Useful links
There are a large number of other organisations that can help and support you, depending on your need. This page contains a list of useful links to organisations and/or websites that can provide more information, specific detail on a topic, or support and advice.
Australian Association for Research in Education
The Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE) is the national association for fostering educational research in Australia. AARE facilitates contact between educational researchers and supports the development of high quality educational research.
The Australian Childcare Alliance is a national representative body with a membership of 70% of the long day childcare sector, including private and community.
Australian Community Children's Services
The Australian Community Children's Services is the peak representative body for all Australian community owned children's services.
Australian Council for Educational Research
The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) is a leader in the provision of quality educational research, both within Australia and internationally. As a national, independent research body, ACER’s mission is to create and promote research-based knowledge, products and services that can be used to improve learning across the life span.
Australian Early Development Census
The Australian Early Development Index (AEDC) is a population measure of children’s development in communities across Australia. It provides a national picture of children’s health and development with results that identify strengths in the community as well as what can be improved.
The Australian Education Union has a membership of over 180,000 educators who work in public schools, colleges, early childhood and vocational settings in all states and territories of Australia. Members include teachers and allied educational staff, principals and administrators mainly in government school and TAFE systems.
Australian Institute of Family Studies
The Australian Institute of Family Studies is a national research and information agency on children and families in Australia. Includes research, publications, online library, and further links and resources for professionals.
Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth
The Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth (ARACY) is a national collaboration of eminent experts disseminating knowledge about problems and solutions to issues affecting children and young people.
Australian Skills Quality Authority
As the national regulator for the vocational education and training (VET) sector, the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) regulates courses and training providers to ensure nationally approved quality standards are met.
As Australia's peak national non-government cancer control organisation, Cancer Council Australia advises the Australian Government and other bodies on practices and policies to help prevent, detect and treat cancer. Cancer Council Australia launched the national SunSmart Schools program in 1998. The program has grown rapidly and there are now more than 2500 SunSmart schools and 3500 SunSmart childcare centres across the country.
Centre for Community Child Health
The Centre for Community Child Health is an internationally recognised centre of excellence supporting and empowering communities to continually improve the health, wellbeing and quality of life of children and their families, now and for the future.
Child Inclusive Learning and Development Australia (Child Australia) is a not for profit organisation dedicated to improving developmental outcomes for children through education, early childhood services, family support and advocacy.
Child Family Community Australia
Child Family Community Australia (CFCA) is an information exchange for practitioners, policy makers, service providers and researchers working with children, families and communities. It is funded by the Australian Government through the Department of Social Services. Among its resources, CFCA has a resource sheet that details the legal requirements of who is responsible for reporting suspected abuse and neglect to government child protection services in Australia.
Community Connections Solutions Australia
Community Connections Solutions Australia (CCSA) is a peak, not for profit organisation providing early childhood education and care services with specialist information and support in governance, management, compliance, business support and workplace relations. Established in 1969, CCSA assists services in meeting all their industrial and regulatory obligations.
Community Early Learning Australia
Community Early Learning Australia (CELA) is the peak body for Australia’s early and middle childhood education sector. CELA influences policy-makers, advocates for children and families as well as services and educators.
Council of Australian Governments
The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) is the peak intergovernmental forum in Australia. It comprises the Prime Minister, State Premiers, Territory Chief Ministers and the President of the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA). The Prime Minister chairs COAG. The role of COAG is to initiate, develop and monitor the implementation of policy reforms that are of national significance and which require cooperative action by Australian Governments. COAG agreed to the National Quality Framework on 7 December 2009.
Through a range of policies and programs, the Department of Education helps to provide families with access to quality early childhood education.
The Department of Health is responsible for supporting better health and active ageing for all Australians. Information is available on a wide range of conditions and diseases, education and prevention, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health issues and topics relevant to ageing and aged care.
The Department of Human Services is responsible for the development of Australian Government service delivery policy and offers a range of social, health and other payments and services. Support is available through Medicare, Centrelink, the Child Support program, CRS Australia and Australian Hearing. You can go directly to the Medicare program or the Centrelink program.
The Department of Social Services is responsible for helping to support Australian families and children. The Families and Children section of this website provides detailed information on the various forms of assistance available including programs, services, benefits and payments.
Early Childhood Australia (ECA) is the peak early childhood advocacy organisation, acting in the interests of young children, their families and professionals in the early childhood field. ECA advocates to ensure quality, social justice and equity in all issues relating to the education and care of children from birth to eight years. ECA's quality-assured publications program is a major tool in their advocacy for young children.
Early Childhood Intervention Australia
Early Childhood Intervention Australia (ECIA) is a national forum for promotion of early intervention for infants and young children with developmental delays or disabilities and their families, including workshops, seminars and conferences to facilitate quality service provision.
Early Childhood Teachers Association
The Early Childhood Teachers Association (ECTA) supports members of the early childhood professional community who work with young children and families in preschools, kindergartens, child care centres, primary schools and other early childhood settings. ECTA aim to provide opportunities for early childhood professionals to develop further their understanding and practice of quality in education for young children.
Early Learning Association Australia (ELAA)
Early Learning Association Australia (ELAA) is a not-for-profit, peak membership organisation representing the voice of parents and early learning providers. ELAA represents over 1200 early childhood services, including stand-alone kindergartens, cluster managers, integrated services, long day care centres, local government, government and independent schools, and before and after-school care providers, and provides a range of resources, advisory, training, and advocacy services.
Early Learning and Care Council of Australia Inc (ELACCA)
The Early Learning and Care Council of Australia Inc (ELACCA) is an association of large providers of early learning and care services (preschool, long day, outside school hours and family day care). Our members represent a cross section of not-for-profit and private organisations operating more than 2000 services across Australia. ELACCA members are committed to delivering affordable quality early learning and care to all children.
The Education Ministers Meeting provides a forum for collaboration and decision-making on education across Australia, including early childhood education and care. The Commonwealth, State and Territory government ministers responsible for education attend the meeting and the meeting is chaired by the Commonwealth Minister for Education.
Equity and Childhood Program, Youth Research Centre
The Equity and Childhood Program, in the Melbourne Graduate School of Education’s Youth Research Centre was previously the Centre for Equity and Innovation in Early Childhood. The Equity and Childhood Program has developed a strong research culture and international reputation for its work in equity and change research, professional development and teaching.
The Fair Work Ombudsman provides information and advice about workplace rights and responsibilities for employees, employers and contractors. It is a statutory office created by the Fair Work Act 2009 operating independently of Government. The Ombudsman ensures compliance with Commonwealth workplace laws and has the power to investigate complaints or suspected contraventions of workplace laws, awards and agreements. The services are free to all workers and employers in Australia.
Fair Work Australia is the national workplace relations tribunal. It is an independent body with power to carry out a range of functions relating to: the safety net of minimum wages and employment conditions, enterprise bargaining, industrial action, dispute resolution, termination of employment and other workplace matters. Fair Work Australia provides information on cases and decisions and links to workplace laws in Australia.
Family Assistance Offices have been set up in Medicare offices and Centrelink Customer Service Centres across the country, offering a range of payments to support families with their work and family responsibilities. It gives Australian families better access to government services. Instead of going to different agencies to get family assistance, families are able to get all their payments from just one place – the Family Assistance Office. Financial assistance includes the Family Tax Benefit, Child Care Benefit, Child Care Rebate and Baby Bonus. The Family Assistance Program is the responsibility of the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.
Family Day Care Australia is a national peak body which supports, enhances and resources family day care services. Their role is to resource and promote family day care services to ensure the strength and continued growth of the sector in Australia.
Good Beginnings builds better outcomes for children in vulnerable communities through effective early intervention programs. Good Beginnings provides free early childhood and practical parenting programs for children and families across Australia, based at their Early Years Centres or home visits.
The Independent Education Union of Australia (IEUA) with a current membership of 68,000, is the federally registered industry union representing all employees working in non-government schools and institutions across Australia. Included in its membership are principals, teachers and various categories of clerical, administrative, educational support staff and school services officers employed in primary and secondary schools; and teachers working in some private pre-school settings, Life Education Centres, business colleges and private English Language colleges.
Isolated Children's Parents' Association of Australia
The Isolated Children's Parents' Association provides support, advice and advocacy for parents in isolated communities. It is a voluntary national parent body dedicated to ensuring that all geographically isolated students have equality with their non-isolated peers, of access to an appropriate education.
Kidsafe is dedicated to the prevention of injuries in children under 15 years.
Murdoch Childrens Research Institute
The Murdoch Childrens Research Institute is dedicated to finding ways to prevent and treat conditions affecting babies, children and adolescents, helping them lead happy, healthy lives. The Institute has close partnerships with the Royal Children's Hospital and the University of Melbourne.
National Education and Care Services FOI and Privacy Commissioners and Ombudsman
The National Education and Care Services FOI and Privacy Commissioners and Ombudsman deal with complaints about the bodies responsible for implementing and administrating the National Quality Framework. They are responsible for providing Ombudsman oversight of the administrative actions taken by ACECQA. They also provide privacy and freedom of information oversight of ACECQA and the eight state and territory regulatory authorities.
National Out of School Hours Services Alliance
The National Out of School Hours Services Association (NOSHSA) is a network of all Australian State and Territory Out of School Hours Services Associations. These organisations promote provision of Out of School Hours Services and act as a united voice to advocate both to Government and the community for excellence in service provision.
Occasional Child Care Australia
Occasional Child Care Australia is a resource and advocacy body on matters relating to occasional care centres across Australia.
An independent, non-profit research and development organisation focused on supporting parents through the development of resources, programs and policies based on scientific evidence.
Playgroup Australia is the national peak and administrative body for playgroups in Australia.
The Raising Children Network Website provides centralised, Australian-focused, evidence based information for parents and carers of children from birth to fifteen years of age. It also provides information for those who work with parents.
Response Ability is an internationally distinctive and highly regarded program that has been preparing teaching graduates, since 1997, to assume an active and influential role in shaping the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people. The purpose of Response Ability is to increase the inclusion and coverage of mental health and suicide prevention in pre-service education of teachers and early childhood educators through the tertiary and Vocational Education Training (VET) sectors.
Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care
The Secretariat of National Aborginal and Islander Child Care (SNAICC) is the national non government peak body in Australia representing the interests of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families.
The Social Policy Research Centre (SPRC) is a specialist research centre of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of New South Wales. The SPRC conducts research on all aspects of social policy, disseminates research findings, promotes research training through postgraduate study and contributes to policy development and evaluation.
Startingblocks.gov.au is a family friendly resource available to help new parents answer child care questions and better understand the benefits of early childhood education and care. It offers helpful tips for parents on early childhood development and what to look for to ensure their child gets a quality care and learning experience. Starting Blocks is brought to you by ACECQA.
Telethon Institute of Child Health Research
The Telethon Institute for Child Health Research is dedicated to the prevention of childhood diseases and disability. The Institute's approach is to bring together researchers from different fields of science to tackle major issues in child health and wellbeing.
The deLissa Institute of Early Childhood and Family Studies
The deLissa Institute of Early Childhood and Family Studies at the University of South Australia aims to deliver excellent research in early childhood and family studies that supports a culturally diverse and sustainable world of inclusive, democratic societies.
United Voice is an organisation of over 120,000 Australian workers. United Voice children's services members work in early childhood education and care and as teacher aides, education assistants, and other educators.