Transportation poses heightened risks to the safety of children, particularly young children, with a significant risk of critical injury to a child if left on a vehicle or bus. This risk increases during warmer weather.

Service providers must ensure the safety of children transported to and from early childhood education and care (ECEC) services on transport provided by or arranged by the service, including during excursions. Adequate policies and procedures must be in place to effectively manage this risky but necessary activity.

Policy and procedure requirements

Centre-based services are required to notify the NSW Regulatory Authority for the ECEC (the regulatory authority), when they start or cease regular transportation of children (regulation 175(2)(f)). See the ACECQA quick reference guide to transportation notification submissions (PDF 1.1 MB)

Regulation 168(2)(ga) requires policies and procedures for transporting children other than as part of an excursion. Regulation 101(2)(d) requires approved providers, nominated supervisors and family day care educators to consider transport procedures within an excursion risk assessment. More information is available on Excursion and transportation regulations.

These policy requirements do not apply to transport that is not arranged or provided by the service, for example, a school bus arranged by a school or private company that drops children to a service as part of its community route. However, these types of transport may be included in the safe arrival of children policy and procedures required under regulation 168(2)(gb).

Adequate policies and safe procedures make sure every child is protected before, during and after transport. They are needed any time a service transports or arranges for transport of children to, from or between early childhood services.

It’s important to make the distinction between an excursion and other transportation for the purposes of regulatory requirements. The principles of best practice apply in both instances. Services should implement effective risk management and safe transportation across the whole service. See Unpacking excursions and regular outings for information on these practices.

What does safe transportation look like?

How you manage children when around or in vehicles can be the difference that saves a child’s life. The department’s Transporting children safely webpage offers information and resources to support safe practices during transportation. Let’s take a brief look at what some of these are.

Before transportation

• Conduct driver and vehicle safety checks
• Check child restraints and boosters for correct fitting and compliance with Australian standards (AS/NZS 1754)
• Talk traffic and road safety with children
• Conduct roll call and head count

During transportation

• Ensure adequate supervision for embarking procedures and the duration of the journey
• Physically check seatbelts and child restraints for all children
• Use travel time to strengthen relationships and learning outcomes

After transportation

• Ensure adequate supervision for disembarking procedures
• Look Before You Lock – thoroughly check the vehicle including storage compartments and under seats to make sure no child is left unattended in a vehicle
• Conduct roll call and head count
• Create a record confirming each child has been accounted for: (regulation 102F(4)(d)

Look Before You Lock

The regulatory authority’s Look Before You Lock safety awareness campaign highlights the very real risk of children being left in vehicles. Every educator has a responsibility to keep children safe while engaging in transport activities. The simple practice to Look Before You Lock can be a life-saving routine.

Transporting children safely contains downloadable resources to assist your service to share this important safety message within your service and the wider community.

Reflective practice

• Have you recently reviewed transport practices in your service? How do children arrive and depart from your service safely?

• How do you ensure your staff, particularly newcomers, understand and feel confident in the practice of safe transportation at your service? Is there anything that could be improved in your induction package?

• Have you recently updated your service’s safe transportation risk assessment to ensure it meets current requirements? ACECQA’s Risk assessment and management - Transporting children template may assist you.

Each service is unique in many ways, and this should be reflected across service policy and procedure. Continue to update and review your practices with your service’s unique context and environment in mind.