Excerpts
The number of “serious incidents” in Australian early childhood services – including long daycare – is increasing. According to a new Productivity Commission report, there were 160 such incidents per 100 services in 2024-25. This is up from 148 and 139 in the previous two years.
A serious incident is one that seriously compromises the health, safety or wellbeing of a child. This includes serious injury or illness requiring medical attention, any event where emergency services attended, a child going missing or being locked in or out of the premises. It can also include abuse or the death of a child.
The figures come amid continuing concern about safety in early childhood services around Australia. Last week, regulators reported a family daycare had been shut down after knives and poison were kept within reach of kids in Sydney; while in South Australia, the regulator warned of supervision “blind spots”.
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Are people becoming more aware?
The latest rise may indicate the sector is becoming more transparent, as opposed to more dangerous.
With the recent increase in public scrutiny and subsequent policy changes around child safety – including shorter time frames for mandatory reporting and restrictions on the use of digital devices – services, educators, and even families may be more likely to report serious incidents when they occur.
If this is so, a stronger reporting culture would be a welcome outcome.
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So is childcare safe or not?
Despite the awful revelations about abuse in the sector, the OECD notes that early childhood services are generally safer than un-regulated care. This includes care by relatives, babysitters or privately employed nannies. This is because services such as long daycare are regulated by a national quality framework and standards.
The difficulty is there is such variation in quality across the sector. Current regulatory systems also have significant gaps. For example, many services wait more than four years between assessment visits. In some states, time between visits can extend to ten years.
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Will the recent and upcoming reforms be enough?
The current debate about safety and quality are still largely reactive and risks-based. For example, shutting down unsafe providers and training educators to spot potential abuse.
We need more focus on the broader factors – such as educator working conditions, workforce quality and management capability – which research shows will lift quality and boost safety overall.
If services have well-trained staff and supportive working conditions, they are more likely to provide both safety and quality for children.