The next stage of child safety training for early educators kicks off Friday.
More than 99 per cent of early educators have already completed the foundation training. They have six months to complete the next stage of child safety training.
The foundation training covers topics including developing child safe policies and procedures, expectations for staff conduct, reporting obligations, and embedding a child safe culture in early learning settings.
The next stage focuses on preventing and responding to child safety concerns. It helps educators and leaders create environments where children feel safe, know they can speak up, and receive the support they need when concerns arise. It includes training on detecting grooming. The training is designed to help services embed strong child safety practices in their day-to-day operations.
The mandatory training is part of the package of reforms to lift safety and standards across the sector that we have rolled out with the states and territories over the last year.
A year ago we passed legislation to give us the power to cut funding to centres that aren’t up to scratch. We are using that power now to lift standards.
Other key safety changes include establishment of the new National Early Childhood Worker Register and a national assessment of CCTV in ECEC. We also have more compliance officers doing unannounced spot checks, have banned personal devices in centres, and will require services to meet the national quality standard to receive funding for the 15 per cent pay rise.
Early educators reported very high satisfaction with the Foundation training course.
97 per cent say they would recommend the training, and participants reported increased confidence and ability to identify harmful behaviour and abuse.
Participants also reported strong confidence in the training with consistently high satisfaction across quality, clarity and relevance of the training.
The training has been developed by the Australian Centre for Child Protection with the Queensland Government, on behalf of all governments.
Up to $40 million each year from the existing Child Care Subsidy will support this.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Education Jason Clare:
“Our early educators are the best asset we’ve got to keep our children safe.
“They had six months to do the first stage of the mandatory training and 99 per cent of them completed it within 4 months.’
“It tells you a lot about how seriously they’re taking this.
“Early educators have told us this training has already made them feel more confident and equipped to keep our kids safe.
“This next stage of training will keep building on those skills.”
Quotes attributable to Minister for Early Childhood Education and Minister for Youth Jess Walsh:
“Nothing is more important than keeping our children safe.
“That’s why we are strengthening quality early learning across the country.
“The next stage of training builds on the foundation training to support stronger child safety practice across early childhood education and care.
“Every child deserves access to quality and safe early learning.”
