Every day, thousands of adults step into ECE settings entrusted with children’s wellbeing. Parents assume each person is trained to recognise and respond to harm. Yet, as Oranga Tamariki (2024) confirms, reporting obligations under Section 15 of the Oranga Tamariki Act are not universal. While anyone may report concerns, not everyone is trained, mandated, or confident to do so.
The ECE Funding Review (MAG 2025) offers an opportunity to change this. A baseline safeguarding qualification (integrated into funding, registration, and professional standards) would ensure every adult working in ECE carries the same protective knowledge and accountability.
Child protection should not rely on goodwill; it should be built into design.
1. The Current Reality: A Patchwork of Protection
ECE’s current protective structure is uneven. The Teaching Council of Aotearoa NZ (2024) enforces mandatory reporting for registered teachers through employer obligations in the Education and Training Act 2020. However, many support staff, volunteers, and casual educators fall outside these frameworks. The result, according to the Ministry of Education’s Regulatory Review of ECE (2024), is inconsistent practice, delayed escalation, and confusion about responsibilities.
This patchwork not only weakens protection but also damages public confidence. When expectations vary by role or registration type, trust in the system erodes.
2. Why a Baseline Qualification Matters
A universal safeguarding qualification would standardise understanding of harm indicators, escalation pathways, and cultural safety. It would bridge the current divide between qualified teachers and unregistered staff, ensuring shared accountability across all adults.
According to OECD (2021), ECE systems with universal safeguarding frameworks report faster response times to concerns and stronger inter-agency collaboration. Training all adults to the same minimum standard makes protection predictable rather than optional.
Key content areas could include:
- Core understanding of child abuse, neglect, and disclosure processes.
- Cultural safety and trauma-informed responses (Ministry of Education, 2025).
- Digital and photo safety, confidentiality, and consent.
- Reflective practice, supervision, and escalation pathways.
A baseline qualification makes competence in care visible and measurable.
3. Funding and Accountability
Safeguarding cannot be an unfunded mandate. The ECE Funding Review (MAG 2025) should make this qualification a costed component of quality, not a compliance add-on. Funding should support:
- Course development and delivery through approved providers.
- Release time and fees for current staff to upskill.
- Integration with professional registration and ERO quality assurance.
The qualification would also align with Our Code, Our Standards (Teaching Council, 2024), ensuring ethical responsibility is matched by system design.
4. Leadership and Community Trust
Trust in ECE is built on transparency and accountability. Parents deserve confidence that every adult is trained to act, regardless of their role or job title. The baseline qualification would give leaders consistent expectations for induction, supervision, and escalation.
Oranga Tamariki (2024) emphasises that child safety depends on both knowledge and culture. Leadership training should therefore include supervision in safeguarding discussions, case reflection, and inter-agency communication. When leaders model protective practice, it becomes a shared value rather than a policy requirement.
Protection before participation. Accountability before affordability. Safety before systems.
5. A Safer Ecosystem
The baseline qualification would link three systems: Education and Training Act (Teaching Council), Oranga Tamariki Act, and the ECE Licensing Criteria HS31–HS33. Aligning these frameworks through training and funding creates a seamless safety net for children.
As the Ministry of Education (2025) notes, quality funding must include both preventive and responsive measures. Universal safeguarding is preventive by design. It protects tamariki, supports kaiako, and rebuilds public confidence in ECE as a trusted space.
Closing Reflection
ECE has always been about collective care and the idea that every adult in a child’s world matters. A baseline safeguarding qualification makes that care visible, measurable, and consistent. It transforms protection from a reactive response into a proactive culture.
Child protection is not a module; it is a mandate.
Reflection Prompts
- Who in your service currently falls outside formal safeguarding obligations?
- How could a baseline qualification shift daily practice and team culture?
- What would change if every adult saw protection as part of their professional identity?
Inline References
- Ministry of Education (2025). ECE Funding Review (MAG 2025). education.govt.nz.
- Teaching Council of Aotearoa New Zealand (2024). Our Code, Our Standards; Education and Training Act 2020. teachingcouncil.nz.
- Oranga Tamariki (1989, updated 2024). Oranga Tamariki Act, Section 15: Reporting Concerns. orangatamariki.govt.nz.
- Ministry of Education (2024). Regulatory Review of Early Childhood Education. education.govt.nz.
- OECD (2021). Starting Strong VI: Supporting Meaningful Access and Quality in ECEC. oecd.org.