Diversity and equity

Early childhood services must comply with all the following elements of this standard:

Pay attention to:

• cultural safety for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children
• the needs of:
  • children with disability
  • children from diverse religious and cultural communities
  • very young children.
• the impact of prior trauma
• gender differences
• the experiences of transgender and intersex children
• challenges for children who are in foster care, out of home care, living away from home
• socio-economic factors such as:
  • children whose family is experiencing homelessness
  • insecure employment or accommodation
  • individual or family contact with the justice system
  • poverty
  • addiction
  • low educational attainment
  • remote or regional isolation.
• Read the following information on the resources page of Commission for Children and Young People (CCYP):
  • Safety of children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
  • Cultural safety for Aboriginal children
  • Safety of children with a disability.

• Use culturally sensitive and inclusive examples when discussing families, relationships, professions and activities.
• Start asking for and using people’s preferred pronouns and names.
• Communicate that the service has zero tolerance to discrimination and bullying. Address any incidents.
• Respond to family violence in a safe, inclusive, accessible and culturally responsive way. Ensure is it child-centric and non-discriminatory.
• Offer to buddy and mentor children at risk of social isolation.
• Pay attention to diverse child groups and individuals in your community. They may be at a higher risk of harm than other children.
• Listen to and confirm children’ feelings. They may feel ignored or not listened to in the past.
• Let children know they can raise concerns or report incidents at the service and outside it.
• Confirm that vulnerable children and their families have their needs met. You can do this at pick-up or drop-off, one-on-one meetings, or informal discussions.
• Speak to children. Find out what matters to them, what they know and don’t know about safety, and what they need to be safe and feel safe.
• Talk to children about discussing their personal circumstances. Respect their wishes, including the desire for confidentiality. Explain that staff may need to share information to prevent a serious threat to the child’s health, safety or welfare.

• Make service environments welcoming and inclusive. For example:
  • display flags from different countries
  • provide books, games and music in different languages
  • use children’s artwork to decorate the service.
• Remind staff and volunteers about diversity and accommodating children’s needs.
• Train staff and volunteers to identify and address racism, bullying and discrimination.
• Ask children from diverse backgrounds and life circumstances their preferences. Don’t wait for them to ask for what they need.
• Get expert advice to support inclusion at your service. This could include an occupational therapist, speech pathologist, or other relevant expert.

Recognise dates that connect with your children and families, for example:

• Cultural Diversity Week (March)
• Hearing Awareness Week (1–7 March)
• IDAHOBIT (International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexism and Transphobia, 17 May)
• National Reconciliation Week (27 May–3 June)
• Crazy Hair Day (Cystic Fibrosis Awareness, 26 July)
• World Mental Health Day (10 October)
• International Day of Persons with Disability (3 December)

Think about using:

• Books, and resources that reflect diverse views and perspectives.
• Dolls and toys of different (or no) genders, cultural backgrounds and physical abilities.
• Speech and drama scripts that explore themes around diversity.
• Use images of children with diverse characteristics in publications.

The two NQF Safety Guides include information and practical guidance:

• NQF Child Safe Culture Guide
• NQF Online Safety Guide.

There are also additional resources:

• NQF Child Safe Culture – Self-assessment and risk assessment tool
• NQF Online Safe Culture – Self-assessment and risk assessment tool
• Child Safety incident response template – Responding to complaints, concerns, allegations and disclosures
• Reporting and Responding Schemes tool.

Download these resources at Child Safety, together with links to additional ACECQA resources about child safety.

The Commission for Children and Young People (CCYP) have information for all types of organisations that must comply with the Child Safe Standards. This includes:

• CCYP | Resources and support for the Child Safe Standards
• CCYP | Translated resources about the Child Safe Standards

Note: information isn't tailored for early childhood services.