voice, across every state line.

Further Reading 

Beyond Ratios: Why Supervision Failures Are a Safeguarding Crisis
Sydney Educators Charged Over Alleged Toddler Assault
Active Supervision In Early Childhood Settings 
Critical Reflection Questions For Indoor and Outdoor Supervision 
Opinion: Should the “Under the Roof” Staffing Loophole Be Closed

Reference:
 ‘Is My Child Safe?’: Jason Clare Faces A Quagmire In Childcare Crisis—Fixing A Sector Without Controlling All The Levers