National Early Childhood Worker Register

Information for NQF providers operating in Victoria.

Approved providers must enter information into the National Early Childhood Worker Register (the National Register) using the NQA ITS portal by 27 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.

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

NQAITS information sheets

Additional resources

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

Updated

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