The NSW Department of Education, as the NSW Regulatory Authority for early childhood education and care (ECEC) services, regulates ECEC services and works to ensure that children are kept safe and have access to quality early learning experiences. We welcome feedback from the community and aim to resolve any complaints promptly.
If you are concerned about the health, safety or wellbeing of a child while attending an ECEC service, you should contact the department as soon as possible on 1800 619 113 or via email ececd@det.nsw.edu.au and we will investigate the matter. You can call anonymously if you wish.
To make a complaint about an ECEC service:
For feedback about NSW public schools, please use the Complaint, compliment or suggestion form.
When we receive a complaint, we will:
All notifications to the department are kept confidential. Your identity won’t be revealed unless you give consent or a court requires us to do so.
If your complaint raises an immediate threat of significant harm to children, we will act immediately.
Some complaints may require more than 20 working days to investigate however we’ll email you to inform you of any delays.
You can ask us for an update by:
If you have any suggestions, concerns, or complaints about your child's ECEC service, talk to the director, manager, or staff as in most cases it is best to talk to the service first.
If the service doesn't address your concern, or if it's inappropriate to raise it there, you can contact the department to make a complaint. You can also contact us at any time if you have serious concerns about the health, safety and wellbeing of children as the department is the regulator of ECEC services in NSW.
To complain about service fees or business practices, you may wish to contact NSW Fair Trading who will be able to determine whether your matter is within their remit. Australian Consumer Laws protects customers from certain unfair behaviour by businesses that sell products and services.
To complain about the Child Care Subsidy, or other Australian Government programs please contact the Australian Government's Department of Education.
As the regulatory authority, we work hard to ensure children are kept safe and have access to quality education and care. We like to hear when things have gone well so we can continue to celebrate the positive contribution of the ECEC sector.
Services and providers can provide suggestions, concerns or feedback about us, including complaints about the conduct of our staff, by following one of the steps below:
When we receive a complaint we will:
Some complaints may require more than 20 working days to investigate however we’ll email you to inform you of any delay.
You can ask us for an update by:
Services should notify us of incidents, complaints made to the service and changes to information through the National Quality Agenda IT System (NQA ITS).
If you disagree with your service rating, you can request a first-tier review. To do so, submit a SA11 Application for Review of Ratings by Regulatory Authority '(Service Rating)’ form through NQA ITS.
For more information visit ACEQCA’s Review of ratings page.
Access the feedback and complaints poster (PDF 5.59 MB) to display at your service. By scanning the QR code, parents and carers can access this page, for information on when and how they can make a complaint or provide feedback to the department.
To complain about employment conditions and industrial relations issues at your workplace please contact NSW Industrial Relations.
For other complaints or concerns held by an educator or staff, you can contact the department on 1800 619 113 or by emailing ececd@det.nsw.edu.au.
The policy is relevant to:
This policy outlines the department’s position about engaging with and supporting families during investigations about serious incidents that involve their child.