In Focus

April 2025

There is no doubt that recent media coverage has stirred much emotion and discussion in our sector. ACECQA have published a special message to providers, educators and staff. ACECQA Newsletter Issue 2 2025

It is to be expected that families will be concerned by what was reported. This is an excellent opportunity to refer families to the StartingBlocks website as this includes information targeted to families to learn about quality in education and care.

Regulatory Spotlight

Regulation 97

Emergency and evacuation procedures  

Regulation 97 of the Education and Care Services National Regulations 2021 (the National Regulations) concerning emergency and evacuation procedures continues to be one of the most common areas of non-compliance across all service types.

The risk to children in the event of an actual emergency is significant and requires educators and staff to have a thorough understanding of the service’s emergency and evacuation policy and procedures to enable a calm and measured response.

For the purpose of preparing the emergency and evacuation procedures, the approved provider of an education and care service must ensure that a risk assessment is conducted to identify potential emergencies that are relevant to the service.

A risk assessment is only effective if it is completed correctly and should consider a range of factors to determine the types of potential emergencies.

Some potential emergencies could include:

• fire – internal or external
• explosion/gas leak
• flood, cyclone, earthquake
• physical aggression/violence, child abduction, missing child
• intoxicated/drug affected person
• bomb threat, active shooter
• dangerous animal or insects
• medical - anaphylaxis, serious injury, medical episode
• motor vehicle accident – during transportation or external to the service   

Consultation with a relevant authority to assist with this is recommended, as service specific procedures need to be developed.

Who can help?

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) provide a range of resources to support emergency planning and to educate children in the early years about preparing for and responding to emergencies. Educational resources for schools, families and young people are available to learn more about natural hazards and how to reduce disaster risk.

Reimagining Inclusion in Early Learning:

A Neurodivergent Lens

Inclusion in early childhood settings isn’t just about welcoming all children – it’s about rethinking how we design learning environments to truly honour diverse ways of thinking, learning, and being. A neurodivergent lens challenges us to move beyond fitting children in, and instead create spaces where sensory, social, and communication differences are understood, respected, and supported. This means embracing flexible routines, play-based approaches, and strengths-focused strategies that allow all children to engage and thrive in ways that feel natural to them. Inclusion isn’t about making children adapt to systems, it’s about adapting systems to meet the needs of all children.

As educators, part of our role is to continuously learn and sometimes, to unlearn. Many traditional approaches to early learning have been shaped by norms that don’t always reflect the full diversity of children’s experiences. By deepening our understanding of neurodivergence and inclusive practice, we can challenge outdated assumptions and make intentional shifts that better support all learners. This requires curiosity, reflection, and a willingness to listen to neurodivergent voices including the children, families, and professionals we work with.

Join us for our upcoming webinars as we explore how educators can embed neurodiversity-affirming practices into everyday learning. Through real-world examples, evidence-informed strategies, and discussions on the legal and quality frameworks that guide inclusive education, we’ll unpack what true inclusion looks like in context. To support this learning, we’ve also included links to the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) and ACECQA resources with essential references for understanding the rights, responsibilities, and best practices that underpin inclusive early learning.

Registration details for the May webinars will be advertised soon.

Further resources are available at ACECQA Resources for Inclusion in Children’s Education and Care Services

Reminder: Cancellation of Registered Training Organisations

Approved providers are reminded to continue to check staff qualification records to identify any qualifications issued by:

• Luvium Pty Ltd from 01/01/2023 to 31/12/2024 and
• Gills College, trading as Elite College Australia and/or Stirling Business College issued between 07/01/2022 to 21/12/2023

These qualifications have been cancelled by the Australian Skills Quality Agency (ASQA).

Anyone who believes they are impacted should:

• Contact ASQA or refer to the ASQA website for further information, including matters relating to individual reviews.
• Contact ECRU if you are concerned about maintaining ratios and meeting qualification requirements.

If you have any concerns regarding any other Registered Training Organisation or the validity of qualifications, please contact ASQA.

Dangers of Freestanding Furniture

Young children often attempt to climb on furniture such as bookcases, drawers, wardrobes and sideboards. When these items are not sufficiently secure, the furniture can fall on top of them and result in serious injury or death. 

It’s important to read this information to ensure safety in your centre. If buying second hand, these warnings and labelling are not mandatory, however regardless of whether you purchase furniture new or second hand, you should follow the below safety tips:

• If you have any of these items in your centre, ensure that they are anchored to a wall and are as secure as possible. Secure the furniture to the wall or floor.
• If the furniture does not come with anchoring hardware, you can buy this from a furniture retailer or hardware store, as well as a speciality store for baby goods.
• Never put a kid’s toy on top of an uneven or heavy piece of furniture, kids likely will attempt to reach the toy, putting them at risk.
• Wall mount any televisions, to ensure that these are not freestanding.
• Put locking devices on drawers to prevent children from opening and climbing on them.

Head to the Consumer Protection website to familiarise yourself with how Consumer Protection can assist you or visit Product Safety Australia to view the latest updates.

Understanding the NDIS

Join us for an informative webinar designed to help early educators better understand the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

Presentation: Our speaker from the Community Engagement and Inclusion team will provide an overview including: 

• Eligibility and access to the NDIS
• NDIS and Education
• Early Connections and Community Connections
• Remote Community Connectors and Local Community Connectors (rural and remote)

Following the presentation, you will have an opportunity to ask our speaker questions. 

This session is offered over three dates to allow flexibility for attendees. Each session will cover the same content – the presentation with all links will be sent out after the session.

Who should attend: Staff, educators, and approved providers from the Education and Care sector.

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Where: Three sessions will be delivered via videoconference using Microsoft Teams.

• Session 1 - Join Thursday, 10:00am 10th July
• Session 2 - Join Thursday, 2:00pm 17th July
• Session 3 - Join Tuesday, 6:00pm 22nd July

Please feel free to share this information