Under Queensland’s Child Safe Organisations Act 2024, every approved provider under the Education and Care Services National Law (Queensland) is a child safe entity (sch 1 s 3) and must implement and comply with the 10 child safe standards and the universal principle of cultural safety for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children (s 9, 11). For early childhood services this applied from 1 January 2026. The Reportable Conduct Scheme started on 1 July 2026: the head of the entity must notify the Queensland Family and Child Commission of a reportable allegation or conviction about a worker within 3 business days, and give an interim or final report within 30 business days (s 34).
The 10 standards and the universal principle, the 2026 dates for early childhood services, the Reportable Conduct Scheme deadlines, and how they fit with the NQF.
| Standard (s 9, summarised) | Related NQF obligation | |
|---|---|---|
| (a) | Child safety and wellbeing is embedded in leadership, governance and culture | governance policy |
| (b) | Children are informed about their rights, participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously | regulation 155 |
| (c) | Families and communities are informed and involved in promoting child safety and wellbeing | NQS 6.1 |
| (d) | Equity is upheld and diverse needs respected in policy and practice | inclusion support |
| (e) | People working with children are suitable and supported to reflect child safety and wellbeing values in practice | blue card, staff records |
| (f) | Processes to respond to complaints and concerns are child-focused | complaints policy |
| (g) | Staff and volunteers are equipped through ongoing education and training to keep children safe | child protection and child safety training |
| (h) | Physical and online environments promote safety and wellbeing and minimise the opportunity for harm | supervision plan, digital technologies |
| (i) | Implementation of the standards is regularly reviewed and improved | policy review schedule |
| (j) | Policies and procedures document how the entity is safe for children | child safe environment policy |
In applying the standards, an entity must also provide an environment that promotes and upholds the right to cultural safety of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children (the universal principle), and must have regard to the Commission’s guidelines (s 11).
| Step | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Initial report to the Commission of a reportable allegation or reportable conviction about a worker | Within 3 business days after the head of the entity becomes aware |
| Interim or final report | Within 30 business days after the head becomes aware |
Source: section 34. This is separate from, and in addition to, notifying the education and care regulator of an allegation of physical or sexual abuse or a serious incident (see serious incident notification) and any report to child safety services under mandatory reporting.
Yes. Approved providers under the Education and Care Services National Law (Queensland) are child safe entities under Schedule 1 of the Child Safe Organisations Act 2024, and must implement the 10 child safe standards and the universal principle. For early childhood services this applied from 1 January 2026.
1 July 2026. Early childhood services are reporting entities, and the Queensland Family and Child Commission administers the scheme.
The head of the reporting entity must give the Commission an initial report within 3 business days of becoming aware of a reportable allegation or conviction, and an interim or final report within 30 business days (section 34).
In implementing the child safe standards, an entity must provide an environment that promotes and upholds the right to cultural safety of children who are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander persons (section 11(2)).
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.
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