Earlier this week, the Victorian Government released the findings and recommendations of the Rapid Child Safety Review together with the formal government response. The Rapid Review was commissioned by the government in the wake of recent distressing allegations of abuse in childcare centres. The Review was undertaken by Jay Weatherill AO and Ms Pam White PSM.
The Review made 22 recommendations to strengthen safety standards in early childhood education and care. The Victorian Government has announced it will implement all of these recommendations (11 of which involve advocacy to the Commonwealth Government for national reforms) and has allocated $42 million for initial implementation.
The key recommendations include:
- Establishment of a new, independent regulator of Early Childhood Education and Care, replacing the existing functions of the Quality Assessment and Regulation Division of the Department of Education (QARD).
- Strengthening the Working with Children Check (WWCC) and Reportable Conduct Schemes and transferring regulatory responsibility to the Social Service Regulator (SSR).
- Mandatory child safety training for the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector and for people applying for a WWCC.
- Working with the Commonwealth Government and other states and territories to amend the National Law to strengthen the focus on child safety and advocating for the establishment of a National Early Childhood Reform Commission.
- Advocating for the Commonwealth Government to improve ECEC training and placements, conduct a national review of staffing arrangements including consideration of a “four eyes” rule of two adults visible to each other while with children, conduct a national trial of CCTV in ECEC services that focuses on its use as a regulatory and investigative tool and reinstating funding to state and territory ECEC regulators.
Child safety is paramount. VCOSS welcomes the commitment to improved child safety in Victoria, including reforms that address regulatory barriers to timely action and enhanced training for workers and volunteers caring for and working with children.
Implementation will be key. Many of the Review’s recommendations cannot be implemented successfully by Victoria alone, so continued strong advocacy and action at the national level will be vital. It is also imperative that the new regulatory arrangements be set up for success, with adequate funding and information-sharing between the new ECEC regulator and the SSR (noting the SSR has been operating for just over a year and is still in establishment phase), as well as support for organisations, workers and volunteers working with children to understand their obligations to put children’s safety at the heart of their work.
VCOSS will continue working closely with the Victorian Government, as well as advocating for national, coordinated action by the Commonwealth to drive reforms that prioritise safety and quality in early childhood education and care.
Find out more at the Victorian Government’s Rapid Child Safety Review website. You can read the full announcement of its response to the review here.