Incident, injury, trauma and illness policy

Early Learning Victoria is committed to keeping children, staff and others at its centres safe and healthy.

We make sure all staff have the skills and knowledge they need to prevent and respond to any incidents, injuries, trauma or illnesses.

We also support staff to maintain these skills, and make sure we manage risks effectively.

1. Scope

This policy applies to children, 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 applies to all incidents, including emergencies, during or after operating hours. It includes procedures for responding to:

• Injury, incidents or trauma
• Medical emergencies
• Illness
• Missing or unaccounted for child
• Head injury

2. Policy statement

Families must feel confident that if their child is affected by an incident, injury, trauma or illness, Early Learning Victoria staff and volunteers know how to respond.

All Early Learning Victoria centre staff, volunteers and students must follow this policy.

This policy describes how we prevent, manage and report incidents, injuries, trauma or illnesses. These events may involve children, staff, volunteers or others at an Early Learning Victoria centre.

2.1 Requirements

All Early Learning Victoria staff have a duty of care to all children educated and cared for in our services. This includes our legal duty to provide a safe environment free of foreseeable harm. (That is, when a reasonable person could predict something might cause harm.) It also includes taking reasonable steps to prevent incidents and accidents, and to supervise children properly at all times.

Early Learning Victoria must ensure that all Early Learning Victoria centre staff and volunteers have the skills, knowledge and resources needed to follow this policy. This is required under the Education and Care services National Law Act 2010 (the National Law) and Education and Care Services National Regulations 2011 (the Regulations).

Early Learning Victoria must ensure:

• all Early Learning Victoria centre staff understand their roles and responsibilities
• all Early Learning Victoria centre staff know how to respond if a child is injured, becomes ill or suffers trauma
• families are told of any serious incident, injury, illness or trauma involving their child as soon as possible (and within 24 hours)
• an accurate Incident, injury, trauma and illness record is kept and stored confidentially until the child is 25 years old.

An Incident, injury, trauma and illness record is created for:

• an incident involving a child
• an injury received by a child
• any trauma to which a child has been subjected
• an illness that becomes apparent.

See also the Privacy policy and the Records management policy.

2.2 Background and information

Early Learning Victoria is part of the Department of Education (the department). The department offers a range of support services that can help nominated supervisors and Early Learning Victoria centre staff to follow this policy and its practices. These are listed below.

Department support services

Incident Support and Operations Centre (ISOC)

Phone: 1800 126 126 (select ‘option 1’ for child or staff incidents and ‘option 2’ for security or infrastructure incidents)

ISOC provides immediate advice about incidents. If needed, ISOC will arrange for an eduSafe Plus report to be made. This will help to coordinate further support from the department.

ISOC provides support for any serious incident, or any complex or severe incident or emergency. This includes in relation to:

• incidents that almost resulted in serious injury or death
• abuse, allegations or disclosures of abuse, risk of abuse or neglect (mandatory reporting obligations and Reportable Conduct)
• significant privacy breach
• family violence.

Statewide OHS Advisory Service

Phone: 1300 074 715

Email: safety@education.vic.gov.au or ohs.early.learning.victoria@education.vic.gov.au (OHS service officer)

OHS service officers can help with:

• reporting or managing staff-related incidents and hazards in eduSafe Plus
• implementing the OHS Management System
• conducting risk assessments
• other OHS support.

Conduct and Integrity Division (CID)

Phone: (03) 7022 0005

Email: employee.conduct@education.vic.gov.au

Contact CID for allegations or incidents involving employee conduct, including Reportable Conduct matters.

Make-safe

Phone: 1300 133 468

Contact Make-safe if the centre has been damaged in an incident or event and urgent assistance is needed to make the site safe.

Early Learning Victoria central office

Phone: (03) 9057 4444

Email: elv@education.vic.gov.au

Contact the Early Learning Victoria central office for general support and advice, including who and when to notify or report to.

Risk management

Early Learning Victoria implements risk management planning to identify any possible risks and hazards in its centres and programs. Risks are considered and addressed from the start – for example, when designing centres and programs. Risk management includes looking at both the indoor and outdoor play areas.

Ongoing management of risks is part of our daily practices.

Centre staff are trained and supported to regularly monitor the environment, notice potential risks and take action to remove or reduce hazards. This includes completing daily checks to ensure all areas, furniture, equipment and fencing are safe, clean and maintained in good repair.

Record-keeping requirements

Educators are responsible for filling out the Incident, injury, trauma and illness record through Kidsoft as needed.

The record must include:

• the name and age of the child
• the circumstances leading to the incident, injury or illness
• the time and date the incident, injury or trauma happened (or the illness started)
• if an illness, any other details, including symptoms
• actions taken by the educator. This includes first aid provided, medication administered or medical professionals contacted
• names of any witnesses to the incident, injury or trauma
• names of people notified, including the time and date of contact
• signature of the person completing the record (as well as the time and date the record was made).

Records relating to an incident, illness, injury or trauma must be kept until the child is 25.

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 of 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 dispose of or destroy records without first consulting the Knowledge, Privacy and Records Division. This is in line with the Records management policy.

In addition, all identified hazards, minor injuries and ‘near misses’ involving staff, volunteers, visitors, contractors and members of the public must be reported in eduSafe Plus.

Medical emergencies procedure

Medical emergencies may include asthma, anaphylaxis or diabetes emergencies, as well as fractures, choking and seizures.

In a medical emergency, all staff are responsible for:

• calling an ambulance on 000 if needed
• administering first aid, and providing care and comfort to the child before their family or ambulance arrives
• implementing the child’s current medical management plan. If needed, follow the procedure for administering medication outlined in the Administering medication procedure
• telling families as soon as possible of any serious medical emergency, incident or injury involving their child
• requesting that the family arranges for the child to be collected from the Early Learning Victoria centre and/or telling the family that an ambulance has been called
• ensuring ongoing supervision of all children at the Early Learning Victoria centre
• accompanying the child in the ambulance when the child’s guardians or carers are not present, as long as staff-to-child ratios can be maintained at the Early Learning Victoria centre
• notifying ISOC and the Area Manager of the medical emergency, incident or injury as soon as possible
• notifying the Regulatory Authority through the NQA IT System within 24 hours, and completing an Incident, injury, trauma and illness record through Kidsoft following a serious incident involving a child.
• completing a report on eduSafe Plus and WorkSafe (if relevant) following an incident involving a staff member.

Head injury procedure

In the event of any head injury, the first aid officer will assess the child, administer any urgent first aid and phone parents or guardians about the incident.

Head injuries are generally classified as ‘mild’, ‘moderate’ or ‘severe’. Mild head injuries may leave a small lump or bruise but can also still result in a concussion.

Parents or guardians will be advised to seek medical advice if their child develops any new symptoms of head trauma. Emergency services will be contacted immediately if the child:

• has sustained a head injury at high speed
• has sustained a head injury after falling from a height greater than one metre
• loses consciousness
• has a seizure, convulsion or fit
• seems unwell or vomits more than once after hitting their head
• has a severe or increasing headache.

Educators must phone parents or guardians as soon as possible after any injury to the head or face.

Managing illness procedure

Centre management and educators will not accept a child into an Early Learning Victoria centre for the day if the child:

• has a contagious illness or infectious disease
• is unwell and can’t take part in normal activities or needs extra attention
• has had a temperature (38°C or above) and/or has been vomiting in the past 24 hours, as reported by their family
• has had diarrhoea in the past 48 hours
• has started a course of antibiotics in the past 24 hours
• has been given medication for a temperature before arriving at their Early Learning Victoria centre (e.g. Panadol).

When a child appears unwell, or develops symptoms of illness, all staff members must:

• call an ambulance on 000 if a child appears very unwell or has a serious injury that needs urgent medical attention. This includes if the child has sustained a knock or injury to the head
• observe the symptoms of the child’s illness or injury and record and share this information with families (and medical professionals if needed)
• ensure that the nominated supervisor contacts the child’s family or authorised emergency contact
• request that the child is collected from the Early Learning Victoria centre if too unwell to take part, or if the child has diarrhoea or vomits at the Early Learning Victoria centre
• ensure that they separate the child from other children and have a staff member stay with the child until the child recovers or is collected by their family or emergency contact person
• ensure that the child is returned to the care of the parent or guardian, or authorised emergency contact person, as soon as practical
• ensure that the Incident, injury, trauma and illness record is completed as soon as practical and within 24 hours of the event.

All staff members are also responsible for notifying parents or guardians if their child has been given medication or medical or dental treatment. This needs to happen as soon as possible and within 24 hours. Information should include details of the illness and treatment administered.

If the child develops a high temperature or fever at an Early Learning Victoria centre:

• for infants under 3 months old, families will be notified immediately of any fever over 38°C for immediate medical assistance. If families cannot be contacted, emergency contacts will be phoned. If they too cannot be contacted and emergency medical assistance is required, staff will contact emergency services and follow the Administration of fist aid policy and procedure Administering medication procedure.
• educators will notify families when a child has a temperature over 38°C and request that they collect their child as soon as possible
• educators will complete an Incident, injury, trauma and illness record, including recording other symptoms that may have developed along with the temperature (e.g. a rash or vomiting).

Emergency services will be contacted:

• if the child has trouble breathing
• if the child becomes drowsy or unresponsive
• if the child suffers a convulsion for longer than 5 minutes
• if staff have any other major concerns for the health or safety of the child.

If a child needs an ambulance and medical intervention, the nominated supervisor will work with Early Learning Victoria central office to report a serious incident to the Regulatory Authority through the NQA IT System.

Infection control

Early Learning Victoria is committed to minimising the spread of infectious diseases. We follow the recommendations in the National Health and Medical Research Council 2024 guidelines Staying Healthy: Preventing infectious diseases in early childhood education and care services (6^th edition).

Early Learning Victoria is also guided by the Department of Health and Local Public Health Units as per the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008. This includes in relation to exclusion periods and notifications of infectious diseases.

If a child has been diagnosed with an illness or infectious disease, Early Learning Victoria will use the Department of Health’s exclusion table for primary schools and children’s services. This gives best-practice advice about when to allow the child back to the service.

Families must take their child home if notified to do so by centre management. This includes if they appear unwell due to illness.

Centre management must alert families and visitors of any notifiable infectious diseases with a notice at the Early Learning Victoria centre entrance. This notice must state that there has been an infectious disease at the service premises. Families of children in the affected room will also be notified through Kidsoft.

See also the Infection control and immunisation policy.

Missing or unaccounted for child procedure

A child may only leave the Early Learning Victoria centre premises:

• if in the care of their family (a guardian, an authorised nominee named in the child’s enrolment record, or a person authorised by a guardian or authorised nominee) – this includes during excursions or evacuations outside the service premises
• if the child requires medical or hospital care (e.g. being taken to hospital in an ambulance)
• due to an emergency.

Nominated supervisors and educators must ensure that:

• the attendance record is accurate and regularly checked, so all children signed into the Early Learning Victoria centres are accounted for. The nominated supervisor can sign children in or out to ensure records are accurate (meeting regulatory requirements)
• children are adequately supervised at all times
• visitors, volunteers and students on placement are not left alone with children at any time.

If a child is missing or unaccounted for while in the care of Early Learning Victoria, this must be formally reported to ISOC and the Area Manager within one hour.

In addition:

• the nominated supervisor will notify all centre staff of the missing child
• educators will ensure all children are accounted for and maintain adequate supervision of other children, including considering educator-to-child ratios
• educators must:
  • confirm the number of children in attendance
  • check the sign-out register to ensure the child has not been collected or signed out by a guardian or authorised person
  • confirm the name of the child who is missing
  • report the above to the nominated supervisor
• if safe to do so, centre staff who are not supervising children must:
  • ensure all exit doors and gates are closed and locked
  • do a full, careful search of the premises (including of storerooms and cupboards, and areas outside the premises)
  • if offsite (e.g. on excursion), search the nearby area
• if the missing child has not been found during the first ‘sweep’ of the premises and nearby area or within 5 minutes (whichever comes first), the nominated supervisor will contact emergency services
• the nominated supervisor (with support from Early Learning Victoria central office) will:
  • contact the child’s family as soon as possible
  • notify the Regulatory Authority through the NQA IT System within 24 hours of becoming aware of the missing child
• the nominated supervisor will ensure that the Incident, injury, trauma and illness record is completed as soon as possible and within 24 hours of the occurrence
• relevant educators and staff in the missing child’s room must complete a detailed statement, explaining the incident. This must be done on the same day, include the date and time, and be signed by the person who has written the statement.

3.1 Responsibilities of families

Families are responsible for:

• providing authorisation in their child’s enrolment form for staff to seek medical treatment for the child from a doctor, hospital or ambulance service
• telling Early Learning Victoria at enrolment about any specific health care needs, including their child’s medical conditions and allergies and any medical management plans
• updating medical information, medical management plans and emergency contact details whenever these change
• making sure that they (or an authorised nominee) can always be reached by phone within 30 minutes whenever the child is attending an Early Learning Victoria centre
• collecting their child as soon as possible when notified of an incident, injury, trauma or illness
• telling Early Learning Victoria centre staff:
  • about any infectious disease or illness that the child has had or been exposed to (when not at the Early Learning Victoria centre)
  • if there has been a change in their child’s health
  • about any recent accidents or incidents that may impact the child’s care
  • when the child is ill and will be absent from their regular program (via phone or email)
• keeping their child away for the required number of days (depending on their illness)
• filling out or signing forms as required (including the Incident, injury, trauma and illness record or the Medication record form)
• covering all costs of an ambulance service. (Early Learning Victoria may consider covering the costs for families that do not have insurance or ambulance over – e.g. for families experiencing disadvantage or vulnerability or receiving the Additional Childcare Subsidy).

3.2 Responsibilities of staff

4. Resources

Legislation and standards

Relevant legislation and standards include:

• Australian Standards AS3745–2002, Emergency control procedures for buildings, structures and workplaces
• Education and Care Services National Law Act 2010
• Education and Care Services National Regulations 2011
• National Quality Standard, especially quality areas 2 (Children’s health and safety), 3 (Physical environment) and 7 (Governance and leadership)
• Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004
• Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2007
• WorkSafe Victoria Compliance Code: First aid in the workplace (2008)
• Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008
• Public Health and Wellbeing Regulations 2009
• Therapeutic Goods Act 1989.

Related policies

• Administration of first aid policy and procedure
• Administering medication procedure
• Management of medical conditions policy
• Notification of serious incident procedure
• Protecting children policy
• Infection control and immunisation policy
• Enrolment and orientation policy
• Privacy policy
• Records management policy
• Guidelines for managing conduct and unsatisfactory performance in Early Learning Victoria centres
• Reportable Conduct (department corporate policy, login required)

Links

• Ambulance Victoria
• ACECQA Incident, injury, trauma and illness record
• Notifying the early childhood Regulatory Authority about incidents, complaints and other circumstances
• Staying Healthy: Preventing infectious diseases in early childhood education and care services (6th edition) (National Health and Medical Research Council)
• Victorian Reportable Conduct Scheme

Definitions

Approved provider: The approved provider is the legal entity approved to operate an education and care service. It is legally responsible for managing the service and holds a provider approval (National Law). Early Learning Victoria, operating through the Department of Education, is the approved provider of all Early Learning Victoria centres.

Duty of care: A legal concept. In this policy, it refers to the responsibility of all staff members in any Victorian early childhood service to take reasonable steps to protect children in their care from harm that is foreseeable (that a reasonable person could predict).

Emergency: An incident, situation or event where there is an imminent or severe risk to the health, safety or wellbeing of a person at the service. For example, a flood, fire or situation that requires the service premises be locked down.

Emergency services: Includes ambulance, fire brigade, police and state emergency services.

Hazard: Anything with the potential to cause harm, injury, illness, loss or damage.

Illness: Any sickness and/or associated symptoms that affect the child’s normal participation in the program at the service.

Incident: An event that has led to or could have led to an injury, ill-health, damage or other loss. Incidents include ‘near misses’, accidents and injuries.

Incident, Injury, Trauma and Illness Record: A record with the details of any incident, injury, trauma or illness that has happened while the child was being educated and cared for by the service. The Approved Provider must ensure an Injury, Trauma and Illness Record is kept in accordance with Regulation 87, and kept for the time specified in Regulation 183.

Injury: Any physical damage to the body caused by violence or an incident.

Medical attention: Includes visiting a registered medical practitioner or attending a hospital.

Medical emergency: An injury or illness that is acute and poses an immediate risk to a person’s life or long-term health.

Medication: Medicine within the meaning of the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989. Medicine includes prescription, over-the-counter and complementary medicines. All therapeutic goods in Australia are listed on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods, available on the Therapeutic Goods Administration website.

Nominated supervisor: A person who has been nominated by the approved provider of the service under Part 3 of the Act can be the nominated supervisor. All services must have a nominated supervisor with responsibility for the service in line with the Regulations. The approved provider must take reasonable steps to ensure the nominated supervisor is a fit and proper person with suitable skills, qualifications and experience. The Regulatory Authority must be notified within 14 days if the nominated supervisor for the service changes or is no longer employed at the service.

Notifiable incident: Any incidents that seriously compromise the safety, health or wellbeing of children. The notification needs to be provided to the Regulatory Authority and guardians within 24 hours of a serious incident. The Regulatory Authority can be notified online through the NQA IT System.

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 comply with the Child Safe Standards. From 1 January 2026 the Regulatory Authority for early childhood services in Victoria is the Victorian Early Childhood Regulatory Authority (VECRA) under regulatory schemes outlined on its website VECRA is also the integrated sector regulator of the Child Safe Standards (CSS) for all early childhood services in Victoria.

This authority was formerly known as Quality and Assessment Regulatory Authority (QARD).

Notifiable incident: Any incidents that seriously compromise the safety, health or wellbeing of children. The notification needs to be provided to the Regulatory Authority and guardians within 24 hours of a serious incident. The Regulatory Authority can be notified online through the NQA IT System.

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 comply with the Child Safe Standards.

Serious incident: For the purposes of the definition of serious incident in section 5(1) of the National Law, each of the following is prescribed as a serious incident:

1. the death of a child:
   • while that child is being educated and cared for by an education and care service, or
   • following an incident occurring while that child was being educated and cared for by an education and care service
2. any incident involving serious injury (such as a broken limb) or trauma to a child occurring while that child is being educated and cared for by an education and care service:
   • which a reasonable person would consider required urgent medical attention from a registered medical practitioner, or
   • for which the child attended, or ought reasonably to have attended, a hospital
3. any incident involving serious illness of a child occurring while that child is being educated and cared for by an education and care service for which the child attended, or ought reasonably to have attended, a hospital (for instance, for a severe asthma attack, seizure or anaphylaxis reaction)
4. any emergency which emergency services attended
5. any circumstance where a child being educated and cared for by an education and care service:
   • appears to be missing or cannot be accounted for, or
   • appears to have been taken or removed from the education and care service premises in a manner that contravenes these Regulations, or
   • is mistakenly locked in or locked out of the education and care service premises or any part of the premises.

Trauma: Trauma in this policy is the impact on a child of an event or a series of events where the child feels helpless and pushed beyond their ability to cope. A range of different events might be traumatic to a child. Trauma can disrupt the relationships a child has with their parents, educators and others. It can transform children’s language skills, physical and social development and their ability to manage emotions and behaviour.

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 on 2 January 2026.

Early Learning Victoria regularly reviews its policies and procedures. This policy is due for review on 2 January 2028 unless changes in legislation or Department of Education policy require it to be reviewed sooner.

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