Child Safety Is Everyone’s Responsibility: Why Family Day Care Household Residents Need Mandatory Training

Recent regulatory action in Victoria has prompted important conversations about governance, compliance and child safety in family day care.

While much of the discussion has focused on approved providers and educators, I believe there is another opportunity to strengthen child safety that deserves greater attention.

What about the other people living in a family day care home?

Family day care is unlike any other form of early childhood education and care.

It operates within a private home.

That home becomes a regulated education and care service where children learn, play and develop every day.

Educators understand the significant responsibilities that come with operating a family day care service. They complete qualifications, professional development and ongoing training to meet the requirements of the National Quality Framework.

However, they are rarely the only people living in the home.

Partners, adult children, teenagers and other household residents also share the environment where children are cared for.

A Shared Responsibility

Every person living in a family day care residence has the potential to influence children’s safety.

Most do so positively.

But many may not fully understand the responsibilities that come with living in a regulated education and care environment.

Something as simple as leaving a gate open, allowing an unfamiliar visitor into the home, or not understanding supervision requirements can have serious consequences.

These situations are often not the result of poor intentions.

They are the result of a lack of awareness.

That’s why I believe education—not blame—is the answer.

Why Age 16?

By the age of 16, young people are becoming increasingly independent.

They are making more decisions for themselves and spending more time without direct supervision.

If a young person is old enough to influence the safety of a family day care service, they are old enough to understand the responsibilities that come with living in that environment.

Providing age-appropriate child safety training would help them understand:

• why family day care operates differently from a typical family home
• how everyday decisions can affect children’s safety
• the legal and professional responsibilities of educators
• how they can contribute to maintaining a safe environment.

Strengthening an Already Strong Sector

The overwhelming majority of family day care educators provide exceptional care.

This proposal is not about increasing unnecessary regulation.

It is about strengthening an already high-quality sector by ensuring everyone living in a family day care home understands their role in protecting children.

Every improvement we’ve made in early childhood education has started with one simple question:

How can we make children safer?

I believe mandatory child safety training for household residents aged 16 years and over is another practical step towards achieving that goal.

By working together, governments, regulators and the family day care sector have an opportunity to further strengthen public confidence and continue building one of Australia’s most valuable early childhood education models.