Victorian Early Childhood Regulatory Authority (VECRA) newsletter – March 2026

Approved providers operating under the National Quality Framework (NQF) in Victoria are required to enter and maintain information about their current workforce using either:

• the bulk upload option using an excel template or JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) file from their HR system, or
• added individually through NQA ITS.

Approved providers no longer need to update the Victorian Early Childhood Workforce Register on the Arrival system.

Information already entered into the Arrival system will not be transferred or integrated into the National Register, so providers will need to enter all details of members of their current workforce into the NQA ITS system.

Further information and support

Read about how to upload information in bulk using an excel template, and access other resources on the NQA ITS Help Centre: National Early Childhood Worker Register.

There is support available for approved providers who are having difficulty accessing or uploading information onto the National Register. ACECQA has a dedicated phone line and email address for questions about the Register. Email WorkerRegister@acecqa.gov.au, or phone 1300 422 327.

The National Early Childhood Worker Register webpage has information and FAQs. There are also a range of detailed information sheets listed at the end of this article.

Legal requirements

Approved providers have a legal obligation to maintain the National Register, and to ensure that it is accurate and updated.

From the 27 March 2026, approved providers will be required to update the National Register with any changes to worker information within 14 days. This includes when staff start, leave, change roles, and if any of their details change (for example, their Working with Children Check (WWCC), teacher registration, qualifications, training, contact details or name).

Approved providers can authorise staff to access NQA ITS and to enter workers’ details onto the National Register on their behalf.

Occasional care and limited hours services that are regulated under the Children’s Services Act 1996 are not currently required to use the National Register.

Documents must be sighted first

All documents listed below must be sighted by an approved provider, nominated supervisor (or someone acting on their behalf) before they are recorded in the National Register. The date documents are sighted must also be added to the National Register. Approved providers must include details of the following:

• Working with Children Checks
• approved qualifications that the person already holds and those they are currently working towards, and
• other approved training including first aid, anaphylaxis management and emergency asthma management training.

The National Register does not store copies of these documents, so these must be kept by the approved provider.

At present the National Register does not automatically link to WWCC information, so providers must check their currency in the WWCC system. The National Register does not replace the requirements for providers to keep full staff records under the National Law and National Regulations.

Entering information

Providers must enter the following details for every worker, even if they only work once:

• the start date of employment or engagement, and
• the end date when it finishes.

For ongoing but irregular work, you must record:

• the start date of the arrangement and
• the end date (once the arrangement ceases and is no longer expected to continue).

If a worker leaves, then the record becomes a historical record, which can still be viewed.

If the worker returns, then the National Register has a ‘reactivate’ button, so providers can use the same details if they have not changed.

The National Register is not a timesheet, and providers should not record individual shifts.

Casual workers

Add them for every service they are engaged to work at (not every shift). If a casual worker is contracted to work across multiple services, they should be added to all those services, even if they only work occasionally. Record the start and end date of the arrangement.

The casual worker remains listed for the duration of their engagement and is removed when that engagement ceases.

For people working at multiple services operated by the same approved provider, you must record the workers’ details for each service.

For people working at multiple services operated by different providers, each provider must add the worker’s details to their own service.

To make it easier, the system uses identity-matching rules so a provider can bring up details for an individual when the provider enters their name and date of birth.

Providers will only be able to see details of workers at their own services on the National Register.

Prohibited persons

If a provider enters a person’s details into the National Register and they match those of a prohibited person, a popup message will alert them to contact the relevant Regulatory Authority to confirm.

Providers must still check the Register of prohibited persons or suspended family day care (FDC) educators in NQA ITS. Providers must not employ people who are prohibited.

Arrangements for Family Day Care (FDC) services

Adult residents who live in an FDC residence do not need to be included in the new National Register.

The National Register only records people who are directly or indirectly engaged by an early childhood education and care service, including FDC educators, coordinators, and assistants.

This does not alter the requirement under Regulation 153(1)(n) of the National Regulations for approved providers of FDC services to keep a separate Register of family day care educators, coordinators and educator assistants that records the full names and dates of birth of everyone aged 18 years and over who normally live at the residence.

Privacy and data protection

As stated above, providers will only be able to see details of workers at their own services on the National Register, but it will provide visibility to early childhood regulatory authorities of who is working in the sector and where.

Any information collected for the National Register will be handled in accordance with the Department of Education’s Privacy Policy and relevant privacy legislation including the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic), the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic), the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Health Records Act 2001 (Cth).

Support and resources

• Access information and FAQs for educators, providers and families online at National Early Childhood Worker Register
• Operational Policy Guide: National Early Childhood Worker Register
• National Early Childhood Worker Register – Information for workers in education and care services brochure

NQAITS information sheets

• NQA ITS Help Centre: National Early Childhood Worker Register – includes blank templates, fact sheets and other resources
• Factsheet: Using Bulk Upload to Add Workers to the Worker Register
• Factsheet: Adding and Maintaining Data in the Worker Register
• Factsheet: Recording Workers and Roles
• Factsheet: How to Get Started with JSON Bulk Upload
• Worker Register Approved Provider Data Checklist
• Bulk upload template

Additional resources

If you are experiencing technical difficulties using NQA ITS please raise a support ticket through the NQA ITS Help Centre.

Any approved providers who need support or advice on how to update information in NQA ITS are encouraged to visit the NQA IT System Help Centre , where information is searchable and listed by topic.

Unfortunately, VECRA is unable to assist with these queries - the Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA), is responsible for the NQA IT system, and they are best placed to assist with technical support or other questions.

If you’re experiencing technical issues using the NQA IT system, support is available via the NQA IT System Technical Support page.

To help approved providers with the rollout of the National Early Childhood Worker Register, a dedicated page has been created in the NQA ITS Help Centre to provide technical support and step-by-step guides on this topic.

ACECQA has also set up a dedicated phone line and email address for questions about the National Early Childhood Worker Register.

• Email: WorkerRegister@acecqa.gov.au
• Phone: 1300 422 327

The National Quality Framework (NQF) reforms to strengthen child safety in education and care services are now in force.

Changes arising from the National Child Safety Review have been introduced progressively since September 2025 to ease the regulatory burden on services.

The most recent changes are listed below to ensure approved providers and relevant service staff are aware of their obligations under the revised NQF. ACECQA has published the list with detailed information about the child safety changes on their website: Strengthened NQF child safety and protections | ACECQA

1 September 2025

• Policies and procedures for safe use of digital technologies and online environments
• Earlier notifications of physical and sexual abuse
• Use of vaping substances and devices banned

10 December 2025

• Extended limitation period for offences and a new stop the clock provision
• Information sharing by regulatory authorities, including from recruitment agencies
• Making it an offence for anyone subject to a prohibition notice to give a recruitment agency false or misleading information about that notice

1 January 2026

• Strengthened child safety focus in National Quality Standard (Quality Areas 2 and 7)

2 January 2026

• Increased penalties, and expanded infringement offences and regulatory penalties

27 February 2026

• Making children’s safety, rights and best interests the paramount consideration when operating an education and care services
• Managing devices in education and care services (further information is available at Safe use of devices in education and care services)
• Mandating child protection and national child safety training
• Establishing inappropriate conduct offence
• Expanding regulatory authority powers to respond to misconduct
• Strengthening Working with Children Checks requirements
• Removing of ongoing service waivers related to service building designs
• Enabling effective identification and monitoring related providers
• Expanding regulatory authority powers to enter and inspect family day care services
• Expanding responsibility of approved providers to assess areas near family day care residences/venues
• Establishing a National Early Childhood Worker Register.

ACECQA is updating the Guide to the NQF in March 2026 to reflect the changes that commenced on 27 February 2026.

Further information about these reforms can be found on VECRA’s website at Child safety reforms: National and Victoria-specific legislative changes.

On 23 February some important child safety reforms came into effect, with two key regulatory functions transferring from the Commission for Children and Young People (CCYP) to the Social Services Regulator (SSR).

The Child Safe Standards (CSS) obligations that sat under the CCYP, and the Reportable Conduct Scheme (RCS), along with the Working with Children Check (WWCC), now sit under one roof with the SSR’s existing regulatory functions.

These changes mean that for the first time, the WWCC, RCS and the Worker and Carer Exclusion Scheme will be overseen by a single regulator with increased powers to detect, exclude and prevent people who present a risk, from working with children – an important change that will strengthen child safety for all Victorian families.

Learn more: New reforms to strengthen child safety

On Friday 20 February, Commonwealth, State and Territory Education Ministers agreed to increase fees charged to early childhood education and care providers to contribute to the costs of regulation.

Education Ministers have been clear that child safety is paramount, and that effective regulation is critical to monitoring how early childhood education and care providers deliver safe and high-quality services for families.

In recent months, major reforms in early childhood have strengthened the National Law, given regulators more powers, and made it harder for bad actors to put children at risk.

At the same time, the Victorian Government has invested $137 million in its response to the Rapid Child Safety Review, and established the Victorian Early Childhood Regulatory Authority (VECRA) on 1 January 2026 with additional Authorised Officers to increase the number and frequency of compliance visits.

For the 2026-2027 financial year, for services in Victoria and NSW, fees will increase by indexation (CPI) and will have an additional increase of:

• 3.3-fold for all sessional kindergartens regardless of provider size
• 3.3-fold for services operated by small not-for-profit providers
• 5.5-fold for services operated by small for-profit providers
• 7.7-fold for services operated by large not-for-profit providers
• 11-fold for services operated by large for-profit providers.

The increase reflects a more appropriate contribution to rising operating and regulatory costs, including increased compliance visits and enforcement action by VECRA.

Annual service fees will increase by 10 percent and CPI for all other jurisdictions except Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory, in which fees will increase by CPI only.

Providers are reminded to update their details on NQA ITS ahead of invoices being issued.

More details will be provided as soon as possible, and providers will be given time to pay.

This article draws on information contained in ACECQA’s information sheets on Quality Area 5.

The relationships between educators and children are crucial for children’s social and emotional development. Warm, respectful, emotionally available educators set the foundations for secure relationships to grow between children and educators. Children who experience secure relationships with their educators demonstrate increased empathy, greater self-esteem and better relationships with peers and teachers. Learn more about supporting children to regulate their own behaviour.

Educators can be important role models for children at all ages, supporting them to learn about their emotions and how to regulate their own behaviours. In this way children can learn to understand others’ feelings, be respectful and considerate.

The National Quality Standard (NQS) underlines the importance of this role in Quality area 5:

• 5.1 – Respectful and equitable relationships are maintained with each child
• 5.1.1 – Responsive and meaningful interactions build trusting relationships which engage and support each child to feel secure, confident and included
• 5.2 – Each child is supported to build and maintain sensitive and responsive relationships
• 5.2.2 – Each child is supported to regulate their own behaviour, respond appropriately to the behaviour of others and communicate effectively to resolve conflicts.

Importantly, poor interactions between educators and children can have the opposite effect, impacting children’s ability to learn and grow emotionally in a healthy way. Children’s behaviours can become more challenging, leading to other problems. Positive guidance for children to move them towards acceptable behaviours, rather than harsh or inappropriate discipline is needed.

Read more about the regulatory requirements and responsibilities for approved providers under the National Law and National Regulations. This includes the offence of inappropriate discipline, as well as a reminder to follow the Early Childhood Australia Code of Ethics.

How can you support children?

The Circle of Security classroom model creates a helpful visual map to guide how educators can respond to children’s needs, and to be both:

• recognising that behaviour represents a child’s underlying emotional state and relationship needs.
• separating the child’s identity from their behaviour to hold a positive view of the child even when behaviours may be challenging to respond to.
• offering more closeness, support and help when children are expressing strong emotions or engaging in challenging behaviours.
• prioritising safety and connection over learning in stressful or emotionally charged moments.
• understanding the possible impact of trauma, and implementing strategies to support children who may be exhibiting fight, flight or fear responses or behaviours.
• supporting the development of new skills when a child is calm and engaged.
• being aware of your own needs for regulation and support. Notice if need to take a break to calm down, before you can go back to the floor.

Learn about other ways to support children to regulate their own behaviour including information about:

• involving families
• links to access additional support
• critical reflections about professional practice and the service environment
• using intentional strategies to guide educator interactions
• empowering children.

Case studies to prompt reflection and discussion

Read about how other services have approached improving their interactions between educators and children.

These case studies include long day care, family day care and outside school hours care: Case studies supporting Quality Standard 5.1 and 5.2.

How can services support staff to support children?

To succeed in this important role, educators need the support of providers and service management.

Working through times of great change can create additional stress for educators and teams, so improving educator child interactions has two parts:

• supporting educator and team wellbeing so they can be present for children, and
• additional professional development or mentoring for staff to uplift their skills.

Resources

Read more and find links to additional support:

• Guide to the National Quality Standard – Quality Area 5
• Relationships with children – Quality Area 5 information sheet
• Supporting children to regulate their own behaviour – Quality Area 5 information sheet
• Supporting educator wellbeing through these challenging times - Quality Area 5 information sheet
• Planning and strategies to promote positive behaviour (5-12 years)
• Resources relating to Quality Area 5 – links to additional reading
• Circle of Security classroom approach

We currently have a range of exciting career opportunities at VECRA online.

If you are passionate about making a meaningful contribution to the sector and working with a values-based organisation, we encourage you to explore our current opportunities.

Please feel free to share these opportunities with your networks, and if a role aligns with your skills and experience, we encourage you to apply.