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Earlier today FDCA sent out a bulletin to all members seeking input in relation to the development of a number of key policy requests, relating directly to the family day care sector, for the major Australian political parties in the lead up to the next federal election.
From your feedback, FDCA will develop a set of election commitment requests, communicate the requests with the major parties and provide you with the feedback of what the major parties are willing, or unwilling, to commit to which will assist in informing your decision at the next federal election.
The survey questions are based on areas that have been flagged by members as priority areas over the past 24 months, alongside issues that FDCA has identified as important for the ongoing viability of the sector nationally.
To fill in this brief survey please see the bulletin sent out earlier today.
The survey will close at 5.00pm AEDT on Friday 7 February 2025.
Your voice is vital in informing the policies and regulations that affect and govern our sector.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has released a new standardised framework for storing, organising and reporting occupation-related information in Australia, called the Occupation Standard Classification for Australia (OSCA). OSCA will now replace the previously used Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO).
What has changed?
Following extensive stakeholder consultation throughout July 2022 - December 2024 on the previous ANZSCO framework, OSCA contains some new occupational groups and sub-groups, while a number of other previously used occupational classifications have been revised. The purpose of such changes is to ensure the framework (and the data collected as a result) more accurately reflects the current Australian labour market.
Significantly, OSCA now includes the classifications “family day care educator” and “family day care coordinator”, replacing the very general “family day care worker” which was previously used. This change will lead to greater recognition and visibility of the family day care sector in national occupational data. It is a direct result of Family Day Care Australia’s (FDCA) ongoing advocacy efforts, most recently in our submission to the Jobs and Skills Capacity Study last year, to highlight the inappropriate classifications pertaining to family day care in the previous ANZSCO framework.
How will OSCA data be used?
The OSCA will now be the basis for informing Australia’s important decisions involving labour market analysis. The ABS will use OSCA to describe occupations in its statistical output from collections such as the Census of Population and Housing and Labour Force Survey, and administrative data such as the Linked Employer-Employee Dataset.
OSCA can also be used by researchers and policy makers to measure and understand the Australian labour market and will ensure education providers, training programs and workforce policies meet real world requirements. Examples include developing workforce strategies to support industry and establishing mechanisms to ensure the availability of skilled job holders via skilled migration and educational pathways. Importantly, through OSCA, research conducted by Jobs and Skills Australia will more accurately reflect the current skills, roles and qualifications in demand.
For more information about the OSCA, visit the ABS website here.
It’s your final opportunity to submit an abstract for the FDCA 2025 National Conference, with submissions closing this Friday.
If you're lucky enough to be selected, not only will you join an all-star cast, but you will also receive a free ticket to the conference, it's a win-win!
Don’t miss this rare opportunity to join some of Australia's leading minds in the early childhood education and care industry and share your knowledge, expertise and insights at the premier event on the family day care calendar.
Don't miss out on this opportunity! Click here to submit your abstract.
With 2025 up and running we want to help you kick-start the new year!
Over the coming weeks we will be showcasing exclusive member-only resources that can support you in achieving your professional goals for 2025!
In today’s edition of FDCM we’re focusing on your learning and development with the FDCA Online Engagement Series.
Consisting of a library of 12 episodes that cover a wide range of topics tailored for family day care educators and services, the FDCA Online Engagement Series allows you to listen to experts and sector stakeholders engage in discussions on topics that are relevant to everyone in the sector.
The full library of episodes is available to FDCA members via the FDCA Member Zone, with some of the most popular episodes being:
You can view all episodes of the FDCA Online Engagement Series by logging into your FDCA Member Zone and navigate to the “Videos” subheading.
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:
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.
As members are aware from previous communications, one of the measures announced in the 2024-25 Federal Budget was the requirement for all family day care providers to directly collect Child Care Subsidy (CCS) gap fees centrally. The measure is designed to systemically strengthen CCS administration, while also freeing educators from the administrative burden of collecting gap fees from families.
The measure was initially scheduled to be introduced mid 2025. However, following consultations undertaken with members, FDCA provided targeted feedback to the Department of Education on an exposure draft of the proposed legislation. As part of this process, FDCA advocated for the commencement date to be delayed by at least 6 months to allow providers additional time to implement any necessary administrative changes and ensure a smoother transition. FDCA can today confirm that the Australian Government has listened to the sector.
The commencement date of the direct gap fee collection (DGFC) measure has now changed from 1 July 2025 to 1 January 2026, subject to the passage of legislation.
FDCA can also confirm that the collection of CCS gap fees via third-party payment portals and third-party management companies is acceptable under these changes.
To find out more, please click here to view a copy of the bulletin that was sent to FDCA members last week.
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