NQA ITS: how to lodge a notification

Last reviewed: 8 November 2026. Checked against ACECQA’s notification types and timeframes, applications and notifications forms and NQA ITS getting started guide, and regulations 12, 175 and 176B of the National Regulations, on 8 November 2026.

How to get access, which form to use, how to lodge and follow up a notification, and the deadlines that matter most.

What the NQA ITS is

The National Quality Agenda IT System is the shared system the regulators and ACECQA use to administer the National Quality Framework. Through its public portal, providers submit applications (such as provider and service approvals, amendments and waivers) and notifications (incidents, complaints and changes to information), pay invoices, and view their provider and service details. All applications and notifications are processed by the regulatory authority in the service’s state or territory. Start at acecqa.gov.au/nqaits.

Getting access

1. Register: from the NQA ITS page choose to register, enter your first name, last name and email, accept the terms and set a password.
2. Get linked to a provider or service: a provider administrator adds users and sets their access level.
3. Persons with management or control verify their identity through PRODA (Provider Digital Access) and enter their PRODA registration authority number. Some provider-level forms, such as changes to provider information, need this.

Access level	What the user can do
Service access	Submit application and notification forms for that service
Provider access	Submit forms for the provider and all its services
Provider administrator	Submit forms for the provider and all services, and add other users

Give at least two people at each service the access they need, so a notification can be lodged when the usual person is away.

Lodging a notification step by step

1. Log in and select the service the notification is about. For a change to the provider itself, select the provider instead.
2. Click Forms and choose the notification form.
3. Complete each page. You can save a draft and return to it from Saved Forms.
4. Upload supporting documents, such as the incident record or a statement.
5. Check the summary page, then click Submit. Keep the confirmation email.
6. To add documents later, go to Submitted Forms, choose Notification, select the form and upload. The regulator may also contact you for more information.

Which form

Form	Use it for
SI01	Notification of a serious incident (the incidents defined in regulation 12)
NL01	Notification of complaints, and of incidents that are not serious incidents
SA12	Notification of change to regular transportation of children
PA08	Notification of change to information about the approved provider

Form names follow ACECQA’s forms list and regulator guidance such as ESB’s; check the current list if a form code has changed. ACECQA’s National Decision Tree asks a few questions and tells you whether you must notify, the deadline and the form.

Key notification deadlines

Notification	Deadline
Serious incident: death of a child	As soon as practicable, but within 24 hours
Other serious incidents (serious injury, trauma or illness, emergency services attending, a child missing, taken or locked in or out)	Within 24 hours
Complaint alleging a serious incident, or a contravention of the National Law	Within 24 hours of the complaint
Reasonable belief, or allegation, of physical or sexual abuse of a child at the service	Within 24 hours of the incident, allegation or becoming aware
Incident requiring closure or a reduction in the number of children	Within 24 hours
Change to a staff member’s working with children check status (r 176B)	Within 24 hours of becoming aware
Circumstance posing a risk to a child’s health, safety or wellbeing	Within 7 days
Nominated supervisor leaving; proposed change to premises	Within 7 days

This is a selection. ACECQA’s notification types and timeframes table lists every notification, including provider changes, transfers and closures. Victoria has an extra 24-hour notification for sexual offences or misconduct by staff. Notifications to the regulator are separate from reporting under state child protection and reportable conduct laws: see child protection requirements.

Practical tips

• Record the incident first (regulation 87 record) and tell parents (regulation 86); the notification draws on the same facts.
• If you are unsure whether it is serious, use the Decision Tree; when in doubt, notify within 24 hours.
• If the portal is unavailable and a 24-hour deadline is running, contact your regulatory authority directly.
• Keep a log of every notification, its submission time and the regulator’s response, as evidence for Standard 7.1.

Frequently asked questions

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.