New National Regulations On Transporting Children Safely Effective From 01 October 2020

From 01 October 2020, new national regulations for policies and procedures, risk assessment, and written authorisation will come into effect for all education and care services in all states and territories throughout Australia, for transporting children.

The new requirements for the safe transportation of children relate to:

• Policy and Procedures - For services that provide or arrange transportation of children, other than as part of an excursion, the approved provider must ensure the service has policies and procedures for transportation. This includes procedures that address all of the same requirements that must be addressed for written authorisations and risk assessments for transporting children.
• Risk Assessments - Risk assessments must identify and assess risks that the transportation of a child may pose to the safety, health or wellbeing of the child, and specify how the identified risks will be managed and minimised. As a minimum, a risk assessment must include assessment of the matters set out below. Risks should be evaluated each time children are transported unless transportation is ‘regular transportation’.
• Written Authroations - Authorisation for a child to be transported must be given by a parent or other person named in the child’s enrolment record as having authority to authorise transportation of a child.

New and amended provisions within the National Regulations – commencing from 1 October 2020

New Provisions

• Definition regular transportation – regulation 4(1)
• Transport risk assessment must be conducted before service transports child – regulation 102B
• Conduct of risk assessment for transporting of children by the education and care service – regulation 102C
• Authorisation for service to transport children – regulation 102D
• Education and care service must have policies and procedures (transportation) – regulation 168(2)(ga)

Amended provisions

• Definition regular outing – regulation 4 (1)
• Risk assessment must be conducted before excursion – regulation 100
• Conduct of risk assessment for excursion – regulation 101(2)(d)
• Authorisation for excursions – regulation 102(4)

To view the information sheet, please click the following: Safe Transportation Of Children

Reference: 
Safe Transportation Of Children, ACECQA