Quality Area 2 – Children’s Health and Safety

Quality Area 2 reinforces children’s rights to experience quality education and care in an environment that provides for their health and safety. Educators support this when they promote each child’s wellbeing and healthy lifestyle, and support each child’s growing competence, confidence and independence.

Quality Area 2 has two standards that focus on children’s health and safety. These standards are crucial to delivering quality outcomes for children under the National Quality Framework because:

• children’s health, comfort and wellbeing strongly impact on their learning, confidence and self-growth
• all children have a right to safety and protection from harm
• adequate supervision and effective management of incidents and emergencies are paramount at all times to support children’s safety and engagement in the educational program.

Ref: DEEWR. Guide to the National Quality Framework. (2018).

Outside School Hours Care – online professional learning

Below is the ECA Learning Hub online professional learning designed for NSW OSHC educators that further unpacks a key component of Quality Area 2 – Children’s health and safety

Active supervision of children

Price: Free

Duration: 60 minutes

Description: Active supervision of children is centred around the legislative requirements to adequately and effectively supervise children in outside school hours care.  The module delves into duty of care and quality supervision practices, in addition to identifying hazards and managing risks. This module has been designed so educators and teams can critically reflect on their supervision practices and strengthen their practices either individually or as part of a team.

Children’s health and safety

2.1

2.1.1
Wellbeing and comfort
Each child’s wellbeing and comfort is provided for, including appropriate opportunities to meet each child’s need for sleep, rest and relaxation.

2.1.2
Health practices and procedures
Effective illness and injury management and hygiene practices are promoted and implemented.

2.1.3
Healthy lifestyle
Healthy eating and physical activity are promoted and appropriate for each child.

2.2

Safety

Each child is protected

2.2.1
Supervision
At all times, reasonable precautions and adequate supervision ensure children are protected from harm and hazard.

2.2.2
Incident and emergency management
Plans to effectively manage incidents and emergencies are developed in consultation with relevant authorities, practised and implemented.

2.2.3
Child protection
Management, educators and staff are aware of their roles and responsibilities to identify and respond to every child at risk of abuse or neglect.

Additional free resources

ACECQA. (2015). We hear you: health and wellbeing. 

ACECQA. (2018). Information sheet: Quality Area 2 – Active Supervision 

Alberta Family Wellness. (2014). Brain builders: Executive function. 

Australian Institute of Family Studies. (2018). Australian child protection legislation.

ECA Learning Hub. (2018). Asthma and Asthma management

Network of Community Activities – Child safe fact sheets

Sunsmart website