Quality Child Care
Child Care Quality Assurance
State and Territory Government Regulations
The Child Care Quality Assurance Framework
FaCSIA
National Childcare Accreditation Council
Accreditation Decisions Review Committee
Support for Services
Improvements to the Child Care Quality Assurance systems
Reporting issues with the quality of child care
Quality Assurance Factsheet - PDF [138kb] | RTF [60kb]
Child Care Quality Assurance
The broad objective of the Child Care Quality Assurance (CCQA) is to ensure that children in care have stimulating, positive experiences and interactions that will foster all aspects of their development and promote quality care for all children in approved Australian child care services.
The aim of the CCQA is to provide a framework for reviewing, measuring and improving the quality of the work being done by approved child care providers. CCQA focuses on quality outcomes for children. It encompasses processes of self-study and continuing improvement against principles of quality care.
The CCQA framework
- improves outcomes for children;
- improves the accountability of child care to the public; and
- better equips services to cater for children's individual needs.
State and Territory Government Regulations
State and Territory Governments have the prime responsibility of family support, child welfare, regulations and licensing.CCQA is designed to build on and complement State and Territory Government licensing regulations (where they exist), which generally provide a minimum standard of operation for services.
The regulations cover a range of factors including space, equipment, number of staff and their qualifications, number and ages of children. Not all states and territories have comprehensive regulations in place.
The Child Care Quality Assurance Framework
CCQA has an administrative framework comprising FaCSIA, the National Childcare Accreditation Council (NCAC) and the Accreditation Decisions Review Committee (ADRC).The CCQA Framework comprises three core partners with interlinking and individual responsibility for the day to day management, monitoring and implementation of the individual CCQA systems and those services, structures and customers that deliver and use quality child care in Australia.
FaCSIA
The Child Care Quality and Compliance Branch of FaCSIA manages the administration of the CCQA Framework. It funds and has contracts with the NCAC and the ADRC. FaCSIA also has legislative responsibilities for managing non-compliant child care services. To be eligible for Child Care Benefit approval, Family Day Care (FDC), Centre based Long Day Care (LDC) and Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) services must register for and satisfactorily participate in CCQA. FaCSIA consults with peak bodies and child care services on major policy and program development.National Childcare Accreditation Council
The National Childcare Accreditation Council (NCAC) is responsible for the implementation and administration of the Ministerially approved Child Care Quality Assurance (CCQA) systems for family day care schemes, outside school hours care services and long day care centres across Australia. It is an association incorporated under NSW legislation, and is authorised to operate in all other States and Territories of Australia.The CCQA systems operate on a five step process which measures the quality of care provided by the service and identifies areas for ongoing quality improvement. The ultimate aim of these CCQA systems for child care services is to promote and ensure quality outcomes for children.
NCAC aims to:
- support continuous improvement in the quality of child care provided for children in Australia
- provide child care providers and families with advice and support relating to the quality of child care; and
- advocate for children and the provision of high quality child care.
Corporate governance of the NCAC is exercised by a Ministerially appointed board, which includes a Chairperson and seven members. The NCAC Board appoints the Chief Executive Officer who manages NCAC operations and staff. The NCAC Board meets six to eight times a year.
Further Information
- (02) 8260 1900
- 1300 136 554 (for the cost of a local call unless telephoning from a mobile phone)
- National Childcare Accreditation Council (NCAC)
Accreditation Decisions Review Committee
The Accreditation Decisions Review Committee (ADRC) is a ministerially appointed body, independent of the National Childcare Accreditation Council (NCAC), responsible for reviewing Accreditation Decisions made by the NCAC. Child care services that are seeking a review of their Accreditation Decision may apply to the ADRC.This includes services that have been accredited but that may want to appeal their ratings. Reviews undertaken by the ADRC lead to recommendations for consideration and determination by the NCAC. The ADRC cannot overturn an NCAC Accreditation Decision.
Further Information
Support for Services
The Inclusion and Professional Support Program
The Inclusion and Professional Support Program (IPSP) is an Australian Government funded program currently delivered by state and territory based Professional Support Coordinators (PSCs), Indigenous Professional Support Units (IPSUs) and Inclusion Support Agencies (ISAs). Through this program, eligible child care services have access to affordable support, advice, resources and training. The IPSP complements the CCQA Framework by providing access to up to date information to assist child care services to achieve accreditation and to maintain a high level of quality child care.Once a service has been reported on two occasions by the NCAC for failing to gain accreditation, the NCAC refers the service to a PSC for ongoing support and advice. The service is required to access support from a PSC to ensure that it meets CCQA standards following its subsequent cycle through the relevant CCQA system.
Improvements to Child Care Quality Assurance systems
The Minister for Families Community Services and Indigenous Affairs Mal Brough announced changes to the CCQA systems at the National Family Day Care Conference on 18 May 2006. These changes are designed to deliver a more robust and reliable Quality Assurance process and improve the quality of care for children in child care.Further Information
Reporting issues with the quality of child care
If you consider your child care service is not providing quality child care you can:- Call the National Childcare Accreditation Council on 1300 13655, or
- Write to:
The Chief Executive Officer
National Childcare Accreditation Council
Level 3, 418a Elizabeth Street
Surry Hills NSW 2010
If you wish to report issues relating to the licensing of the child care service, for example, health and safety issues, the adequacy of space and equipment in the centre or staff to child ratios you will need to contact the State or Territory Government Department responsible for child care licensing and regulations.