27 August 2025

Resources for Direct Gap Fee Collection

To support you, your educators, and the families in your care prepare for the change to Direct Gap Fee Collection (DGFC), FDCA has developed a suite of free resources, available now on our website. 

These resources are designed to assist services at every stage of the transition – whether you’re just getting started, partway through, or already collecting the gap fee. They are intended to support critical reflection and can help refine your systems, practices, policies, and procedures. 

Available now on the FDCA Website: 

• Family Day Care Provider Checklist – Transitioning to DGFC
  A practical guide for services outlining key stages for planning, implementation, and evaluation. 

• Business Implementation Plan – Template and Example
  A resource to help you plan, document actions, assign responsibilities, define timeframes, and track progress. 

• Communication Plan – Template and Example
  A framework for identifying key audiences, messaging, channels, timing, and responsibilities when communicating with educators, families, and staff. 

• Case Study: Reducing the Administrative Load
  Insights into how one service successfully streamlined its operations while transitioning to DGFC. 

• Case Study: Getting Debt Management Right
  A look at how one service approached debt management as part of DGFC implementation. 

• Information Sheet for Families
  Explains the CCS gap fee payment changes from 1 January and what they mean for families. 

• Information Sheet for Educators
  Outlines what the changes mean for family day care educators, including shifting responsibilities and ways to support families. 

• Educator and Family Communication Scripts
  Ready-to-use scripts to help educators feel confident, clear, and supported in conversations with families. 

The full suite of resources can be accessed here.

Is Your Environment Safe, Clean and in Good Repair Every Day?

Maintaining the safety, cleanliness and condition of your family day care environment is not just good practice – it's a requirement under the regulations.

Regulation 103 - Premises, furniture and equipment to be safe, clean and in good repair is reported to be one of the most frequently breached regulations in the family day care sector.

Services and educators have a shared responsibility to ensure that premises, furniture, and equipment are consistently safe, hygienic and in good repair. This creates a safe place for children to play, learn, sleep, explore and grow.

Key Considerations:

• Daily Checks: Carry out and follow safety inspections, cleaning routines and maintenance schedules before children arrive.
• Safe Sleep: Use only appropriate, safe, and well-maintained cots, mattresses and bedding that meet recognised safety standards.
• Correct Use: Follow manufacturers’ instructions for the correct use, setup and cleaning of all equipment and furniture.
• Repairs: Immediately fix or replace damaged or worn items – do not use temporary fixes.
• Outdoor Safety: Ensure outdoor play spaces are secure and free from hazards such as broken equipment, chemicals, or unsecured pets.
• Risk Assessments: Conduct a comprehensive risk assessment of the care environment at least annually (or sooner if changes occur).

When educators commit to ongoing monitoring and maintenance of their physical environments, it supports child safety, strengthens hygiene practices, and helps prevent injuries and illnesses in your family day care environment.

For more information

•  ACECQA - Quality Area 3: Physical Environment
• Guide to the NQF: Element 3.1.2‍
• Staying Healthy: Preventing infectious diseases in ECEC (6th Ed,): Cleaning practices

Red Nose Day

As we mark Red Nose Day on Thursday 28 August, it is an important reminder to reflect on the serious risks associated with children’s sleep and rest – and the vital role that educators and services play in keeping children safe.

The sleep and rest requirements outlined in the National Law and Regulations aim to protect children from potential risks. A sleep and rest risk assessment must be completed at least once every 12 months. It is a proactive tool to:

• Identify and manage risks specific to your service context
• Consider and meet the individual needs of each child
• Respond to environmental changes that may impact sleep safety

By embedding regular risk assessments into everyday practice, educators and services help protect children’s wellbeing, whilst strengthening families’ confidence in their care.

We encourage all educators and services to review current guidance and make use of the many resources available to support safe sleep practices. Reflecting and refreshing your approach helps to ensure you continue to meet requirements – and most importantly, keep children safe.

Useful Links:

• Red Nose – Early Childhood Educators resources
• Red Nose – Supervision of sleeping and resting children in ECEC
• ACECQA – Safe Sleep and Rest Practices Fact Sheet
• ACECQA – Sleep and Rest Risk Assessment Template‍
• Guide to the National Quality Framework – Quality Area 2

Have You Rehearsed Your Emergency and Evacuation Procedures in the Past 3 Months?

One of the most common breaches relates to Regulation 97 Emergency and Evacuation Procedures. While it is ultimately the approved provider's responsibility to ensure that educators are meeting their obligations under this regulation, educators don’t need to wait to rehearse!   

Emergency and evacuation procedures must be rehearsed and documented every three months.

Key points to remember:

• If the service has more than one emergency and evacuation procedure, ALL must be rehearsed every three months.
• Rehearsals must include the children being educated and cared for by the family day care educator on that day.
• Rehearsals of the emergency and evacuation procedures must be documented.

Also, don’t forget…a copy of the emergency and evacuation floor plan and instructions are displayed in a prominent position near each exit at the ECEC service premises, including at a family day care residence.

Educators should contact their approved service if unsure of exactly what, how and when this should be done as each approved service must have a set of policies and procedures that is informed by a risk assessment that identifies potential emergencies relevant to that particular service AND set out instructions for what must be done in the event of an emergency.

For more information, check the National Quality Framework, Element 2.2.2: Incident and emergency management and the ACECQA Policy Guidelines on emergency and evacuations.