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Education Ministers have agreed to further national reforms to build stronger child safety measures. National consultation is underway on the agreed reforms to help inform future decisions and understand the impacts of implementing the next round of child safety changes. Have your say on 7 areas for reform:
Share your feedback on the implementation of further reforms by completing the online survey before 28 April 2026. You can access the survey here.
Learn more
For detailed information about the changes, visit Child Safety Reform Consultation 2026. Please note, this survey will be hosted nationally from the Queensland Department of Education website.
The Tidy-Hi & Litter Buddy is a simple way to introduce children to positive community and environmental behaviours.
The Tidy-Hi is an easy first step. It encourages children and the adults with them to notice people doing good things, the helpers, the quiet champions — and respond with a wave, a smile, or a thank you. It’s a simple way to build confidence through connection.
As children grow, they will learn about more complex environmental challenges. The Tidy-Hi helps lay that foundation in a way that feels positive, age-appropriate, and easy to take part in.
Litter Buddy builds on this by creating a sense of identity. It’s not a one-off event, it’s something children and families can be part of every day. Kids who cheer on others or pick up a piece of litter are Litter Buddies, and the adults around them can be part of that too.
A free digital platform is already live, offering more than 30 fun, family-based Missions, along with songs, colouring, posters, and simple guides for families and educators.
To find out more, click here.
The Australian Government Department of Education is progressively adding more short courses to its online learning platform, Geccko. Geccko is an online learning platform that is tailored to the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector. One of the available courses is ‘Record Keeping under Family Assistance Law’
This course provides early childhood education and care providers who administer Child Care Subsidy (CCS) and Additional Child Care Subsidy (ACCS) with information about the requirement to keep records under Family Assistance Law.
In the course, participants will learn how to:
All Geccko courses are self-paced and can be accessed via tablet, computer, laptop or mobile phone. On completion of this course, you can download a certificate for your professional development records.
To access this course or to find out more about other free online courses provided by Geccko, you can register here.
The Australian Centre for Child Protection (ACCP), in partnership with the Queensland Government has recently released new Community of Practice resources to complement the National Child Safety Training.
Whilst not mandatory, these resources are designed to support sustained learning and help embed the key concepts from the training into everyday practice. Regular discussion and reflection can strengthen shared understanding, build a child-safe culture, and enhance safety for children in education and care settings.
The resources include short, structured discussions and activities that also incorporate family day care scenarios. They can be facilitated by any individual who has completed the National Child Safety Training.
For more information about the Communities of Practice resources, including how they work and how to facilitate them, refer to the Community of Practice Facilitator Guide. The Guide, along with supporting materials for National Child Safety Training Courses 1 and 2 are available on the Australian Centre for Child Protection website.
Please note that the Communities of Practice resources do not replace the mandatory National Child Safety Training required to be completed under the National Law.
Family day care remains a key part of ensuring children and families in regional and remote communities have access to high-quality, flexible early childhood education and care. Evidence from the Family Day Care Capability Trial continues to demonstrate the significant benefits for local communities when new educators open their doors.
Regional educators Kate and Shannon, from Western Australia and northern New South Wales, are strong examples of this impact. Both were familiar with the family day care model and recognised a clear need in their communities for not only care, but high-quality care that reflects both the needs and preferences of local families. Through support from the Trial, both Kate and Shannon were able to undertake the significant work required to establish nurturing, safe environments that meet regulatory and compliance requirements.
The impact of their services opening was immediate, enabling parents to remain in the workforce, reducing the pressure on families and increasing access to preferred care options within their communities.
Outcomes from the Capability Trial continue to highlight how family day care can provide sustainable and flexible models of care to communities in areas of low supply, where other service types may be difficult to establish.
Read Kate and Shannons’ stories here.
We’re looking for the next book reviewer for edition 110 of JiGSAW.
The books to be reviewed will be sent to you and you’ll need to write a 100-150 word review for each book. Best of all, the books will be yours to keep!
If you would like to be considered as our book reviewer, please email marketing@fdca.com.au with your membership number and contact details before noon AEST on 19 April, 2026.
Good luck to everyone!
The Department of Education has declared a Child Care Subsidy (CCS) period of emergency declared in Western Australia.
If you recently closed your service due to a period of emergency, the approved provider should contact the Australian Government Department of Education through the Provider Entry Point (PEP) or third-party software and also contact your state or territory regulatory authority.
The following support is available in affected regions during the CCS period of emergency:
Note: a gap fee waiver is a type of provider discount. Approved providers must report the type and amount of prescribed discounts in session reports if they have been applied for the session.
Click here for more information about support during a CCS period of emergency.
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