ACECQA - FAQ

Updated on 07 Oct, 2020

Where can I find information about Coronavirus (COVID-19)? 

You can find information about the Coronavirus (COVID-19) relevant to the education and care sector  at https://www.acecqa.gov.au/covid-19

I hold a qualification from overseas. How do I find out if it’s approved to work in Australia under the NQF?

First you should check to see if your qualification is approved. If your qualification is published on the approved NQF Qualifications List and meets the requirements on the list, you can work at the level specified.
 If your qualification is not on this list, you can apply to ACECQA to have your qualification assessed under the NQF. You must read the assessment requirements before you apply.

If you are applying for a skilled migration visa under the Child Care Centre Manager or Child Care Worker (group leaders only) occupations you will require a Skills Assessment. This is a separate application to the qualification assessment function under the NQF. Please refer to the Skilled Migration section of our website.

Please note: If you require an assessment under the NQF and a Skills Assessment for migration purposes, you will only need to submit a Skills Assessment Application. ACECQA will automatically assess for both purposes if you do not hold an NQF approved qualification.

Is my qualification approved?

ACECQA has a qualifications checker which helps you to determine whether your qualifications are recognised under the NQF. If your qualification is listed and meets the requirements on the list, you can work at the level specified.

I am studying a qualification. Can I work in a service?

If you are 'actively working towards' an ACECQA approved qualification (certificate III, diploma or early childhood teaching (ECT))  you may be counted towards qualification requirements. Read more about actively working towards a qualification.

I would like to open a new service. Can you help?

Yes. Visit the Opening a new service page on the ACECQA website for lots of information.
There has been a change in the committee at my service.

 

What do I need to do?

’It is the provider’s responsibility to determine who will be in management or control of the education and care service. For committees and associations, it usually includes the executive members such as the president, vice president, secretary or treasurer.Each new member of a committee with management or control of the service must demonstrate they are a fit and proper person. They will need to complete the form PA02 – Declaration of fitness and propriety. The provider should complete PA08 - Notification of change to information about approved provider and submit PA08 and PA02 together via the NQA ITS.Committee members without management control do not need to submit the above forms.For information on who currently has management control of your service, working with children checks and police checks, contact the regulatory authority in your state or territory.

General

 

I have a complaint about the service my child attends. Who should I tell?

ACECQA can give you information about the laws and regulations the service should be following. We encourage you to raise any concerns you have with the service in the first place. Every service must have a complaints handling policy that they should follow. You can ask to see this.
 
If you are not happy with the response you get from the service, you can make a complaint to the regulatory authority in your state or territory. They are responsible for the compliance and assessment and rating of services.

What are the educator to child ratio requirements in my state or territory?

The ACECQA website lists the ratio requirements in each state and territory.

What is adequate supervision?

The approved provider and nominated supervisor are responsible for ensuring children are adequately supervised at all times (section 165 of the National Law).A number of factors may be considered when determining if supervision is adequate, including:the number, age, ability and individual needs of childrenthe number and positioning of educatorseach child’s current activityareas where children are playing, in particular the visibility and accessibilityrisks in the environment and of experiences provided to childrenthe educators’ knowledge of each child and each group of childrenthe experience, knowledge and skill of each educator.Meeting the educator-to-child ratio requirements may not always mean there is adequate supervision. At times services may need to provide additional educators to ensure children are adequately supervised at all times, for example, when going on an excursion or when children are engaged in a water activity.

More information about adequate supervision is in the Guide to the NQF.  

What qualifications should a room leader or director have?

The National Law and Regulations do not require a 'director' or 'room leader' to have specific qualifications. Unlike nominated supervisor or educational leader, which are defined roles under the legislation, the roles of director and room leader are job titles and their meanings vary between services.As an employer, the provider may decide what qualifications and experience a director or room leader requires. This is the provider’s decision.A director or room leader may also hold other legislated roles such as nominated supervisor or educational leader.If a director or room leader is also working as an educator as part of their role, they must meet the minimum qualification requirements for educators.

What are the responsible person requirements?

There is a useful information sheet about responsible person requirements on the ACECQA website.

 Can I work in a service if I am not studying and don't hold an approved qualification?

Regulation 126 allows individuals who do not hold, and are not actively working towards, an approved qualification to be counted towards the requirement for certificate III level educators (regulation 126 (1A)) for a three month probationary period. This regulation only applies to centre-based services caring for children preschool age and under, and does not apply in South Australia or New South Wales.The probationary period is linked to the approved provider. This means the probationary period is not extended if an individual moves to another service operated by the same approved provider once the three month probationary period expires. However, if an individual is employed by a different approved provider, they will be eligible for another three month probationary period.

What should I be paid while working in a service?

The Fair Work Ombudsman (link is external)manages and provides information and advice about Australia's workplace rights and rules.You can use the 'Find my award(link is external)' function to search the award you may fall under.

Where can I find the Guide to the NQF?

The Guide to the NQF is on the ACECQA website. 

Where can I find the EYLF and companion resources?

You can access and download Belonging, Being and Becoming - The Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF)(link is external) on the Department of Education website.These resources are no longer available in hard copy and at this stage there are no plans to make copies available again.The Department's website also includes documents in other languages and other helpful resources such as the Educators’ Guide to the EYLF.

I am searching for a child care service. Can you help?

Visit the Starting Blocks website(link is external) for information about choosing and using a child care service, including finding services in your area, things to look for and questions to ask when visiting a service. Starting Blocks is brought to you by ACECQA.  

How do I update my service's details?

Approved providers can change information by making updates in the NQA ITS or contacting the regulatory authority in their state and territory.To update details in the NQA ITS, the approved provider will need to register a NQA ITS account and then link it to the provider approval number. They can then edit details about the service. For help navigating the NQA ITS and for information about how to update the details, please see the getting started online guidance and more comprehensive user guide documents on the ACECQA website.The regulatory authority is responsible for updating the details so if you have questions about the information listed, please contact them.  

There has been a change in the committee at my service. What do I need to do?

It is the provider’s responsibility to determine who will be in management or control of the education and care service. For committees and associations, it usually includes the executive members such as the president, vice president, secretary or treasurer.Each new member of a committee with management or control of the service must demonstrate they are a fit and proper person. They will need to complete the form PA02 – Declaration of fitness and propriety. The provider should complete PA08 - Notification of change to information about approved provider and submit PA08 and PA02 together via the NQA ITS.Committee members without management control do not need to submit the above forms.For information on who currently has management control of your service, working with children checks and police checks, contact the regulatory authority in your state or territory.

Where can I find information about the assessment and rating process?

The ACECQA website has lots of information about the assessment and rating process, including support materials. 

How often are services assessed and rated?

Each state and territory has a regulatory authority responsible for conducting assessment and rating of education and care services. When regulatory authorities schedule quality rating assessments, the goal is to assess and rate the quality of services, drive continuous improvement and keep information for families and communities accurate and up to date.To focus resources on services most in need of service improvement, the actions of regulatory authorities are responsive and risk-based. Services with a lower quality rating will be re-rated more frequently. Services with higher quality ratings will generally have a longer period of time between assessment and rating visits in recognition of their ability to operate above the National Quality Standard (NQS).Regulatory authorities consider the following factors when managing assessment and rating schedules:The quality rating of a service when previously assessed, including results against the quality area, standard and element level. A change in service attributes that could be reasonably considered to affect the service’s quality – for example, changes in provider or service management. Events that occur at the service – for example, serious incidents, complaints or non-compliance with the National Law can indicate a change in quality and a higher scheduling priority. The length of time since the last assessment – for example, over time a quality rating can lose its currency and value for families. Each regulatory authority manages its assessment schedule in a responsive manner, making adjustments to the schedule as new information emerges and making best use of available resources.Regulatory authorities make unscheduled and scheduled visits to services in addition to assessment and rating visits. These include monitoring, spot check and compliance visits to ensure the service is operating within the national legislation.

I want to work in an outside school hours care service. Is my qualification approved?

ACECQA hosts a list of qualifications approved in each state and territory for working with school aged children. Check the below list of to see if your qualification is approved in the state or territory in which you plan to work:Qualifications for working with school age childrenThere are a number of broad categories on this list. If you are unsure whether your qualification fits into one of these categories, we can help. Please email [e-mail](link is external) a copy of your certificate, academic transcript and tell us which state or territory you want to work in and we will let you know.If your qualification is not listed, you can apply to have it assessed. 

What are the English Language Proficiency requirements when I apply to have my qualification assessed by ACECQA?

You will need to demonstrate proficiency in the English language. ACECQA accepts the following as evidence of proficiency:one year of full-time tertiary or higher education level study in either: Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Canada, the United Kingdom or the United States of America, ora score of seven (7.0) or more in the reading and writing components, and a score of eight (8.0) or more in the speaking and listening components, in the academic version of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam in the last two years.ACECQA may not be able to assess your qualifications without this evidence. If you have concerns, please contact us on 1300 422 327.

What qualifications do I need to work as a Primary Teacher?

Qualification requirements for primary teachers are out of scope for ACECQA. We recommend you contact the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership(link is external) (AITSL) for information on  becoming a registered teacher in Australia.

 I hold a primary qualification. Can it be assessed to work with children preschool age and under?

A primary teaching qualification on its own is generally not equivalent to an early childhood teaching qualification under the Education and Care Services National Law.If you want to have your primary teaching qualification assessed for equivalence, first check the Guidelines for the determination of equivalent early childhood qualifications to help you to determine the likelihood of your qualification meeting the requirements for assessment.A person will need to provide evidence that their qualification included supervised professional experience (as a pre-service teacher education student) in early childhood settings with children aged birth to five years. The qualification also needs to have included key early childhood curriculum, including: Psychology and child development Education and curriculum studies Early childhood pedagogies Family and community contexts History and philosophy of early childhood Early childhood professional practice.  

Do I have to hold teacher registration?

Registration is not a requirement for early childhood teachers (ECTs) under the National Quality Framework (NQF) but it is a requirement under some state and territory legislation.The early childhood teacher registration and accreditation page lists the requirements for teacher registration in each state and territory. 

How do I select a Registered Training Organisation (RTO)?

The MySkills(link is external) and Australian Skills Quality Authority(link is external) (ASQA) websites have useful information on how to choose a training or education provider.

You can also find information that may assist you in this edition of the ACECQA newsletter - Your guide to qualifications under the National Quality Framework.We recommend keeping an eye out for organisations that specialise in early childhood education and care qualifications and make sure that the qualification you wish to study is recognised under the National Quality Framework (NQF) by checking the list of approved qualifications.

I am a primary teacher. Can I work in early childhood education and care?

To work as an early childhood teacher (ECT), or a diploma or certificate III level educator in early childhood education and care, you must hold (or in some circumstances be actively working towards) an ACECQA approved qualification. A primary teaching qualification on its own is generally not equivalent to an approved early childhood education and care qualification under the Education and Care Services National Regulations.  A transitional measure for primary school teachers may apply to you. Educators must obtain this combination of qualifications before the end of 2021 to continue to be recognised under this measure after 2021.  If you don’t currently hold an ACECQA approved diploma level (or higher) qualification, you may choose to enrol in one. ACECQA publishes a list of approved qualifications you can review to make an appropriate choice. You can discuss recognition of prior learning with training organisations or universities offering approved courses.    This transitional measure interacts with the ‘actively working towards’ provisions outlined in Regulation 10 and the ‘taken to be an ECT’ provision outlined in Regulation 242. If you hold a primary teaching qualification and Australian teacher registration/accreditation, once you have enrolled and commenced an ACECQA approved diploma level (or higher) qualification you may be taken to be an ECT. Note: Regulation 242 does not apply in Victoria or if you are working in a centre-based service educating and caring for 30 or more children preschool age or under in NSW. Regulation 242 is scheduled to expire in the ACT, NSW, Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania on 31 December 2021, and in the Northern Territory and Western Australia on 31 December 2023.  Depending on which state or territory you intend to work in, your primary teaching qualification may meet the requirements to work with school aged children in OSHC. If your qualification isn’t published on the ACECQA approved qualifications list you would need to submit an application to ACECQA.