A family day care approved provider carries obligations a centre does not: 8 extra policies (regulation 169), a register of every educator, co-ordinator and educator assistant with their residence or venue, qualifications, first aid and training, checks, the children in their care and the people living at each residence (regulation 153), evidence that each educator is monitored and supported by a co-ordinator through visits, calls and materials (regulation 153(1)(p)), enough co-ordinators (regulation 123A), and the 7-child and 4-under-school-age limits at each residence (regulation 124). Family day care compliance software has to hold that register, track expiries across dozens of educators, and show the monitoring trail. This page sets out what to look for and where WIDEN Law fits.
What family day care compliance and policy software must handle under the Regulations, the questions to ask, and where WIDEN Law fits for FDC approved providers.
| For each educator | Rule |
|---|---|
| Name, address, date of birth and contact details; the residence or venue (and which it is); engagement and end dates; usual days and hours | r 153(1)(a) to (f) |
| Evidence of qualifications or of actively working towards one; current first aid, anaphylaxis and emergency asthma training; other training | r 153(1)(i) to (k) |
| Working with children check (or teacher registration where allowed) number, expiry and the date sighted | r 153(1)(l), (la) |
| Each child’s name, date of birth and usual days and hours | r 153(1)(m) |
| Any exceptional-circumstances approval to exceed the child limits, with its details | r 153(1)(ma) |
| At a residence: everyone who normally lives there, with their checks and the date sighted | r 153(1)(n), (o) |
| Co-ordinator monitoring and support: dates and times of visits and calls, and materials provided | r 153(1)(p) |
Co-ordinators and educator assistants have their own register entries (r 153(2), (3)), and entries are kept for 3 years after the person leaves (r 153(4)).
On top of the regulation 168 set, a family day care service needs policies on assessing and reassessing residences and venues, engaging or registering educators, keeping the register, monitoring, support and supervision of educators (including those at remote locations), assessing educators, assistants and residents, visitors, information and training for educators, and engaging or registering educator assistants (r 169(2)). See policy management software for what policy software must do.
Co-ordinator FTE under regulation 123A and the child limits under regulation 124 are in the free family day care ratio calculator.
WIDEN Law is not an educator register or a management platform. It covers the rules: upload your regulation 169 policies or an educator handbook for a cited gap analysis, and give co-ordinators one place to get an answer cited to the regulation when an educator rings with a question. The Group plan (A$399 a month, 20 document reviews and 2,000 questions a month) suits a scheme with several co-ordinators; Centre (A$149 a month) suits a small scheme. 14-day free trial, no card.
Eight, in addition to the regulation 168 set: assessing residences and venues, engaging or registering educators, the register, monitoring and supporting educators, assessing educators, assistants and residents, visitors, information and training for educators, and engaging educator assistants (regulation 169(2)).
For each educator: identity and contact details, the residence or venue, dates, usual hours, qualifications, first aid and training, working with children check details, the children in care, any exceptional-circumstances approval, residents at the residence and their checks, and evidence of co-ordinator monitoring and support (regulation 153(1)).
Until the end of 3 years after the educator, co-ordinator or assistant stops being engaged by or registered with the service (regulation 153(4)).
WIDEN Law answers National Quality Framework questions with inline citations to the National Law, the Regulations and the NQS, so you can check the source provision yourself.
14-day free trial, no card →This page is a research summary, not legal or compliance advice. It is written in our own words from the sources linked on the page; confirm the position with your regulatory authority before relying on it for a compliance decision.