Childcare Incidents on the Rise
National data from the Productivity Commission indicates a rise in serious incidents endangering child health and wellbeing within Australian early childhood education and care services. In 2024, approximately 160 serious incidents were reported per 100 National Quality Framework (NQF)-approved services.
What Constitutes a "Serious Incident"?
The Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) classifies "serious incidents" as events that could harm a child's wellbeing. These include:
- Injuries
- Severe allergic reactions
- Illness-related events such as seizures or asthma attacks
- Contact with hazardous materials
- A child leaving a facility off-schedule
Breaches of National Guidelines Double
Between 2024 and 2025, nearly eight percent of these serious incidents were linked to breaches of national guidelines. This rate represents an almost doubling from the 4.1 percent recorded during the 2019-2020 period.
"Nearly eight percent of these serious incidents were linked to breaches of national guidelines. This rate represents an almost doubling from the 4.1 percent recorded during the 2019-2020 period."
Staff Qualifications Decline
While the number of NQF-approved early childhood learning and childcare services increased to 18,018 as of June 30 last year, the commission also identified a decline in staff quality.
In 2024, 75 percent of childcare staff held formal qualifications at Certificate III or higher levels, or possessed at least three years of relevant experience. This marks a decrease from 82.1 percent of staff meeting the same qualification or experience criteria in 2021.