Child safety and wellbeing policy

Children’s safety and wellbeing comes first.

Early Learning Victoria's practices protect children from child abuse and harm. We promote the Victorian Child Safe Standards and have zero tolerance for child abuse.

Every child deserves a nurturing and safe environment to learn and grow. We engage with families, children and communities with respect. We create safe spaces that encourage children and families to take part and have a voice. These spaces allow people to feel safe and comfortable expressing their culture.

Children’s rights are at the centre of everything we do. This includes our leadership, services, programs, policies and practices. See Our commitment to child safety on our website.

1. Scope

Early Learning Victoria has a duty of care for all children who attend its centres.

This policy applies to families, staff, management and visitors of Early Learning Victoria centres. This includes volunteers, students on placement and contractors or labour-hire employees of Early Learning Victoria.

This policy covers all activities at an Early Learning Victoria centre that offers education and care for children.

2. Policy statement

We provide environments where children are safe and feel safe.

Everyone in our community has a duty to act safely and appropriately towards children. This policy describes these different duties. It also guides Early Learning Victoria to ensure children’s safety and wellbeing in all our work.

Early Learning Victoria follows the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations(opens in a new window) and the Victorian Child Safe Standards.

We treat all observations, suspicions, allegations, disclosures and incidents of child abuse, grooming or inappropriate conduct seriously. This includes following the Protecting children and mandatory reporting procedure.

We follow a strict investigation process and notify authorities as needed. We identify risks to children and work to reduce or remove them. This includes risks in physical and online environments.

We consider a child’s right to privacy, access to information, social connections and learning opportunities.

We support everyone in our organisation to recognise and value the strengths of Aboriginal culture. This is vital to the wellbeing and safety of Aboriginal children.

2.1 Requirements

Early Learning Victoria centres follow the Education and Care Services National Law Act 2010 (the National Law) and the Education and Care Services National Regulations 2011 (the Regulations).

Services must, by law, take all reasonable steps to protect children from harm or injury. They must follow the Victorian Child Safe Standards. They must not discipline children unreasonably, including any form of corporal (physical) punishment.

Educators need to interact with children in a positive way, as stated in the Regulations. This means guiding children in a positive way and respecting their dignity and rights.

Educators need to support children to develop positive relationships with other children, staff and volunteers (see the Positive relationships, interactions and behaviour support policy, the Child safety code of conduct and the National Law.)

Staff must report any alleged breaches of the National Law or Regulations. They must also report any incidents or allegations about children’s safety or wellbeing to the nominated supervisor or another member of the centre leadership team. If the allegation is about the nominated supervisor, staff must report their concerns to the area manager or the Director, Early Years Service.

Early Learning Victoria must report all incidents, allegations or suspected breaches to the Regulatory Authority within 24 hours of learning about them.

Early Learning Victoria staff are crucial in keeping children safe. They can spot signs or behaviours that may indicate child abuse or the risk of it.

Early Learning Victoria staff must inform the Early Learning Victoria centre leadership team, and/or authorities like the Regulatory Authority or Victoria Police, if they:

witness an incident
receive a disclosure
form a reasonable belief that a child has been abused or is at risk of being abused.

All Early Learning Victoria staff must be aware of their obligations under the current child protection laws. They must report the above to their nominated supervisor or another member of the centre leadership team as soon as possible. If the allegation is about the nominated supervisor, staff must report their concerns to the area manager or Director, Early Years Services as soon as possible.

Staff members can report their concerns in person, by phone or in writing.

For more information, see the Protecting children policy and the Protecting children and mandatory reporting procedure.

Child Safe Standards

Services in Victoria must follow the Child Safe Standards. This is required under the Child Wellbeing and Safety Act 2005 and the National Law.

Child Safe Standards mean all organisations delivering services to children must have policies, procedures and practices to keep children safe. All organisations must create a culture of child safety.

For more information on how the Child Safe Standards support child protection and the handling of abuse allegations, see the Protecting children policy and the Child and family violence information sharing policy.

Reportable conduct scheme

Under this scheme, Early Learning Victoria must notify the Commission for Children and Young People (CCYP) and the Regulatory Authority of any suspected abuse by staff or volunteers.

Early Learning Victoria must also have strong internal investigation processes and systems in place. These need to respond to any allegations of abuse, child safety misconduct or concerns about interactions between educators and children.

There are 5 categories of reportable conduct:

physical violence (against or in the presence of a child)
sexual offences (against or in the presence of a child)
sexual misconduct (against or in the presence of a child)
behaviour that causes significant emotional or psychological harm
significant neglect.

All Early Learning Victoria staff must report allegations of reportable conduct made against staff and volunteers to their nominated supervisor or another member of the centre leadership team as soon as possible. If the allegation is about the nominated supervisor, staff must report their concerns to the area manager or Director, Early Years Services.

Staff can report their concerns in person, over the phone or in writing. For more information, see the Protecting children policy and the Protecting children and mandatory reporting procedure.

Duty of care

Duty of care means you have a legal duty to avoid actions that might harm someone else. This includes failing to take action to prevent something happening.

In relation to children, this may include (but is not limited to):

acting on concerns and suspicions of abuse as soon as possible
reporting incidents or observations of educator-to-child interactions that may breach the Regulations, National Law, the Child Safe Standards, Early Learning Victoria policies or the Child safety code of conduct
seeking appropriate advice or consulting with other professionals or agencies
reporting any suspected child abuse to the right authorities, like Victoria Police and Child Protection
arranging counselling and/or other appropriate welfare support for the child
providing ongoing support to the child
sharing information with other Early Learning Victoria staff (who will be responsible for providing ongoing support to the child).

Child information sharing and privacy

There are 3 linked information sharing schemes and frameworks. These allow professionals working with children to share information to:

promote the wellbeing or safety of children
better assess and manage family violence risk to children and adults.

They are:

Child Information Sharing Scheme
Family Violence Information Sharing Scheme
Multi-Agency Risk Assessment and Management Framework (MARAM).

For more information, see the Child and family violence information sharing policy.

Record-keeping requirements

Records about an incident, illness, injury or trauma must be kept until the child is 25. This includes records about events at Early Learning Victoria, as well as outside Early Learning Victoria.

Records about the death of a child must be kept until the end of 7 years after the death. This includes a death while being cared for, or that may have happened because of something that happened while being cared for.

All documentation about child sexual abuse incidents, allegations and disclosures must be kept for 99 years after the action is completed. This includes for all unproven incidents.

Early Learning Victoria centre staff and Early Learning Victoria management must not throw out or destroy any records about child sexual abuse incidents, allegations or disclosures. To do so, they must first ask the Knowledge, Privacy and Records Division of the Department of Education (the department).

See also the Records management policy.

3. Actions and procedures

3.1 Responsibilities of families

Families should take action if they are worried that any organisation is not keeping their child or other children safe.

We encourage families to:

talk to their centre director or someone from the Early Learning Victoria leadership team about any concerns and what to do next (see the Handling complaints and feedback policy)
contact the Regulatory Authority on 1300 307 415, Child Protection or the Commission for Children and Young People if Early Learning Victoria does not address their concerns
report concerns of child abuse or grooming to Victoria Police if they feel it is right to do so
read about our policies and procedures on our website (or ask us for a copy) and give feedback
tell us about their child’s concerns, preferences and needs
share their culture and their child’s culture and exercise their cultural rights at the centre
follow the Code of conduct for families and the Electronic devices and photography policy. This means not using personal electronic devices or taking videos or photographs at the centre.

3.2 Responsibilities of staff

All Early Learning Victoria staff, the approved provider and ‘persons with management or control’ (PMC) must follow this policy and the 11 Child Safe Standards.

All Early Learning Victoria staff must also understand and follow the Child safety code of conduct, Protecting children policy and Protecting children and mandatory reporting procedure. These policies detail appropriate behaviour and responsibilities for child safety and wellbeing.

Educators, volunteers, students, visitors (including Early Learning Victoria central office staff) and contractors or labour-hire employees of Early Learning Victoria must:

read this policy
follow Early Learning Victoria’s commitment to each Child Safe Standard and put in place each standard as stated
raise concerns or observations with the centre leadership team if they think this policy has been breached, or is at risk of being breached.

Centre leadership teams, the nominated supervisor and responsible persons must:

ensure all staff can access, understand and consistently follow this policy
ensure that all staff consider this policy as part of their daily practice
promote a culture of child safety by role modelling appropriate behaviours and commitments made within this policy
take all reports and concerns about child safety and wellbeing from staff, families and children seriously. This includes any signs of grooming
respond to any reports and concerns according to this policy.

The approved provider and PMC must:

regularly review and endorse this policy
ensure that centre leadership teams follow this policy and all other child-safety-related policies
ensure that centre leadership teams report all concerns and incidents in the right way
ensure that staff have support to properly understand this policy and their requirements under the Child Safe Standards, the National Law and Child Protection Law
provide training, coaching and mentoring about the Child Safe Standards to centre leadership teams and centre staff.

Early Learning Victoria values the diverse and unique identities and experiences of Aboriginal children and families. Early Learning Victoria educators acknowledge and celebrate the strengths of Aboriginal culture and its importance to the wellbeing and safety of Aboriginal children and families.
Early Learning Victoria supports self-determination for Aboriginal children and families. We will work to ensure that Aboriginal children are safe and supported to thrive in their cultural identities.
To achieve this, we:
- make Aboriginal cultural safety a priority
- recognise and understand the importance of culture to the wellbeing and safety of Aboriginal children, and all culturally or linguistically diverse children (see the Practice guide)
- protect children’s cultural rights
- encourage and support children to express their culture
- make sure Aboriginal children and their families feel safe and comfortable expressing their culture
- make sure Aboriginal children and their families are involved in decisions that affect them
- proudly acknowledge Traditional Owners of the land during meetings (including interviews and online meetings)
- proudly display the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags in all centres and on the Early Learning Victoria website
- set up and support communities of practice to champion Koorie perspectives (inviting central and centre staff to participate)
- partner with local Aboriginal communities and their Elders to build our knowledge and understanding of the area
- work with our stakeholders, including the Victorian Aboriginal Child and Community Agency and/or Victorian Aboriginal Education Association Inc. (VAEAI), to make our spaces culturally safe
- work to strengthen Aboriginal inclusion, self-determination and cultural safety and promote participation from Aboriginal children and their families
- continue to work with VAEAI on supporting Aboriginal people to become early childhood teachers and educators
- draw on the expertise of dedicated teams in the department, such as the Koorie Outcomes Division and local Koorie Engagement Support Officers
- offer training for staff and educators on Aboriginal cultural safety, and anti-racism empowerment training
- take a zero-tolerance approach to racism, discrimination and exclusion, with consequences for misconduct (see the Child safe code of conduct).
We put child safety and wellbeing first – in our leadership, culture and governance.
To achieve this, we:
- make public our commitment to child safety and wellbeing (including through this policy on our website)
- make sure we carefully consider our approach to child safety. This includes through Early Learning Victoria leadership teams and in governance forums
- include child safety and/or the Child Safe Standards as standing items in relevant meetings
- assess and monitor child safety risks across Early Learning Victoria
- continuously improve risk management strategies for preventing, identifying and mitigating risks
- make sure Early Learning Victoria staff, contractors and visitors understand their obligations under this policy and the Child safety code of conduct
- make sure Early Learning Victoria staff, contractors and visitors know their duties for sharing information and keeping records about child safety
- work with the Regulatory Authority and the CCYP on the safety, health and wellbeing of children in Early Learning Victoria centres and consider any advice.
It is important to empower children and support their growing confidence. This helps them feel respected and supported in speaking up and making decisions that affect them.
We recognise the need to respond in a sensitive way to the views of children and their families.
To achieve this, we:
- talk to children about child safety in a way that suits their age and level of development. This includes talking about personal safety and ‘bodily autonomy’ (e.g. ‘my body, my choice’). It also means empowering them to express themselves and involving them in decision-making
- work with and learn from organisations representing early childhood education, health and wellbeing. These include Early Childhood Australia (ECA), Community Child Care Association (CCCA), Early Learning Australia (ELAA), Beyond Blue – Be You and Gowrie Victoria
- offer educational programs that help children build positive, respectful and reciprocal relationships with other children and educators
- ensure educators seek, listen to and act on the voices of children
- offer children books and information on body safety and protective behaviours. These suit their age and development stage. They are also easy to understand and culturally safe
- display child-friendly posters and resources to help children understand their rights
- make sure educators use inclusive practices. This means working with families to understand and value all cultural identities
- offer children opportunities to make complaints and raise concerns
- respond to anything a child says (or does) about feeling unsafe or having an unsafe interaction
- ask for children’s consent. Respect that they can give it, as well as take it back (they can also communicate this in different ways)
- support and encourage children to make decisions in all matters that affect them.
Partnerships with families are crucial. They support better outcomes for children and promote children’s safety, health and wellbeing.
To achieve strong partnerships and family engagement, we:
- display and promote our commitment to child safety (including on the Early Learning Victoria website)
- offer families information about the Child Safe Standards that is easy to read and understand
- offer families information about how centres follow this policy and other relevant policies
- consult with families and communities when developing our policies or programs
- create ways that families can take part in making decisions that affect their child, including in planning
- create ways for children, families and communities to share their thoughts on making spaces safer for children
- tell families as soon as possible about any incident or allegation that may involve or affect their child
- support children and families who have experienced abuse by referring them to support services
- use Victoria’s legislated Family Violence Multi-Agency Risk Assessment and Management Framework (the MARAM Framework) to guide how we respond to children at risk of family violence
- take all complaints and concerns raised by families seriously. This includes following the Protecting children policy for any disclosures of possible abuse
- report all formal complaints from families about children’s health, safety and wellbeing, or anything else related, to the Regulatory Authority
- tell families about their right to talk to relevant authorities such as the Regulator and Victoria Police.
We are committed to equity and diversity. We create environments that recognise the cultural and religious needs of each child.
Our centres are safe and welcoming for all children. This includes Aboriginal children, and children of different cultures, languages and religions. It also includes children with disability, children who are living in out-of-home care and LGBTIQA+ families.
To achieve this, we:
- treat all children with empathy and respect
- offer children appropriate support as needed
- make reasonable adjustments to spaces and programs for children with disability
- commit to the department’s Cultural Diversity Plan 2023-2027 (PDF) (this will help us meet the needs of families and children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, particularly refugees)
- provide guidance and resources to support Early Learning Victoria educators to work with families to meet their child’s individual needs
- train our staff and educators about equity and anti-bias methods for early childhood education and care
- have zero tolerance for racism, discrimination and exclusion (and take action against misconduct)
- commit to ensuring children’s learning environments are inclusive of children of all abilities
- give children chances to talk about their concerns in a way that considers their culture, development and abilities
- put in place the Anti-bias approach policy so all children have equal access to resources and learning opportunities. This also helps to make sure they do not face any form of abuse, neglect or harm resulting from any form of discrimination.
See also the Child safe code of conduct.
Early Learning Victoria is committed to hiring suitable people to work with children. We emphasise child safety in our policies and recruitment processes. We support our staff and volunteers to be child safe in their work.
To achieve this, we:
- require all staff, visitors and volunteers read and sign the Child safety code of conduct
- make sure all visitors and volunteers at a centre agree with and follow this policy, and the Electronic devices and photography policy
- document our commitment to child safety in job descriptions for roles that involve child-related work
- include our commitment to child safety in interviews and recruitment processes
- employ educators with suitable and approved qualifications, experience, knowledge and attitudes.
In our pre-employment screening, we ask questions to check if a person has any previous allegations or investigations.
Job candidates must have a valid Working with Children Check (WWCC) and, if needed, hold Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) registration. We check references and conduct a police check.
At Early Learning Victoria, all educators, volunteers and students must maintain a valid WWCC or, if needed, VIT registration. We check the status of these regularly.
Educators must complete training on reportable conduct, mandatory reporting obligations and child information-sharing. We also give them information and resources about the Child Safe Standards and what to do about responses or disclosures from children.
We support everyone to feel safe and confident when reporting child abuse, family violence or child safety issues. This includes educators, staff, families and children.
We want our complaint system to be easy to use and get a response from, and be focused on, children and families.
We give children lots of opportunities to share any problems or concerns directly with us.
We promote the ideas of ‘See something, say something’ and a culture of speaking up. This includes encouraging all staff to raise concerns to the Early Learning Victoria leadership team about anything that may have affected a child’s safety, wellbeing, dignity or rights. (‘Staff’ includes Early Learning Victoria staff, volunteers, students, visitors, contractors and labour-hire employees of Early Learning Victoria).
Staff must treat suspicions, allegations, disclosures and incidents of child abuse – including grooming and inappropriate behaviour – with care. They must also tell their nominated supervisor or a member of the Early Learning Victoria leadership team right away.
You can find information about making an anonymous complaint or raising a concern about child safety at any of our centres. The sign includes how to contact the Regulatory Authority. We also provide suggestion boxes and online forms.
We offer support to all those affected by a child safety incident, including children, families and those who made the report.
We also:
- require that all Early Learning Victoria staff report concerns to authorities if they believe Early Learning Victoria has not acted properly or followed our policies and procedures
- support Early Learning Victoria staff to confidentially report misconduct through Early Learning Victoria management, to the department’s Conduct and Integrity Division and to the Regulatory Authority
- document, record and reflect on all complaints to inform continuous improvement
- provide information and/or training for educators and centre leadership teams about how to respond to disclosures, allegations and concerns
- notify the appropriate authorities of alleged or suspected child abuse, or harm, in line with the law and the Protecting children policy for responding to disclosures, allegations and concerns.
We ensure our educators have the latest knowledge and skills to keep children safe.
Educators must complete training on reportable conduct, mandatory reporting obligations and child information-sharing. Early Learning Victoria staff reflect on the Child safety code of conduct, Child safety and wellbeing policy and Protecting children policy as part of performance and planning cycles.
Early Learning Victoria offers training and resources on Victoria’s family violence framework (the MARAM framework). This helps staff spot and respond to signs of family violence. It also supports family violence risk assessment and management.
Early Learning Victoria also:
- offers information, training and support for staff to understand the Child Safe Standards, the Child safety and wellbeing policy and Protecting children policy
- supports educators through critical reflection, wellbeing programs and ongoing learning opportunities
- ensures Early Learning Victoria staff performance and planning cycles include reflection on the Child safety code of conduct, Child safety and wellbeing policy and Protecting children policy
- supports centre-based ‘child safety champions’ to join monthly child safety practice groups and with other training opportunities.
Early Learning Victoria promotes child safety and wellbeing in its centres, and online.
We assess child safety risks across the organisation. We then create risk management strategies and plans. These focus on preventing, identifying and mitigating physical and online risks.
We ensure children are not left alone with an educator wherever practical. There must be a clear line of sight to bathrooms and nappy change areas.
We support children to engage with digital and online technology safely and responsibly. This aligns with the Educational program policy, Early Childhood Australia’s Statement on Young Children and Digital Technologies and the National Model Code.
We prefer documenting learning on paper. This reduces the need to share images and information through online platforms.
We also:
- seek consent from children and families to take photos and videos of children
- seek specific consent to use photos and videos outside of Early Learning Victoria
- consider child safety and the Child Safe Standards in all relevant polices and risk assessments (especially for high-risk activities like sleeping, toileting and supervision)
- conduct and regularly review risk assessments across the organisation. These identify ‘situational risk’, ‘vulnerability risk’, ‘propensity risk’ and ‘institutional risk’ and how to lessen these.
Early Learning Victoria follows all Child Safe Standards and will regularly review and improve how this is done.
We will review and improve this policy at least every 2 years. This review will respond to feedback and any safety incidents. It will also consider current research.
We will undertake detailed reviews of our own performance. This will help enhance child-safe action plans, risk minimisation plans, training plans and quality improvement plans.
We will also:
- look at complaints and feedback alongside child safety data. This will help show where we might need to improve
- support centre-based child safety champions to join monthly child safety communities. This will help promote a culture of child safety, and help us see what works well and what needs work
- consider all advice and guidance from the Regulatory Authority or CCYP carefully.
This policy describes our approach to child safety and wellbeing and our expectations of staff, educators and Early Learning Victoria centre management teams. It has been cross-referenced with all of the compliance indicators under each standard.
We are a large organisation with many functions and services. We carefully document our child safety policies and procedures. We base these on research and best practice, and on feedback from regulatory and integrity bodies, other government departments, stakeholders and the community.

4. Resources

Legislation and standards

Relevant legislation and standards include:

Child Wellbeing and Safety Act 2005
Child Wellbeing and Safety Regulations 2017
Commission for Children and Young People Act 2012
Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006
Victorian Child Safe Standards (updated 1 July 2022)
Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014
Privacy Act 1988
Disability Act 2006
Education and Care Services National Law Act 2010
Education and Care Services National Regulations 2011

Child safety code of conduct policy
Protecting children policy
Protecting children and mandatory reporting procedure
Positive relationships, interactions and behaviour support policy
Electronic devices and photography policy
Code of conduct for families policy
Supervision of children policy
Practice Guide
Child and family violence information sharing policy
Anti-bias approach policy
Educational program policy
Records management policy

Definitions

Approved provider requirements: These are our duties as an approved provider of a service under the National Quality Framework and the Education and Care Services National Law Act 2010.

Child: A person under 18 years of age.

Child abuse: This means when an adult does something harmful or fails to act, putting a child’s physical or emotional health at risk. Child abuse can be a single incident but often takes place over time. ‘Abuse’, ‘neglect’ and ‘maltreatment’ (see definitions below) are general terms that describe when a child may need protection. Child abuse includes any of the following:

Emotional and psychological abuse: This happens when a parent or caregiver rejects the child frequently or uses threats to scare them. This can include name-calling or insults that hurt the child’s physical, social, intellectual or emotional growth.
Family violence: This happens when children or young people see or experience ongoing harm. This includes domination, coercion, intimidation or victimisation. It can be physical, sexual or emotional and happens in close relationships. Seeing violence between loved ones can affect young children just like if they were the victims of the violence themselves. Children who witness violence regularly have greater emotional and behavioural problems than other children.
Grooming: Grooming is the stage that often comes before child sexual abuse. Offenders use grooming to gain the trust of the child or young person, and sometimes of those nearby. This helps them create secrecy and silence, making it harder for the abuse to be revealed. Grooming may happen in person (‘contact grooming’) or online. Grooming is illegal under section 49M of the Crimes Act. In early learning and education centres, it might involve giving gifts, showing favouritism, trying to gain access to children alone, or inappropriate physical contact like wrestling or kissing.
Neglect: The failure to provide a child with life’s basics, like food, clothing, shelter, medical attention or supervision. This can happen to the extent that the child’s health and development is, or is likely to be, significantly harmed.
Physical abuse: This happens when a child is hurt or may be harmed by a parent, guardian, caregiver or other adult. The injury can happen on purpose or be the result of a punishment or aggressive treatment. Neglect by a parent, guardian, caregiver or other adult can also cause physical injury. Injuries can include bruises, cuts, burns, fractures, poisoning, internal injuries, shaking injuries or strangulation.
Sexual abuse: This happens when someone uses their power over a child to involve them in sexual activity. Inducements such as money or special attention may be used. Sexual abuse includes many types of sexual behaviour. This includes inappropriate touching or fondling, or showing a child pornography. It may also involve having sex with a child or grooming with the intent of committing child sexual abuse.

Child Safe Standards: These are minimum standards that all organisations offering services to children must follow. Their aim is to ensure organisations are well prepared to protect children from abuse and neglect within the organisation.

Code of conduct: This is a set of standards for behaviour for people, and organisations. It outlines how people should treat others. It includes how people should interact with other organisations and members of the community (see Code of conduct policy).

Commission for Children and Young People: Responsible for administering the Reportable Conduct Scheme. This includes:

supporting and guiding organisations that receive allegations to promote fair, effective, timely and appropriate responses
overseeing and monitoring independently, making recommendations for organisations to improve if needed.

The commission can share information when needed. This includes with the Working with Children Check Unit, relevant regulators and Victoria Police. The goal is to better prevent and protect children from abuse.

Contractor: A person or company that takes on a contract to supply materials or labour for a service or job. Examples include a photographer, a tradesperson or people contracted to provide an incursion.

Disclosure: In this policy, it means when a child or young person tells someone about possible abuse.

Duty of care: A legal concept. In this policy, it means that all staff in Victorian early childhood services must take reasonable steps to protect children in their care from foreseeable harm.

Maltreatment: This refers to physical or emotional mistreatment, or lack of care of a child. Examples include sexual abuse, witnessing family violence, and any non-accidental injury to a child.

Mandatory reporting: Some professionals and community members must, by law, report if they believe, on reasonable grounds, that a child needs protection from harm. A broad range of professional groups are identified in the Children, Youth and Families Act 2005 as mandatory reporters. From 30 September 2015, this list includes VIT-registered early childhood teachers. People who are ‘mandated reporters’ must make a report to Victoria Police and/or Child Protection as soon as practicable. They should do this if, while doing their jobs, they believe on reasonable grounds that:

a child has suffered, or is likely to suffer, significant harm as a result of physical and/or sexual abuse and
the child’s parents or guardians have not protected, or are unlikely to protect, the child from that kind of harm.

Mandatory reporters must also follow steps for responding to incidents, disclosures or suspicions of child abuse. This ensures they meet all their legal obligations.

Nominated supervisor: At Early Learning Victoria, this is usually the centre director or assistant centre director from the Early Learning Victoria centre management team. The nominated supervisor is nominated by the approved provider of that service to be a nominated supervisor of that service, and has provided written consent to that nomination (National Law). The nominated supervisor is responsible for the day-to-day management of the approved service. They are also responsible for its compliance with much of the National Law and Regulations.

Person with management or control: In the context of Early Learning Victoria, this is the person responsible for managing the delivery of the education and care service, alone or with others. For example, a person with management or control could be the CEO or Director, Early Years Services.

Education

Updated 19 December 2025

On this page

1. Scope

2. Policy statement

2.1 Requirements

Child Safe Standards

Reportable conduct scheme

Duty of care

Child information sharing and privacy

Record-keeping requirements

3. Actions and procedures

3.1 Responsibilities of families

3.2 Responsibilities of staff

4. Resources

Legislation and standards

Links

Definitions

Child safety and wellbeing policy

On this page

1. Scope

2. Policy statement

2.1 Requirements

Child Safe Standards

Reportable conduct scheme

Duty of care

Child information sharing and privacy

Record-keeping requirements

3. Actions and procedures

3.1 Responsibilities of families

3.2 Responsibilities of staff

4. Resources

Legislation and standards

Related policies

Links

Definitions