Federal, state and territory governments share responsibility for quality and safety in early childhood education and care (ECEC).
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The Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) supports governments by providing a national approach.
Safety in early childhood settings is supported by national- and state-level legislation. This legislation is enacted through:
- the National Quality Framework (NQF)
- Child Care Subsidy (CCS).
The Australian Government is responsible for:
- funding ACECQA, an independent national authority
- administering quality and safety measures related to CCS
- oversight of a small number of ECEC services that are out of scope of the NQF and state and territory legislation.
State and territory governments are responsible for:
- regulating providers under the NQF
- enforcing compliance with the National Law and National Regulations.
ACECQA is responsible for:
- supporting all governments to administer the NQF
- promoting continuous improvement and national consistency in regulation of quality and safety in services
- supporting the ECEC sector to improve outcomes for children.
ECEC providers are responsible for:
- implementing safety and quality practices in their services
- following the NQF and relevant laws and regulations
- complying with Family Assistance Law.