Reportable Conduct in Early Childhood Education and Care: Recognising, Reporting and Responding

This course provides early childhood education and care professionals across Australia with a thorough grounding in Reportable Conduct Schemes and Child Safe Standards as they apply to ECEC settings. Drawing on accurate legislative information from each jurisdiction that operates a statutory scheme — including Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia, the Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania — the course explains who is covered, what conduct must be reported, and how investigations must be managed with procedural fairness and a child-safe focus. Professionals in South Australia and the Northern Territory, which do not operate statutory Reportable Conduct Schemes, will also find relevant guidance on their obligations under child safe frameworks. The course moves through six focused modules: the foundations of reportable conduct law; recognising the categories of reportable conduct in everyday ECEC contexts; notification obligations and timeframes by jurisdiction; conducting and supporting internal investigations; protecting children and supporting affected parties during and after an allegation; and embedding a child safe culture in an ECEC service. Each module contains practical, scenario-based lessons written for the realities of long day care, family day care, kindergarten and outside school hours care environments. On completing this course, participants will be able to identify a reportable allegation, meet notification deadlines, support a fair internal process, and contribute to a culture in which children's safety is genuinely prioritised. The course is suitable for use as part of induction, annual professional development, or as a reference resource for approved providers managing a live allegation.