It has been a tumultuous and frightening time for Australian families and educators. For more than a year, there has been a litany of claims of abuse and poor standards across the early childhood sector.

Friday marks 12 months since the federal government passed major legislation to try and improve safety in early education centres.

Are kids any safer? What more needs to happen?

What are the key changes?

Governments have made a raft of changes in response to fears about childcare safety.

This includes legislation on July 31 last year, giving the federal government powers to cut off funding to centres if they don’t meet quality and safety standards.

Other changes announced last year – though not in this bill – include:

expanded mandatory child safety training for early childhood workers. The basic training explains how to detect and respond to unsafe situations, as well as reporting obligations. It also focuses on professional boundaries and the conduct of educators. For example, no “secret” or “special” relationships with children. The aim is to remove opportunities for grooming behaviours that could lead to sexual abuse

expanded mandatory child safety training for early childhood workers. The basic training explains how to detect and respond to unsafe situations, as well as reporting obligations. It also focuses on professional boundaries and the conduct of educators. For example, no “secret” or “special” relationships with children. The aim is to remove opportunities for grooming........

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