Excursions, incursions and regular outings policy and procedures

Early Learning Victoria recognises the benefit of children engaging with their local community through excursions, incursions and regular outings.

As always, children’s safety, health and wellbeing are our top priority.

1. Scope

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

2. Policy statement

This policy helps Early Learning Victoria staff plan and run safe and suitable excursions, incursions and regular outings.

It outlines Early Learning Victoria’s commitment to thorough planning, a risk assessment for any excursion, incursion or regular outing, and to ensuring appropriate authorisation is obtained prior from families if children are leaving the centre premises.

See the Excursions, incursions and regular outings procedure for detailed procedures and supporting documents.

2.1 Requirements

Services must have policies and procedures for managing excursions. This is required by the Education and Care Services National Law Act 2010 (the National Law) and Education and Care Servies National Regulations 2011 (the Regulations).

The purpose of all excursions, incursions and regular outings must be to extend the educational program. . This is in line with the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework.

2.2 Background and information

Excursions, incursions and regular outings conducted around and near the centre help learning in many ways. These include:

building on what children are learning in the educational program
encouraging children and staff to be active
giving children a safe way to practise road safety
allowing children to engage with their local community
developing children’s sense of belonging.

They can also help children to understand their place in the world. This includes the idea that they have rights and responsibilities – as do others.

When planning excursions, incursions and regular outings, keep these points in mind:

how the event relates to the educational program
how each child and staff member might take part, regardless of their abilities
any additional needs to cater for (such as mobility aids)
any extra costs for families.

3. Actions and procedures

3.1 Responsibilities of families

Families need to:

be familiar with this policy
understand their responsibilities in terms of excursions, incursions and regular outings (as outlined in the policy)
make sure they have completed and signed the ‘authorised nominee’ section of their child’s enrolment form
read the details of the centre’s risk assessment for the excursion or incursion (requesting additional information if desired)
pack items their child needs for the excursion, incursion or regular outing (as requested by the Early Learning Victoria centre)
make sure any medication for their child is not out-of-date and is available to take on the excursion.

If taking part as a volunteer, family members must:

hold a Working with Children Check (WWCC). This must be sighted by Early Learning Victoria centre staff. A scanned photocopy or written record of the WWCC number will be kept on file at the service
understand that they will be supervised by the excursion coordinator at all times and must follow their direction as needed
inform an educator immediately if a child appears to be missing from the group
inform an educator know if they have any worries about a child’s safety or wellbeing. This includes if a child talks about abuse
take responsibility for and supervise siblings and other children in their care who are not enrolled in the Early Learning Victoria program
not take personal electronic devices on excursions, incursions or regular outings (as per the Electronic devices and photography policy)
comply with all Early Learning Victoria centre policies, including their duty to uphold the Child Safe Standards.

3.2 Responsibilities of staff

Excursion coordinator

For each excursion, incursion or regular outing, an excursion/incursion coordinator must be named. This person must be, at a minimum, diploma-qualified and be a permanent employee of the Early Learning Victoria centre.

The coordinator’s responsibilities include:

designing the excursion, incursion or regular outing, including its educational purpose
conducting a risk assessment. This includes considering the number of educators and other adults required for adequate supervision
preparing documentation and getting approval from the nominated supervisor (for excursions and incursions) or the Area Manager (for regular outings)
providing permission forms and a risk assessment to families
ensuring children taking part have their family’s permission
ensuring the excursion, incursion or regular outing is recorded in the Student Activity Locator (SAL) (Once approved by the nominated supervisor.)
leading the excursion, incursion or regular outing.

See the Excursions, incursions and regular outings procedure for detailed procedures and supporting documents.

Educators must make sure the excursion, incursion or regular outing is carried out in line with this policy and the Excursions, incursions and regular outings procedure.
This includes, when on an excursion or regular outing, regularly checking that all children are present. At a minimum, an attendance check should be done:
- on leaving the service
- on arriving at the venue
- whenever children move to a new space or location
- on leaving the venue
- on arriving back at the centre.
Educators must also:
- help to explain the purpose and value of each excursion, incursion or regular outing to families
- keep an accurate attendance record of children attending an excursion or regular outing, and of children remaining at the service
- supervise students on placement and volunteers attending the excursion or regular outing, ensuring they understand all expectations and are not left alone with any child or group of children
- ensure equipment for children’s health and medical needs is taken on the excursion or regular outing (such as a first aid kit, personal medication or medical management plans)
- use strategies to improve children’s safety in higher-risk situations (e.g. near water or a road). This could include additional supervision, and children, educators and volunteers wearing high-vis vests (see the Water safety policy and the Road safety education policy)
- ensure all children are supported to take part in excursions, incursions and regular outings
- ensure the centre mobile phone is taken during excursions and regular outings
- ensure sunscreen and hats (if required) are taken on excursions, and that outdoor venues have adequate shade
- ensure that volunteers, students and all adults not take their personal electronic devices when participating in excursions, incursions and regular outings (see the Electronic devices and photography policy).
The nominated supervisor must:
- review and approve the excursion, incursion or regular outings plan, risk assessment, budgets and emergency plans (see the Excursions, incursions and regular outings procedure)
- ensure all excursions, incursions and regular outings are planned and conducted in accordance with the Excursions, incursions and regular outings procedure
- ensure a thorough risk assessment is carried out for any excursion, incursion or regular outing before seeking authorisation from families
- ensure all families have completed, signed and dated their child’s enrolment form. This includes details of who can authorise their child to leave the service. It also includes authorisation for medical treatment, or ambulance or hospital treatment, while on an excursion or regular outing
- ensure a child does not leave the centre on an excursion or regular outing unless the family or a person named in the child’s enrolment record has given written consent first
- ensure parents or guardians, or others named in the enrolment record, have given written authorisation in the past 12 months if the child is to participate in a regular outing (keeping this authorisation in the child’s enrolment record)
- develop and put in place strategies to improve safety in higher-risk situations, such as excursions near water or near a road
- ensure a new risk assessment is completed and used when factors for regular outings change (e.g. the destination, route travelled, or abilities of the children attending)
- ensure the number of children attending an excursion does not exceed the number of children that the centre is licensed to care for on that day
- ensure that educator-to-child ratios are maintained at all times during excursions or regular outings
- ensure that children are always adequately supervised during excursions, incursions or regular outings
- ensure that an educator with first aid, anaphylaxis and asthma training attends any excursion or regular outing
- ensure that volunteers and pre-service teachers participating in an excursion, regular outing or incursion have a WWCC
- ensure that volunteers and pre-service teachers are adequately supervised at all times, and are never left alone with a child or children
- ensure that families know that, by taking part in the excursion or regular outing, they are directly engaging with children in an ‘organisational setting’. This means they must adhere to Victoria’s 11 Child Safe Standards and all compliance indicators
- take reasonable steps to ensure that families understand their obligations under the Child Safe Standards (see the Protecting children policy)
- take reasonable steps to ensure that staff comply with the Road safety education policy (and also encourage families to do so)
- ensure all proposed excursions, incursions and regular outings are inclusive of all children
- ensure all proposed excursions, incursions and regular outings have been recorded in the SAL by the excursion coordinator (or a delegated staff member, e.g. administrator) once approved (see the Excursions, incursions and regular outings procedure)
- consider the additional costs for families if the Early Learning Victoria centre budget cannot cover the expense
- ensure there are strategies to record and retain an accurate attendance record for children attending an excursion, and for children remaining at the service while an excursion is happening
- ensure that there is an accurate list of all adults participating in an excursion, incursion or regular outing, including family members, volunteers and students on placement, with contact details for each person
- ensure a first aid kit, including required medication for any medical conditions, is taken on excursions and regular outings
- ensure each child’s personal medication and current medical management plan is taken on excursions and regular outings
- ensure the emergency contact details for each child are taken on excursions and regular outings
- ensure the centre mobile phone is taken on excursions and regular outings
- ensure sunscreen and hats (if required) are taken on excursions and regular outings, and that outdoor venues provide adequate shade.
The approved provider must:
- ensure that the National Law and Regulations are followed for excursions, incursions and regular outings
- ensure appropriate risk assessments are completed
- ensure steps are taken to address noted risks
- ensure all families have completed, signed and dated their child’s enrolment form. This includes providing details of people who can authorise their child to leave the service and who can authorise medical treatment, ambulance or hospital attendance while the child is on an excursion or regular outing
- ensure all children going on an excursion have written authorisation from families
- ensure that the number of children going on an excursion does not exceed the number of children the centre is licensed to care for on that day
- ensure that educator-to-child ratios are maintained at all times during excursions, incursions and regular outings
- ensure that children are always adequately supervised during excursions, incursions and regular outings
- ensure that volunteers, students on placement and all adults participating in the excursion are never left alone with a child or children
- ensure that families understand their obligations under the Child Safe Standards (see the Protecting children policy)
- take reasonable steps to ensure that staff and volunteers follow this policy and procedures
- ensure that copies of this policy and procedures are readily accessible to staff and volunteers.
The approved provider must also notify families at least 14 days before changing the policy or procedures if the changes will:
- affect fees or the way they are collected
- significantly impact the service’s education and care of children
- significantly impact the family’s ability to utilise the service.

4. Resources

Legislation and standards

Education and Care Services National Law Act 2010
Education and Care Services National Regulations 2011
National Quality Standard, Quality area 2: Children’s health and safety; Quality area 6: Collaborative partnerships with families
Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004
Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017.

Emergency management and evacuation policy
Excursions, Incursions and regular outings procedure
Incident, injury, trauma and illness policy
Management of medical conditions policy
Protecting children policy
Road safety education policy
Staff code of conduc
Sun protection policy
Supervision of children policy
Visitors, volunteers and students on placement policy
Water safety policy
Student Activity Locator (SAL) User Guide

Definitions

Adequate supervision: This means all children in all areas of the service are in sight and/or hearing of an educator at all times. This includes during toileting, sleep, rest and transition routines. Services must maintain their legally required educator-to-child ratios at all times.

Attendance record: Kept by the service to record details of each child attending the service. This includes their name, the time they arrived and left the service, and the signature of the person delivering and collecting the child (or of the nominated supervisor or educator).

Excursion: An outing organised by an education and care service or family day care educator. This does not include an outing to a school site if:

the child or children leave the education and care service premises in the company of an educator; and
the child or children do not leave the school site.

Incursion: A special activity, event, visitor or entertainment organised by the education and care service. This may be a one-off event or a regular session.

Regular outing: This means a walk or trip to and from a destination:

that the service visits regularly as part of its educational program; and
where the circumstances relevant to the risk assessment are the same on each outing (e.g. the same location, same number of children and/or same activities for each outing).

Regulatory Authority: The Regulatory Authority is established by the National Law. It regulates providers of early childhood education and care services to ensure they protect children’s safety, health and wellbeing and follow the Child Safe Standards. The department is the Regulatory Authority for early childhood services in Victoria under a range of regulatory schemes. These are outlined on its website(opens in a new window).

Risk assessment: A process to identify and manage risk. Here, the process identifies and manages risks to children’s health, safety and/or wellbeing while on an excursion or regular outing. It then details how these risks will be managed and/or minimised.

Transportation (that is part of the education and care service): Transportation is considered to form part of an education and care service when the service is responsible for children during the period of transportation.

The responsibility for and duty of care owed to children applies when services are transporting children, or have arranged for the transportation of children, between an education and care service premises and another location. For example, their home, school or the location of an excursion or regular outing.

5. Authorisations and review

This policy is the responsibility of Early Learning Victoria. Contact: ELV@education.vic.gov.au

It was approved by the CEO, Early Learning Victoria, Department of Education on 6 February 2026.

Early Learning Victoria regularly reviews its policies and procedures. This policy is due for review on6 February 2028. It may be reviewed sooner if legislation or Department of Education policy changes.

Reviewed by Director, Early Learning ELV and Director, Quality ELV.

Education & training

Updated 1 April 2026