How We Keep Children Safe

In light of recent headlines involving serious alleged incidents in the childcare sector, many families understandably feel unsettled. We appreciate how upsetting it can be to think your child may have been subject to distressing circumstances.

While there’s no connection between those stories and our centres, we want to take a moment to share the steps we take every single day to ensure children’s wellbeing at Child’s Play Early Learning Centre.

Lucy Holmes, our compliance officer, says, ‘At Child’s Play, safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. Every child has the right to grow in a safe and nurturing environment.’ Here’s how we support your child’s safety at our early learning centres.

Our hiring process (and why it matters)

The most important factor in any childcare environment is the people who care for your child. That’s why our recruitment process is so thorough.

Before anyone joins our team, they go through multiple layers of screening to ensure they’re not only highly qualified, but also deeply aligned with our values.

Here’s how we screen every single educator:

Police Checks no older than 6 months
Working with Children Checks (WWCC) and Victoria Institute of Teaching (VIT) registration verified before starting, and re-verified every month
Professional reference checks from previous employers to confirm the candidate’s track record in working with children and flag any past concerns
Qualification checks to ensure each educator has a valid and relevant early childhood qualification approved by the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA)
Values-based interviewing to assess for a genuine commitment to children’s wellbeing

We don’t use agency staff at Child’s Play because we believe your child deserves continuity of care from educators and teachers who are part of our permanent, trusted team.

This allows us to build consistent relationships with children and families, and maintain a shared understanding of every child’s needs, routines, and learning styles.

Ongoing review and training

Staff screening is just the beginning. Once someone joins the Child’s Play team, we continue to support and review their professional growth through ongoing training and monitoring.

Here are the ways we keep child safety as a priority for all staff:

Annual training on the Child Safe Standards, reviewing all 11 standards to ensure all team members understand legal responsibilities, attitudes, and practices that help children feel safe and respected.
Every educator signs our Child Safe Standards Code of Conduct – a values-based agreement that outlines expectations around behaviour, professionalism, and the rights of a child’s voice.
Quarterly audits to review our compliance with all 11 Child Safe Standards, which allow our child safety champion to evaluate and monitor the already embedded practices of the Child Safe Standards.
Mandatory reporting training refreshed yearly, so educators understand their legal duty to report any reasonable belief that a child is experiencing abuse or neglect.
Ongoing workshops and learning modules on topics like reportable conduct, safety planning, supervision strategies, and respectful communication.

We foster a culture where educators feel safe to speak up and seek guidance. When staff are encouraged to reflect openly and ask questions without hesitation, it strengthens our collective ability to notice, respond to, and prevent harm.

A culture of openness and accountability

Keeping children safe isn’t just about what’s written in a policy folder. It’s about the way educators notice the small things, how they speak gently, step in early, and work together as a team your child knows and trusts.

At Child’s Play, we maintain a workplace culture where:

Our educators work in shared spaces, with open lines of sight and plenty of support around them. Care is always collaborative, and educators provide constant, active supervision to support the safeguarding, education, and care of children.
Children’s voices are heard and respected. They know they have the right to say no and to speak up. Educators are trained to understand relevant cues, body language and behaviour in both verbal and non-verbal children.
Families are encouraged to ask questions, raise concerns, or just chat with our team at drop-off, pick-up, or anytime in between.
Our family app helps keep communication open, with space for parents and guardians to message educators directly, and for team members to provide updates and little moments from each child’s day.

‘Accountability means taking ownership of your actions and their immediate impact,’ says Lucy Holmes, our compliance officer. ‘At Child’s Play, every staff member is responsible for upholding the rights of the children and the highest standards of safety, care, and respect.’

And at our centres, accountability isn’t optional. It’s a daily expectation. It shows up in the little things – how we communicate, how we support each other, and how we speak up when something doesn’t feel right.

What you can do

While we work every day to ensure children’s safety at Child’s Play, families play an essential role too. Together, we create a strong, protective circle around each child.

There are a few everyday things you can do that make a big difference to your child’s sense of safety and confidence, both with us and at home.

Keep the conversation going

Take a few minutes each day to chat with your child about their day at childcare. You might ask, ‘What made you smile today?’, ‘Which educator did you play near?’, or ‘Did you choose an affirmation today?’ These gentle check-ins build trust over time and help children feel safe to share.

Talk about body safety

Use age-appropriate language to teach children about their bodies, safe and unsafe touch, and their right to say ‘no’. Books and everyday moments (during times like getting dressed or nappy changes) can help these lessons feel natural, not scary.

Stay connected with us

If something ever feels off or unclear, please talk to your centre team. We welcome questions and value your instincts. You know your child best. We see families as our partners in creating a safe, open environment, and you’ll never be dismissed or brushed off at Child’s Play.

Book a tour at your childcare centre

Take a walk through your childcare centre and see how the educators connect with the children. We always encourage families and guardians to visit. Our educators are warm, passionate, and genuinely connected with the children in their care. Book a tour at Child’s Play, and ask as many questions as you like.

Our ongoing promise to families and guardians

We understand how much trust it takes to leave your child in someone else’s care. And we want you to know that we don’t take that trust lightly.

Every policy, every training, every staff meeting, and every moment of care at Child’s Play is guided by this principle: Every Child Matters.

We remain deeply committed to protecting, nurturing, and advocating for each child in our care. And if you ever have questions about our practices, or simply want to talk, our doors are always open.

Child safety and wellbeing is paramount. Together, we can keep building the kind of community where children grow with confidence, joy, and safety.