Child Safety Training Is Not the Finish Line
Most services are doing what they need to do. Educators are logging in, courses are being completed, certificates are being downloaded and training registers are being updated.
This is important, but from a leadership perspective, we cannot treat child safety training as complete once the certificate has been filed.
The real question is:
What will people understand, notice and do differently because they completed the training?
Training should change what happens in the room. It should increase the confidence of educators to speak up, improve how concerns are reported and strengthen the way leaders respond.
A certificate confirms that training was completed. It does not confirm that the learning has become practice.
Start by getting the requirements right
People working or volunteering at a service before 14 August 2026 must complete the Foundation child safety training by 27 August 2026.
From 14 August 2026, new staff and volunteers must complete the Foundation training before they begin working directly with children or within 14 days of starting, whichever happens first.
Foundation courses 1 and 2 and Advanced courses 3 and 4 are now available. Course 5, which focuses on leadership and governance, is expected to become available from 30 September 2026.
People already working in a role that requires Advanced training before 30 September 2026 must complete it by 31 March 2027. People starting in a relevant role after 30 September must complete it within three months.
The courses required will depend on the person’s role. The Australian Government’s national child safety training page provides the current role and course requirements. ACECQA also explains the completion timeframes.
Leaders must make sure the requirements are met. The next step is making sure the training changes practice.
Put someone in charge of the training process
Approved providers remain responsible for ensuring the required training is completed. Operationally, someone must also be clearly responsible for maintaining the records and following up.
Use one training register that identifies:
the person’s name and role
their starting or appointment date
the Foundation and Advanced courses required
required child protection training
due and completion dates
where certificates are stored
when refresher training will be required.
Include regular volunteers, students completing an approved qualification, persons with management or control and team members who do not usually work directly with children.
This process should form part of recruitment and induction. Missing training should be identified before a person begins working with children, not during a later compliance check.
Bring the training back into the service
Online training provides the knowledge. Leaders must help educators connect that knowledge with the service in which they work.
Within two weeks of completion, hold a short team discussion based on a realistic situation.
For example:
An educator hears a respected and experienced colleague repeatedly speaking harshly to a child during rest time. The child becomes quiet and moves away whenever that educator approaches.
Ask the team:
What concerns you about this situation?
What should happen immediately?
What facts should be recorded?
Who should receive the concern?
What would happen if the usual leader was unavailable or involved?
What might stop someone from speaking up?
This is not about testing educators or trying to catch them out. It is about building confidence before they are faced with a real situation.
Record the actions that come from the discussion. You do not need to record every answer or create unnecessary paperwork.
Make expectations clear
Educators need to know exactly what leaders expect.
Leaders should clearly communicate that:
every child must be treated with dignity and respect
children’s verbal and non-verbal communication must be taken seriously
concerning language, unsafe behaviour or inappropriate interactions must be challenged
concerns must still be raised when an educator is unsure how serious they are
experience, seniority or relationships do not place anyone above being questioned
concerns will be handled respectfully and without retaliation
required internal and external reporting processes must be followed.
These expectations must be reflected in how leaders respond.
If an educator raises a concern and is dismissed, criticised or told they are overreacting, other educators will notice. They will be less likely to speak up next time.
A child-safe culture is created when leaders make it safe to raise concerns and remain willing to hold people accountable.
Make the reporting process easy to follow
Every educator should know what to do if they see, hear or suspect something concerning.
A one-page reporting process should explain:
How to protect the child from any immediate risk.
Who must receive the concern internally.
Who to contact if the usual leader is unavailable or involved.
Where factual information must be recorded.
Who is responsible for considering and completing external reports and notifications.
How confidentiality will be maintained.
How the concern and any actions will be followed up.
Avoid vague directions such as ‘report it to management’. Name the role or person responsible and provide an alternative escalation contact.
An internal report does not replace mandatory reporting, police involvement, notification to the Regulatory Authority or other legal requirements. More than one reporting pathway may apply to the same concern.
Leaders do not need every educator to become an expert in every reporting threshold. Educators do need to recognise concerns, protect children, record facts and escalate the matter immediately.
Understand the Queensland requirements
Queensland’s Reportable Conduct Scheme commenced on 1 July 2026. It applies to early education and care services and family day care
The head of an organisation covered by the scheme has specific responsibilities to ensure allegations are taken seriously, reported and investigated.
The Queensland Family and Child Commission explains which organisations are covered and what organisations are required to do.
Approved providers should confirm who is considered the head of the organisation and clearly explain the responsibilities of provider and service leaders.
A Nominated Supervisor must know when and how to escalate a concern. However, every provider-level legal responsibility should not automatically be placed onto the Nominated Supervisor without clear authority, guidance and support.
Check whether practice has changed
Leaders should not wait for a serious incident to find out whether educators understand the process.
During a service walk, ask an educator:
‘If you became concerned about an interaction today, what would you do first and who would you contact?’
Listen to the answer. If the educator is unsure, clarify the process and follow up.
Leaders should also observe:
educator tone and language
how children respond to and approach adults
supervision positioning and blind spots
behaviour guidance and co-regulation
toileting and nappy-changing practices
sleep and rest periods
family grouping and transitions
personal and service-supplied device use
how concerns from children and families are received.
The purpose is not to catch educators doing the wrong thing. It is to identify uncertainty and unsafe practice early enough to do something about it.
Keep the evidence useful
Services do not need another oversized folder.
Useful evidence may include:
the training register
completion certificates
the service’s reporting and escalation process
updated induction checks
the actions identified during team discussions
leadership observation and coaching records
actions arising from incidents or complaints
relevant Quality Improvement Plan actions
evidence showing that actions were followed up.
The strongest evidence shows a clear process:
Training completed → expectations clarified → practice checked → action taken → impact reviewed
That provides stronger evidence than certificates alone.
What leaders should do next
This week
Check who must complete each course.
Identify any gaps or approaching deadlines.
Confirm who is responsible for maintaining the register.
Make sure certificates are stored in the correct location.
Within two weeks
Discuss a realistic safeguarding situation with each team.
Confirm the internal reporting and escalation process.
Make sure educators know the alternative contact if their usual leader is unavailable or involved.
Within 30 days
Ask educators how they would respond to a concern.
Observe interactions, supervision and higher-risk routines.
Coach any areas of uncertainty.
Update induction documents where required.
Ongoing
Check every new starter before they work directly with children.
Review incidents, complaints and concerns for patterns.
Follow up coaching and improvement actions.
Add significant or ongoing improvements to the Quality Improvement Plan.
Continue checking whether the process is understood and followed.
Questions for leaders
If an educator raised a concern about a respected colleague tomorrow, would they know what to do and trust how the concern would be handled?
What should children experience differently because the team completed this training?
What evidence, beyond certificates, shows that child safety is understood and practised?
Mandatory training gives the sector a shared starting point. Leadership determines what happens next.
Our responsibility is to make expectations clear, build safe reporting processes, check everyday practice and follow up until child safety becomes part of how the service operates.
Early Years Practice Co. supports Early Learning Centres, OSHC and Kindergartens to turn compliance requirements into clear processes, stronger practice and meaningful evidence of implementation.