Early childhood services must manage records, policies and procedures, and know when to notify us.
This is a legal obligation for:
approved providers
services
nominated supervisors
persons with management or control (PMC).
This page summarises the key requirements for each topic. To comply with legal obligations, you must refer to the linked resources. This includes ACECQA’s Guide to the National Quality Framework (Guide to the NQF).
For accessibility, we abbreviate the Education and Care Services National Law (National Law) and Education and Care Services National Regulations (National Regulations).
When we refer to all services it includes the following care types:
long day care
standalone kindergarten
family day care (FDC)
Outside School Hours Care (OSHC)
vacation care.
When to notify us
Services must report certain situations and changes within a set timeframe.
This applies to all services, including occasional care and limited hours that are regulated under the Children’s Services Act.
Approved providers must notify us about:
serious incidents
risks to a child’s health, safety and wellbeing
complaints received
incidents and allegations of physical and sexual abuse
reportable sexual conduct
service closure or reduction in children attending due to an incident
additional children attending the service in certain situations
changes to provider and service details, such as:
contact details
transport provided by the service for the first time (or the last time)
nominated supervisor or person with management or control (PMC).
Your legal requirements
Read the information below to understand your legal responsibilities and how to comply.
National Decision Tree – ACECQA resource to help providers decide whether a notification is required and the timeframe
Enrolment records
Enrolment records contain important information about children attending the service.
Enrolment records must contain key information about each child, including:
authorisations given by parents or another nominated person
court orders
parenting orders or plans and related legal documents
detailed health information, including details of any diagnosed medical conditions.
Services must ensure these details are kept up to date.
Your legal requirements
Read the information below to understand your legal responsibilities and how to comply.
Development of child enrolment record – Quality Area 7 information sheet for all service types. It includes a list of information that must be included in the child’s enrolment record.
Policies and procedures
Policies and procedures explain how each service manages situations. They also provide a consistent approach for everyone to follow.
Approved providers must make sure their service has policies and procedures in place. This is a requirement under the National Regulations.
All policies must be:
reviewed regularly
updated when circumstances change
communicated to parents.
Staff and volunteers must be trained to follow all policies and procedures.
A system must be in place to ensure all new starters, including agency staff, receive a detailed induction.
Your legal requirements
Read the information below to understand your legal responsibilities and how to comply.
Policies and procedures (Guide to the NQF) – lists all required policies and procedures for all service types, as well as additional policies and procedures for FDC services
Information to be displayed in early childhood services
All services must display key information for families and the public.
Approved providers must make sure key information is easy for families to see at the service.
Services must display information about their compliance and quality history. This helps families understand how the service is performing. These changes came into effect on 1 May 2026.
Your legal requirements
Read the information below to understand your legal responsibilities and how to comply.
Record keeping in family day care (FDC) – Quality Area 7 information sheet. Specific guidance for FDC services on their responsibilities and how long records must be kept.
