How Early Learning Services Can Prepare for the 2026 NQS Child Safety Standards

From 1 January 2026, the National Quality Standard (NQS) will be refined to give child safety even greater prominence. These changes affect Quality Area 2 (Children’s Health and Safety) and Quality Area 7 (Governance and Leadership). For early learning leaders, it means preparing staff, policies and governance frameworks so that child safety is not just a compliance requirement, but part of the everyday culture across the service.

At McArthur, we have partnered with early learning services and centres for more than 35 years, providing workforce expertise and long-term advisory support on compliance, governance and best practice. As one of Australia’s most experienced recruitment and HR partners in Early Childhood Education, we know that changes to the National Quality Framework (NQF) and the National Quality Standard (NQS) are most effective when services are equipped to translate them into daily practice.

Understanding the 2026 NQS Child Safety Changes in Early Learning

The 2026 refinements are designed to make child safety explicit within the NQS. While child protection has always been a core principle, these changes place greater emphasis on accountability at every level — from frontline educators to service governance.

This signals to services that compliance will be judged not only on whether policies exist but also on whether they are actively implemented, monitored and demonstrated during quality assessment and rating.

NQS Quality Area 2: Child Safety and Protection Requirements for 2026

From January 2026, Element 2.2.3 will change to Child Safety and Protection. Services will be required to demonstrate that:

• All staff are aware of their roles and responsibilities regarding child safety.
• Every child at risk of abuse or neglect is identified and responded to appropriately.

For early learning services, this means ensuring that child protection obligations are clear to all educators and consistently reinforced in practice.

NQS Quality Area 7: Governance and Leadership with a Child Safety Focus

Quality Area 7 will also be strengthened to explicitly reference child safety. Under the new wording:

• Governance must support the operation of a service that is child safe by design.
• Policies and systems must be well-documented, reviewed regularly and developed in partnership with staff and families.
• Leadership must demonstrate how child safety is integrated into decision-making and service culture.

For centre directors and leaders, this requires moving beyond compliance to show that governance frameworks actively enable safe, ethical and accountable practices.

What the 2026 NQS Child Safety Refinements Mean for Your Service

For services, the refinements represent an opportunity to strengthen both compliance and culture. Leaders will need to provide evidence that:

• Staff are confident in their child safety responsibilities.
• Governance structures actively support child protection.
• Families are engaged in conversations about safety and trust the service’s approach.
• Documentation and reporting demonstrate proactive risk management.

ACECQA Guide to the NQF: Updated Support for Child Safety and Online Safety

The Guide to the NQF is one of the most important resources for services preparing for these refinements. ACECQA has confirmed that the guide will be updated in 2026 to reflect the new requirements for Quality Areas 2 and 7.

These updates will provide:

• Additional examples of how services can demonstrate their child safe practices during assessment and rating.
• Practical guidance on embedding child safety into both policies and everyday practice.
• New content to support children’s online safety, ensuring digital environments are also considered part of a child safe service.

Incorporating the Guide to the NQF into your review process will help demonstrate readiness and reassure families and regulators that your service is committed to excellence in child safety.

Preparing for the 2026 NQS Child Safety Standards with McArthur

The refinements to the NQS highlight that child safety is not simply a compliance task, it is the foundation of quality in early learning. By preparing early, updating policies and engaging your workforce, your service can move confidently into 2026 with a strong child safe culture.

Steps for Early Learning Leaders to Prepare for 2026

Drawing on our national experience, McArthur recommends that early learning leaders:

1. Review policies and procedures. Update them to reflect the new NQS wording and ensure reporting and protection obligations are clear.
2. Engage your educators. Involve staff in policy development to build understanding and ownership.
3. Strengthen governance practices. Make child safety a regular agenda item in leadership and family engagement.
4. Document practice. Keep records of staff training, incident management and policy reviews for quality assessment.
5. Partner with sector experts. Work with McArthur to align workforce, compliance and governance strategies in preparation for 2026.

McArthur’s Early Childhood Education consultants are here to help. We work with centres nationwide to align workforce practices and support compliance strategies. Contact McArthur today to prepare your educators and support staff for the 2026 NQS child safety standards with confidence.