Ensuring your early childhood service is a Child Safe Organisation is not only a regulatory requirement—it’s a critical responsibility. As expectations around child protection continue to evolve, providers must proactively demonstrate that their environments, policies, and practices prioritise the safety and wellbeing of every child.
Our Child Safety Audit is a practical, supportive service designed to help early childhood providers meet the Child Safe Standards, align with the National Quality Framework (NQF), and build genuine, transparent safety cultures.
Delivered by experienced early childhood and compliance professionals, this audit gives you expert insights into your current practices, pinpoints areas of risk or non-compliance, and provides a clear path forward.
Our Child Safety Audit is designed to support a wide range of professionals and organisations working in early childhood education and care. Whether you're managing a single service or overseeing multiple centres, this audit provides critical insights and practical guidance to strengthen your child safety practices.
If you are an Approved Provider under the National Law, you carry the ultimate responsibility for ensuring your services operate as child-safe organisations. This audit provides you with objective evidence of compliance, supports risk management, and strengthens your position in meeting legislative obligations—especially under the Child Safe Standards, National Principles for Child Safe Organisations, and state-specific regulations.
Directors and Nominated Supervisors are at the front line of daily implementation. This audit offers you a clear, external perspective on how your policies are being lived in practice. It also supports your leadership role in guiding teams, identifying training needs, and responding confidently during Assessment & Rating or investigations.
Embedding a culture of child safety is more than policies—it’s about pedagogy, critical reflection, and continuous improvement. Educational Leaders can use the audit findings to align practice with Quality Area 2, inform professional development planning, and lead meaningful conversations with teams around child wellbeing and empowerment.
If you manage multiple early childhood services, this audit can be scaled to provide a consistent framework for evaluating child safety practices across your organisation. It helps you identify system-wide risks, benchmark quality across services, and meet governance obligations with confidence.
Whether you're opening a new centre, onboarding new leadership, or recovering from a compliance breach, this audit provides a strong foundation for embedding child safety into your service from the ground up. It ensures your practices are not only compliant but also aligned with community expectations and best practice.
Your Child Safety Audit is a comprehensive, three-part service designed to provide both clarity and confidence in your organisation’s approach to child safety. Each component is delivered by experienced early childhood professionals with expertise in compliance, regulation, and the Child Safe Standards.
We spend a full day at your early childhood service, conducting a practical, evidence-informed review of your child safety systems, environments, and practices. This includes:
Physical environment walkthrough to assess visibility, supervision, access control, and child-safe design
Policy and procedure review focusing on child protection, complaints, staff conduct, supervision, incident reporting, and more
Observations of practice including staff-child interactions, supervision strategies, transitions, and relational safety
Staff conversations to gauge understanding of child safety responsibilities and the embedding of child-safe values
Leadership dialogue to explore governance, incident response systems, and ongoing professional learning strategies
Our audit approach is strengths-based, discreet, and tailored to your unique context. We aim to support—not scrutinise—your team.
Following the audit, you’ll receive a detailed report that provides clear, actionable insights. This includes:
A summary of your service’s current alignment with Child Safe Standards and National Quality Framework requirements
Identification of both strengths and risks across policies, environments, and daily practices
Specific, prioritised recommendations for improvement based on best practice and regulatory guidance
A tailored action plan that can be used for Quality Improvement Planning, team training, or leadership decision-making
The report is designed to be shared internally with staff, leadership, and governance bodies, and can also serve as evidence of proactive compliance during Assessment & Rating or investigations.
Approximately 1–2 weeks after the report is delivered, we’ll schedule a 60-minute virtual session with your leadership team. This session is an opportunity to:
Unpack the report findings and recommendations
Clarify any questions or context-specific concerns
Prioritise next steps for action and implementation
Identify areas where additional support or professional learning may be beneficial
This session ensures that you’re not left with a document, but with a clear and supported path forward.
A child safety audit is a structured, evidence-informed review of your early childhood service’s policies, environments, and practices. It assesses how well your service aligns with the Child Safe Standards, National Quality Framework (NQF), and relevant state-based requirements. The audit helps identify strengths, uncover risks, and provide clear recommendations to improve child safety and compliance.
Yes. The audit is mapped to the National Quality Standard, particularly Quality Area 2 – Children’s Health and Safety. It also supports service leaders to meet responsibilities under the Education and Care Services National Law and Regulations. The audit process aligns with the expectations of regulatory authorities and can support preparation for Assessment and Rating.
This service is suitable for Approved Providers, Centre Directors, Nominated Supervisors, Educational Leaders, and operational teams in early childhood education. It is also highly relevant for multi-site providers, new services, services undergoing change, or those seeking to demonstrate a proactive approach to child safety compliance.
The on-site audit is delivered over one full day, typically during standard operating hours. This allows our team to observe authentic practice, staff-child interactions, and daily service operations without disruption.
During the on-site audit, our team will:
Walk through the physical environment to assess safety, supervision, and access control
Review key documentation such as child protection policies, incident reports, and complaints processes
Observe interactions and supervision practices
Hold informal discussions with staff and leadership to assess understanding of child safety responsibilities
All observations are conducted respectfully and with minimal disruption to daily routines.
No. The audit is designed to be discreet, collaborative, and minimally intrusive. We work around your service’s routines and engage with your team in a way that supports open, authentic insights without disrupting children’s experiences or staff workflow.
Yes. The audit process can be adapted to suit Out of School Hours Care (OSHC), Family Day Care (FDC), or other early childhood settings. We adjust the review to reflect the unique operational, regulatory, and environmental aspects of each service type.
You will receive a detailed written report containing:
A summary of your service’s alignment with the Child Safe Standards and NQF
Identified strengths and areas for improvement
Specific, actionable recommendations
A prioritised action plan to support implementation and quality improvement
The report is confidential and can be used as evidence for internal planning, staff training, and Assessment and Rating.
Yes. The audit findings can inform updates to your Quality Improvement Plan (QIP), demonstrate a commitment to child safety, and support your preparation for Assessment and Rating. The report uses clear, professional language that aligns with the NQS and regulatory frameworks.
No, the audit is not mandatory. However, engaging in a third-party child safety audit is considered best practice. It demonstrates a proactive approach to risk management, compliance, and a strong commitment to providing a child-safe environment. It can also help services meet new or evolving regulatory expectations.
You can book an audit by completing our online enquiry form or contacting our team directly. We will schedule a suitable date for your service and send you a short pre-audit checklist to help you prepare.
Yes. After you receive the written report, we provide a one-hour virtual follow-up session. This gives your leadership team the opportunity to ask questions, clarify recommendations, and plan next steps. We can also recommend relevant professional learning or support services if required.
Our on-site audit service is currently available in selected regions, with expansion planned. If your service is located outside these areas, virtual options or tailored support may be available. Please contact us to discuss availability in your location.
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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.
