Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ)
On Monday night an ABC Four Corners episode on child safety in child care services depicted some disturbing CCTV footage.
Videos showed an educator at a service in remote Queensland grabbing a baby by his head and neck, holding his face into a pillow and even kicking him. The ABC reported the incidents occurred over three days in late August and early September in 2024. In the footage, the educator appeared to be the only adult in the room.
The public release of the videos comes a year and a half after shocking child abuse scandals rocked the sector.
In response, state and federal governments have been working to increase protections for children in early childhood services. This has included addressing how educators supervise children.
So what might help to improve child safety further?
Children’s safety is the priority
Since February, new laws mean children’s safety, rights and best interests must take priority over all other interests in education and care.
One measure to increase child safety, recommended by the Victorian government, is the “four eyes” principle. This is when there are at least two educators in a room at all times who are visible to each other and have a line of sight to all children. This reduces opportunities for educators to be alone with children.
But the four eyes principle isn’t outlined in national laws.
Easier in theory
While the four eyes principle would improve safety, it doesn’t often happen in early childhood services. A nationwide shortage of early childhood educators means many services don’t have the numbers to make the rule work. This is especially the case in regional and rural locations.
Even when services do have two educators present in a room, it doesn’t automatically translate to quality and adequate supervision at all times either.
The national laws and regulations outline what adequate supervision requirements look like for educators. These include:
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arranging the physical space of the room so it is safe and children are visible
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managing hazards and harms
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ensuring staffing arrangements maintain continuity for children
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serving a child’s best interests and upholding their rights.
Another issue is the physical spaces in services that don’t always facilitate supervision. For example, the design of a building or the way rooms are laid out might block educators’ lines of vision.
What are the educator-to-child ratios?
Australia has minimum educator-to-child ratio requirements to make sure there are enough educators to look after groups of children. These are sometimes calculated across an entire early childhood service, rather than separately for each room. The ratio requirement differs between states and territories and according to the age of the children and the type of service.
For example, in all states and territories, one educator is required for four children aged 24 months and under. However, when children are older than 36 months, one educator is required for every 11 children in services in the Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia and Victoria.
Calculating the ratio across the service allows providers to have more flexibility in where they position educators – for instance, if a group of children needs to be taken to the bathroom or when children move between indoor and outdoor play areas.
But flexibility in staffing arrangements does not remove the obligation to supervise children adequately.
Quality is important
An early childhood provider may meet minimum staffing ratios, but that doesn’t necessarily mean children are being effectively supervised.
This is because ratios alone don’t establish whether an educator has the knowledge, expertise or support needed to supervise all children safely. Additional educators are often required beyond the minimum staffing ratios to ensure children remain adequately supervised.
Currently, early childhood staff who are still earning their qualifications can also be counted as educators towards the ratio. This can help with staff shortages in the sector. It also allows people to gain experience early on. However, it is a band-aid solution to a bigger problem.
Children have individual needs
Another problem with the ratio requirement is it assumes a one-size-fits-all approach that doesn’t always work across early childhood services.
Some children may have additional needs that cannot be met by minimum staffing requirements. This can include children with disability and medical conditions, or those who have difficulties with communication or emotional regulation.
Educators are impacted
When services only aim to meet minimal staff requirements, it can negatively impact educators’ wellbeing. This is because educator workloads may increase to accommodate children’s additional needs.
For example, an educator may be expected to supervise larger groups of children alone while their colleague is providing support to a child one-on-one. We know there are wider issues around staff burnout, attrition and absenteeism in the early childhood sector.
An Australian study, published in February, found early childhood educators self-reported poorer mental health than other professions when comparing national data.
What would help?
There are ways to work towards increasing child safety and improving the wellbeing of educators in the sector. This could look like:
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calculating educator-to-child ratios per room instead of across the building
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introducing the four eyes principle in all services while meeting the requirements of adequate supervision
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legislating maximum numbers of children per room based on age and developmental needs, rather than allowing room capacity to be determined primarily by floor space
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no longer allowing educators still completing qualifications to be left alone with children
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increasing government funding per childcare provider to match children’s needs, group composition and service contexts (not just minimum educator-to-child ratios)
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requiring independent assessments of childcare spaces, highlighting unsafe building designs and addressing areas of poor visibility.
Educators should not be expected to do more with less. Governments investing more into staffing, qualifications, group sizes, building design and improving working conditions will help improve safety for children.
Tammy Williams does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Original source: https://analysis1.mil-osi.com/2026/10/27/increasing-early-childhood-educators-is-important-for-childrens-safety-but-we-shouldnt-focus-on-numbers-alone/