What’s changing in child safety from February 2026

Keeping your child safe is at the heart of everything we do

From 27 February 2026, national child safety standards across education and care services will be strengthened. These updates sit within the National Quality Framework (NQF) and are part of a broader, Australia-wide effort to protect children and support safe, trusted services.

At Helping Hands Network, we welcome these changes. They reflect what families expect and what children deserve.

Why these changes are happening

Children’s safety and wellbeing is a shared national priority. The reforms aim to:

• strengthen professional responsibilities for all adults working with children

• ensure clear and consistent expectations across the country

• build stronger safeguards so children feel safe, respected and supported

• help services maintain trusted, high-quality environments

For families, this means greater confidence that every service across Australia is working to the same strengthened standards.

What families can expect: a simple overview

There are many updates across the sector. Below are just some of the key changes that relate directly to the staff and teams working with your child in services.

National child safety training for all staff

Everyone working or volunteering in education and care will complete new, nationally consistent training on child safety and child protection. This ensures every adult understands their responsibilities to keep children safe.

A new National Early Childhood Worker Register

A central register will help ensure there is clear oversight of who is working in education and care services. This strengthens accountability and helps keep children safer.

Clear rules on personal device use

Personal phones, smart watches and cameras cannot be used while working directly with children and cannot ever be used to take photos or videos of children. This protects children’s privacy and reinforces strong professional boundaries.

Inappropriate conduct is now a legal offence

Any behaviour that could reasonably be seen as inappropriate, or cause harm to a child, is now explicitly an offence. This reinforces that child safety is non-negotiable.

What we are doing to prepare

We have already begun preparing our teams and systems to support these changes. This includes:

• supporting all staff through the new mandatory training

• ensuring our workforce records and processes meet upcoming national requirements

• reinforcing expectations around professional conduct and device use

• continuing to strengthen child-safe culture across all our services safe culture across all our services

Most importantly, we continue to centre children’s wellbeing and lived experience in how we design and deliver care.

Where to find the full list of national reforms

The reforms above represent only some of the changes coming into effect. Families who would like to explore the complete set of updates can find clear, accessible information on the official ACECQA website > Child safety - What is changing? | ACECQA

Our commitment to you

You trust us with what matters most.

We take that responsibility seriously, and we are committed to ongoing transparency, communication and leadership as these new standards come into effect.

If you have any questions about the reforms or how we are preparing, please contact our Customer Experience Team, or speak with your Service Coordinator at any time.