Our Child Protection Refresher training for early childhood puts mandatory reporting at the centre of practice. It equips educators, teachers, room leaders, directors and approved providers to recognise indicators of abuse and neglect, document concerns clearly, decide when the threshold is met, and make a mandatory report through the correct state or territory pathway in Australia. The session is practical, scenario based and supported by decision guides and ready to use templates.
This refresher strengthens confident, child focused responses in long day care, kindergarten and outside school hours care, and aligns with the Child Safe Standards and sector expectations.
You will learn how to:
Understand mandatory reporting obligations and reporting thresholds in early childhood
Identify indicators of abuse and neglect, including cumulative harm and grooming
Respond to disclosures safely and professionally
Make a report online or by phone with the information child protection needs
Keep accurate records that meet legal and service requirements
Communicate with families and colleagues while respecting confidentiality and information sharing laws
Note: This is a professional development training program, not an accredited course of study. Educators who require the accredited unit should seek CHCPRT025 Identify and report children and young people at risk.
This Child Protection Refresher and Mandatory Reporting training is designed for professionals working with children, particularly in early childhood education and care settings. It ensures compliance with child protection legislation and strengthens your ability to identify, report, and respond to signs of harm or neglect.
This course is relevant for:
Early Childhood Educators
Whether you’re experienced or newly qualified, this training will reinforce your ability to create a safe and supportive learning environment. You'll also strengthen your responsibilities in mandatory reporting and recognising signs of abuse or neglect.
Kindergarten Teachers
Teachers play a key role in early detection and intervention. This course deepens your understanding of child protection frameworks, promotes positive educator–child relationships, and supports your legal reporting obligations.
Centre Directors and Program Managers
As a leader, you’re responsible for policy, compliance, and educator support. This training equips you to uphold mandatory reporting responsibilities, implement protective measures, and embed child-safe practices across your service.
Student Teachers and Early Career Educators
This foundational training helps you build confidence and awareness in responding to child protection concerns. You'll gain clarity on reporting processes, risk indicators, and how to act ethically and legally.
Family Day Care Educators
Operating in home-based settings requires strong awareness of mandatory reporting duties and risk factors. This course empowers you to identify warning signs, respond appropriately to disclosures, and maintain a child-safe culture.
By completing this nationally aligned refresher, you’re not just meeting compliance: You’re actively contributing to safer outcomes for children in your care.
Our Child Protection and Mandatory Reporting refresher training course offers a fully online, self-paced learning experience tailored to the needs of early childhood professionals. Access high-quality, up-to-date training from the comfort of your home, workplace, or on the go.
What You’ll Learn: Module Breakdown
Our interactive eLearning platform is designed to be engaging, easy to navigate, and rich in content. Through a mix of videos, quizzes, and guided modules, you'll cover essential child protection knowledge and reporting responsibilities.
Course Modules Include:
Introduction
Myths and Untruths
Obligations and Responsibilities
What is Abuse
Types of Abuse
Indicators of Abuse
Disclosures
How to Respond
Documentation
Triage and Reporting
Agencies and Departments
Ethics and Professionalism
Research and Statistics
Risk Factors
Building Child Safe Environments
Additional Resources
Why Choose This Online Course?
Self-Paced Flexibility
Learn on your schedule, at your own pace — ideal for educators balancing work and study.
Comprehensive, Practical Content
Gain a deep understanding of child protection legislation, mandatory reporting processes, and how to respond appropriately to concerns.
Designed for Early Childhood Professionals
Tailored to meet the needs of educators, directors, family day care providers, and student teachers in early childhood settings.
Meet Compliance Requirements
Stay up to date with child protection regulations and sector expectations across Australia.
Child protection is a core responsibility for all early childhood professionals. This refresher training supports educators in creating safer, more responsive early learning environments by strengthening their knowledge of child abuse indicators, reporting processes, and child-safe practices.
Why Child Protection Training Matters in Early Childhood
Supports Early Intervention
Educators learn to recognise early warning signs of abuse or neglect, enabling prompt and effective action.
Promotes a Child-Safe Culture
By embedding child protection policies and procedures, services can minimise risk and meet national quality standards.
Strengthens Communication with Families
This course helps educators develop the skills to engage with children and families in ways that support openness, trust, and protective relationships.
Enhances Daily Practice
From observation to documentation and team collaboration, the course links directly to day-to-day responsibilities in early childhood settings.
Aligns with Mandatory Reporting Responsibilities
Although not accredited, this training helps educators understand their legal and ethical duties in identifying and reporting children at risk.
Ongoing professional development in child protection is essential for maintaining high-quality, safe early learning environments. This course complements accredited training and ensures that all staff remain confident, informed, and proactive in their role.
No, this course is not nationally accredited. It is a professional development training program designed to support early childhood educators in meeting their child protection responsibilities. If you are required to complete a nationally recognised qualification, you should enrol in CHCPRT025 – Identify and report children and young people at risk, which is the current accredited unit of competency in Australia for child protection and mandatory reporting.
That said, this refresher course provides a comprehensive overview of child protection principles and is widely accepted by early learning services as part of ongoing professional development. It’s particularly useful for meeting internal training requirements or refreshing your knowledge between accredited updates.
This course is suitable for any professional working with children in early childhood education and care settings. That includes:
Early Childhood Educators
Kindergarten Teachers
Centre Directors and Educational Leaders
Program Managers and Coordinators
Family Day Care Educators
Student Teachers and Early Career Educators
Whether you’re new to the sector or have years of experience, this course will reinforce your understanding of child safety, abuse indicators, and mandatory reporting responsibilities, all within the context of day-to-day early learning practice.
This course is not a formal accredited unit, but it is designed to align with mandatory reporting principles and responsibilities applicable to early childhood education professionals in Australia.
The training covers key topics such as recognising signs of abuse and neglect, how to respond to disclosures, how to document concerns, and what to know about the reporting process. It helps ensure that educators understand their legal and ethical obligations to report child protection concerns and how these apply in a range of early childhood settings.
If your role requires you to complete accredited mandatory reporting training, you may also need to complete CHCPRT025.
This is a self-paced online course, meaning you can complete it at your own convenience. On average, most participants complete the training in 1 hour though this can vary depending on your learning style, previous experience, and schedule.
The course is designed to be flexible and accessible, allowing you to pause and resume as needed, without time restrictions once enrolled.
Yes, many early childhood education services accept this course as a recognised form of professional development, especially for refresher purposes. It is commonly used by services to support staff induction, annual training programs, or compliance reviews.
However, it’s important to check with your Approved Provider or regulatory authority if you are unsure about the specific training requirements in your state or territory, especially if an accredited child protection unit is mandatory under your employment or funding arrangement.
Yes. The course is delivered via a mobile-friendly, cloud-based online learning platform. You can log in and complete your modules on desktop computers, tablets, or smartphones — making it easy to learn wherever you are, whether you’re at home, on a break, or at your early learning service.
Yes. Once you complete all course modules, you will receive a Certificate of Completion. This certificate can be used as evidence of professional learning and may be submitted to your service or governing body as part of your ongoing compliance and development records.
Please note that this certificate is not equivalent to a nationally accredited qualification.
Best practice suggests that child protection and mandatory reporting training should be refreshed every 12 to 24 months, or as required by your early learning service or state-based legislation.
Regular updates ensure educators remain aware of current policies, reporting pathways, and changes in legislation. It also helps reinforce a culture of safety across your service, ensuring that child protection is part of everyday professional practice.
Yes. The content in this course is regularly reviewed and updated to reflect current Australian child protection legislation, regulatory standards, and sector guidelines. It covers obligations relevant across states and territories and aligns with best practice in the early childhood education sector.
While it does not replace accredited training, it is a reliable resource for staying up to date with your professional responsibilities.
Yes. This course is an excellent option for new educators during induction. It provides a strong foundation in recognising and responding to abuse and neglect, understanding reporting processes, and building child-safe environments from the outset of a new role.
It’s also suitable for services seeking to include a structured child protection component within their onboarding and orientation processes.
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Making Education acknowledges the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the first people of the nation and the Traditional Owners of the land on which we work and play. We are committed to the cultural safety of Aboriginal children and families and recognise their continuing connection to Culture, Land, Water, and Community and we pay our respects to Elders past, present, and emerging. Making Education celebrates and welcomes people from all cultures, religions, spiritualities, ages, genders, sexualities, bodies, abilities & backgrounds and will ensure that all children and their families will be supported to express their culture and enjoy their cultural rights.
