Regulatory Authority Priority Series - Rethinking Emergency Drills

Facilitated by Emily McKenna

The Queensland Early Childhood Regulatory Authority (ECRA) is responsible for regulating the early childhood education and care sector including outside school hours care. They have a vital role in making sure children are safe and receive high-quality education and care. This series spotlights the new priority areas they announced in late 2023.

This session will focus on Incident prevention and management, more specifically the role of emergency drills.

Emergency procedures should be rehearsed and documented every three months. Outside of these obligations, how have we considered the way these procedures not only ensure compliance and safety, but meet the needs of the children at the service?

With critical reflection an integral part of our profession, how often are we pausing to reflect on the compliance aspects of our role? Just because it HAS to be done, doesn’t mean there can’t be important reflection on what these practices looks like.

This session will look at:

• Ensuring compliance with emergency procedure rehearsals
• Considering the diverse needs of stakeholders (trauma, disability, English as a second language)
• Seeking feedback on emergency procedures

This session is suited to OSHC professionals at developing, proficient and lead career stages.

NQS: QA1, QA2, QA4, QA7