FDC extension granted for Child Protection training requirements

The Queensland Early Childhood Education and Care Regulator has granted an extension for all Family Day Care services to complete the required Child Protection training to Wednesday, 30 April 2025.

This extension comes in response to the implementation challenges many services have faced in accessing timely training for staff.

Mr. Chris Carey, Director Compliance at the Early Childhood Regulatory Authority, has officially confirmed this extension. In his communication to FDCQ, he stated:

"I understand that there have been challenges for some providers in accessing the relevant training for staff in a timely way, and I am happy to grant an extension until 30 April 2025 to allow time for the training and assessment to be finalised.

I appreciate that implementation of the protocol is a significant development for the sector in Queensland, and authorised officers will be taking a reasonable approach to enforcement of this new requirement over the period of transition. This extension for FDCQ Member services will be communicated to all staff."

The extension comes in response to FDCQ's advocacy on behalf of member services facing ongoing implementation challenges. While the extension provides valuable additional time, FDC services are reminded of the following important compliance requirements in effect with the extension:

• Evidence of enrolment - during monitoring visits over the coming weeks, authorised officers will expect to see evidence of enrolment in upcoming training for all nominated supervisors and persons in day-to-day charge and family day care coordinators. Please ensure this evidence is available wherever the training has not yet been completed.
• Approved courses - the following nationally recognised units of competency satisfy compliance with section 162A of the Education and Care Services National Law:
  • CHCPRT025—Identify and report children and young people at risk
  • CHCPRT001—Identify and respond to children and young people at risk*
  • CHCPRT026—Support the rights and safety of children and young people
  • CHCPRT002—Support the rights and safety of children and young people*
  • CHCECE057—Use collaborative practices to uphold child protection principles
    *These courses have been superseded on the National Register of Vocational Education and Training (VET).
• Delivery requirements - all approved courses must be delivered by a registered training organisation (RTO). Completion may be either stand-alone or as part of a qualification. In-house training is not sufficient.

For comprehensive information about child protection requirements, including mandatory reporting, working with children checks, and supervision requirements, please visit the Queensland Government's Early Childhood website.