New transportation requirements for centre-based services start today
From today, the following new regulatory requirements now apply to centre based services that provide regular transportation:
- Approved providers and nominated supervisors must ensure a staff member or nominated supervisor (other than the driver) accounts for children as they get in or out of a vehicle at the education and care service.
- Approved providers and nominated supervisors must ensure records are made showing children are accounted for as they get in or out of a vehicle at the education and care service.
- Approved providers and nominated supervisors must ensure records are made confirming a check of the inside of a vehicle was completed at the service after all children have left to ensure no children remain.
- Approved providers must notify the regulatory authority when they start providing or arranging regular transport, and again when they finish. This can be done through the NQA ITS.
In January 2023, the National Regulations were updated and ACECQA published new guidance information and resources to support their implementation, including this information sheet.
Other key amendments to the Education and Care Services National Law and National Regulations, arising from the 2019 NQF Review, will be implemented in stages during 2023. They include strengthened health and safety measures, changes to workforce requirements and improved oversight by regulatory authorities.
An updated version of the Guide to the NQF is also available now
The Guide to the NQF is designed to help providers, educators and authorised officers understand and apply the requirements of the NQF.
The updated March 2023 Guide to the NQF published today includes information about these new transportation requirements, the national approved learning frameworks Version 2.0, and the assessment and rating process. The Guide will continue to be updated throughout 2023 to reflect the agreed changes from the 2019 NQF Review.
ACECQA will also continue to provide information updates through its newsletters, website and social media channels as well as on the 2019 NQF Review website.