MANDATORY child safety training for everyone working or volunteering in early childhood education and care services comes into effect nationwide from tomorrow, following a Queensland-led initiative aimed at strengthening safeguards for young children.
The training, developed with a $1.85 million investment from the Queensland Government, will be compulsory under the Education and Care Services National Law for all staff and volunteers in early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings, regardless of whether they work directly with children.
The State government says the initiative positions the state as a national leader in child safety reform, with the program rolled out across Australia through the Australian Government’s Geccko online learning platform.
All existing ECEC workers and volunteers will have six months to complete the foundation-level training, which is being released tomorrow.
Advanced-level courses are scheduled to launch in July 2026, with a further six months allowed for completion once available.
The training was developed in partnership with the Australian Centre for Child Protection and shaped by the experiences of child abuse survivors and early childhood experts. It focuses on building child-safe cultures, recognising signs of abuse and neglect, understanding children’s rights, identifying grooming behaviours, maintaining professional boundaries, and knowing how to report concerns.
Queensland Minister for Education John-Paul Langbroek said the reform was a critical step in improving safety standards across the sector.
“Safety in early childhood education and care settings is everyone’s responsibility,” he said. “This training ensures every person working in early childhood services has the knowledge and confidence to identify risks and act if they have concerns.”
Director of the Australian Centre for Child Protection Leah Bromfield said nationally consistent training was essential to creating a genuinely child-safe education and care sector.
“Building a child-safe culture is not optional — it is a shared responsibility,” Professor Bromfield said. “High-quality, free and accessible training is critical to ensuring children are safe, respected and heard.”
The requirement applies to approved providers, service managers, nominated supervisors, educators, family day care operators, volunteers, and students. Penalties may apply to providers who fail to ensure their workforce completes the training within the required timeframes.
The online training is free and available at any time, designed to accommodate the diverse and often casual nature of the ECEC workforce.
