The research report analyses the legal frameworks in place in Queensland that aim to protect children from sexual abuse across the early childhood education and care, police and blue card systems. The research report is available to inform legal and policy reforms across Australia.

A review into early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings identifies key actions for government to improve child safety in Victoria and could be considered for reforms nationally. The overwhelming conclusion is that while the current market-driven model for ECEC remains, the risks to quality and safety in early childhood education and care will persist.

The problem examined in this Decision Regulation Impact Statement (D-RIS) is that more could be done to better support services to protect children attending an education and care service, with a focus on improving child safety. Several policy options have been identified in the D-RIS, including regulatory and non-regulatory approaches, to improve child safety.

This research summary provides an overview of how professional learning can influence and support the use of evidence-based practices in schools and early childhood education and care services, to enhance learning outcomes. It outlines early evidence from a research project on coaching. Coaching is a promising strategy for supporting improvements in teacher practice.

This report analyses the 2024 Australian Early Development Census results, showing increased levels of developmental vulnerability in Australian children. There is also a continued trend of worrying levels of developmental vulnerability amongst children living in the most disadvantaged areas. It finds that without targeted strategies, educational inequity will deepen, not narrow.