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Child care careers (centre manager/coordinator/worker/assistant)

Child care workers care for the social, physical, emotional and educational needs of infants and young children through a variety of programs in various care settings. In Queensland there are different types of child care services established to assist parents to participate in the workforce and the general community.

The Australian Children's Education & Care Quality Authority and is responsible for the administration of the National Quality Framework (NQF). The NQF comprises of the Education and Care Services National Law and the Education and Care Services National Regulations that apply to most long day care, family day care, outside schools hours care and kindergartens.

An approved centre based service provides education and care for children up to school age (birth to 17 years) and includes:

long day care centres (usually open from 7.00am to 6.00pm)
kindergartens (for children aged from three and a half years to school age)
school age care services (care for school age children before and after school hours and during school holidays)
vacation care (not attached to a before or after school care service)

An approved Family Day Care service provides care for a small group of children in one or more homes. This form of care does not include care in the child's own home or care by relatives. Family day care is a service where care is provided in private homes of carers under a family day care scheme. Carers are supported by the scheme's coordination unit.

Other types of services that are out of scope of the national legislation in Queensland include:

the majority of limited hours care services
occasional care
stand alone care (including what was formerly known as independent home based care)
adjunct care
children's activity services
playgroups
nannies and babysitters
resort care (a service, conducted by a hotel or resort, to provide child care to children who are short term guests).

These types of services are still regulated under the Child Care Act 2002 and Child Care Regulations 2003. Further information is available on the Office for Early Childhood Education and care website.

Child Care Workers

Child care workers have different position titles with responsibilities in accordance with their level of qualifications, skills and training. Usually child care workers work in a team managed by a child care director or coordinator and are assisted by other child care workers or assistants.

For details about the prescribed/approved level of child care qualifications required to work in an education and care service in Queensland, please visit the Australian Children's Education & Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) website for further information.

A Child Care Centre Manager/Educational Leader/Coordinator directs the activities of a child care centre and services and may perform the following tasks:

direct and supervise child care workers in providing care and supervision for young children
develop and implement programs to enhance the physical, social, emotional and intellectual development of young children
provide care for children in before-school, after school, day care and vacation care centres
manage physical facilities and make sure all buildings and equipment are maintained
make sure that the centre is a safe area
maintain records and accounts for the centre
make sure that procedures are in line with government standards
keep in touch with parents
recruit staff and coordinate professional development
develop and implement policies on a broad range of issues.

A Child Care Worker/Creche Attendant/Child Care Assistant/Aide (depending on their level of qualification, skills/experience may perform some or all of the following tasks:

plan and implement developmental programs, based on observation of individual children
observe and record children's growth, behaviour and development, and discuss with parents
integrate children with special needs into the program, modifying the program and the physical environment if necessary
supervise and train staff and students undertaking child care training programs
prepare play and learning materials and set up the children's environment
supervise children's play, making sure of their physical safety at all times
help children with daily routines such as toileting, dressing, eating and sleeping
guide children's behaviour and social development
prepare light snacks and meals
maintain a safe, clean, appealing environment
perform simple first aid in emergencies.

The Myfuture website provides further information about child care careers including educational requirements, salary ranges, related courses and professions.

For information about the relevant assessing authority for migration purposes, please visit the Department of Immigration and Citizenship website for further information.

Approvals, assessment and ratings

The Regulatory Authority in Queensland will have primary responsibility for the approval, monitoring and quality assessment of services in accordance with the national legislative framework and in relation to the National Quality Standard.

By law education and care services are required to meet minimum quality standards in areas such as staff/child ratios, programming, employing appropriately qualified staff, the physical environment and health, hygiene and safety.

In Queensland approved centre based services (such as child care centres) employ people who hold appropriate qualifications and also people who are undertaking training.

By law child care workers wanting to work in a child care service or provide child care through an arrangement with a child care service must also obtain a blue card.

Blue cards asess a person's eligibility to work with children and young people based on their known past behaviour. The blue card is issued by the Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian. Upon application for a blue card, the Commission will carry out a Working with Children Check (blue card check) to see if a person is eligible. This involves:

a detailed national criminal history check including any charge or conviction for an offence, whether or not a conviction is recorded
whether a person is a respondent to, or subject to, an application for a child protection prohibition order under the Child Protection (Offender Prohibition Order) Act 2008 or a disqualification order from a court, or
whether a person is subject to reporting obligations under the Child Protection (Offender Reporting) Act 2004.

The Commission also considers disciplinary information held by certain professional organisations for:

teachers
child care service providers
foster carers
nurses
midwives, and
certain health practitioners.

In addition, information from police investigations into allegations of serious child-related sexual offences will be taken into account, even if no charges were laid because the child was unwilling or unable to proceed.

It is an offence for a disqualified person to apply for a blue card. Further information about a 'disqualified person' or general blue card information is available on the Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian website.

Steps to skills recognition

Check to see if the qualification that you hold is on the approved qualification lists, available on the Australian Children's Education & Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) website. Please note: Queensland only qualification lists include international qualifications.
Before applying for an assessment through ACECQA applicants are required to have their overseas qualifications assessed by the Skills Recognition Unit. Further information on Skills recognition is available.
Once assessed by the Skills Recognition Unit, applicants are then required to have their overseas qualifications assessed by ACECQA.

For a step by step guide please view our Overseas qualification recognition section.

Educational assessment

Skills Recognition Unit
Department of Education, Training and Employment
Locked Mail Bag 527
Brisbane QLD 4001
Telephone: 1300 369 935
Email: skillsrecognition@dete.qld.gov.au

For determination of child care qualifications

Australian Children's Education & Care Quality Authority
PO Box A292
Sydney NSW 2000
Telephone: 1800 181 088
Website: http://acecqa.gov.au

National Quality Framework in Queensland

Department of Education, Training and Employment
Office for Early Childhood Education and Care
PO Box 15033
City East Qld 4002
Telephone: 1800 637 771
Fax: (07) 3234 0310
Email: ecec@dete.qld.gov.au
Website: www.dete.qld.gov.au/earlychildhood

Applying for a blue card

Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian
(for issue of Blue Cards)
Level 14, T & G Building
141 Queen Street Brisbane QLD 4000
PO Box 12671, George Street Brisbane QLD 4003
Telephone: (07) 3247 5145 or 1800 113 611
Fax: (07) 3247 5200
Email: webmaster@ccypcg.qld.gov.au
Website: www.ccypcg.qld.gov.au/bluecard/index.html

How to find jobs in Queensland

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This page was last updated at Tuesday, March 05, 2013

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