Performance update from the NSW Regulatory Authority for ECEC
The NSW Regulatory Authority is committed to continuous improvement and uses data insights and feedback to evaluate our performance. Information below summarises the key performance results and reflections from the NSW Regulatory Authority over Financial Year 2023-2024 (FY 23/24) and beyond.
The role of the NSW Regulatory Authority
The NSW Department of Education is the Regulatory Authority (NSW Regulatory Authority) for the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector in NSW. It regulates, monitors and supports more than 6,000 ECEC services, including preschools, long day care, family day care, outside school hours care, mobile and occasional care services.
The core regulatory functions of the NSW Regulatory Authority are exercised by authorised officers in accordance with the National Quality Framework (NQF). Visit the Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) website to learn more about the NQF.
Read more about the NSW Regulatory Authority’s role.
Our reflections
The NSW Regulatory Authority is committed to safety and quality in all NSW ECEC services, so that all NSW children can benefit from a safe and strong start to lifelong learning. We do this by:
- ensuring safe, high-quality service environments through ongoing compliance monitoring and taking appropriate regulatory action to prevent harm to children
- building trust and confidence in the NSW ECEC sector through effective, proportionate and risk-based use of regulatory powers
- making sure that any approval to enter and/or remain in the sector is only granted to providers and services that will adhere to the laws and regulations and uphold high standards of integrity
- engaging with key stakeholders to ensure all regulatory resources and information are current, meaningful, and reflect best practices under the NQF
- responding to complaints, investigating incidents, and taking proactive measures to ensure providers and their services are complying with the laws and regulations
- becoming more culturally intelligent and safe to ensure that Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures are valued in our regulatory approach.
Our key achievements reflect these commitments.
Our key achievements
- We conducted over 8,500 visits to services in FY 23/24. This is almost 9% more visits than were conducted in FY 22/23.
- 91% of ECEC services were rated Meeting NQS or higher at the end of FY 23/24, an increase from 90% in FY 22/23 – equating to 127 more services achieving a high benchmark for quality.
- 100% of regulatory staff completed regulatory capability training in FY 23/24.
- In FY 23/24, 1,456 services had a full or partial assessment and rating (A&R) – that is 23% of all services in operation at 30 June 2024. We continue to strive to meet our target of 25% of all services assessed and rated each year.
- In FY 23/24, the average time taken to assess and make a decision on new service applications was 44 calendar days - less than half of the statutory approval timeframe of 90 days.
- In FY 23/24, 99% of notifications and complaints were risk assessed within one business day to ensure matters are allocated promptly for follow up according to risk to children.
- We commenced delivery of the Aboriginal Cultural Safety Framework resulting in over 500 services engaging as early adopters of the program by the completion of 2024.
- By June 2024, 96% of regulatory staff had completed cultural awareness training.
- 80% of respondents to an independent sector feedback survey conducted in April-May 2024 were very satisfied, satisfied or neutral with their interactions with the NSW Regulatory Authority.
- Improvements, including partial assessments and ratings and reduced notice periods, were introduced in July 2024 to ensure the NSW Regulatory Authority can assess and rate services with greater efficiency and effectiveness.
- Self-Assessment and Quality Improvement Planning Portal was launched on 12 February 2024, with almost 4,000 services taking up use of the portal to date. The portal supports embedding quality improvement in everyday practice and allows easy submission of information to the regulatory authority prior to an assessment and rating visit.