Best Start's commitment to child safety
Our Educators
The Best Start team is committed to ongoing professional learning and maintaining the highest standards of practice in child safety and wellbeing. All educators are required to hold current nationally recognised qualifications in Child Protection (CHCPRT025), First Aid, CPR, Asthma and Anaphylaxis Management, and Food Safety. By requiring every team member to maintain these qualifications, we exceed the National Regulations, which require only specified educators to hold some of these certifications, demonstrating our commitment to providing a safe, knowledgeable, and responsive environment for every child.
Our Children
We empower children to be active participants in their own safety by working collaboratively with educators to identify risks, develop safety rules, and build their understanding of safe practices. Children are encouraged to contribute to risk assessments alongside educators, fostering confidence, responsibility, and informed decision-making.
Our Child Safe Recruitment and Staffing
The Best Start team members undergo comprehensive recruitment, screening, and suitability checks to ensure the highest standards of child safety. These include verification of identity, a valid Working with Children Check (WWCC), multiple professional reference checks, employment and background screening, a Prohibited Person Declaration, and a Prohibited Persons Check. These robust processes help ensure that every team member is suitable to work with children and shares our commitment to creating a safe and nurturing environment.
We alo prioritise employing and regularly engaging familiar casual educators, promoting continuity, consistency, and trusted relationships for children and families. Through ongoing practice and strong professional relationships, all educators develop a deep understanding of Best Start’s values, child-safe culture, policies, and expectations for protecting children. This consistent, embedded approach strengthens accountability, encourages reflective practice, and ensures children are supported by educators who are known, trusted, and committed to their safety and wellbeing.
Our Environment
Our Best Start services are purpose-built with children’s safety and wellbeing at the forefront of every design decision. Large windows, open sightlines, and thoughtful placing of windows and doors promote visibility, transparency, and active supervision, supporting a safe and secure environment for all children.
Our learning environments are intentionally designed and regularly reviewed to ensure they are fit for purpose, inclusive, and responsive to children’s individual learning styles, interests, and daily rhythms. Educators thoughtfully consider the layout of each space, including areas for active play, rest, exploration, and quiet engagement, balancing consistency with flexibility to meet children’s evolving needs.
Our Partnerships with Families
At Best Start, we recognise that families are children’s first and most important teachers and partners in keeping children safe. We foster respectful, open, and collaborative relationships with families, encouraging ongoing communication about each child’s wellbeing, safety, and individual needs. Families are welcomed as active participants in our child-safe culture and are encouraged to share their perspectives, ask questions, provide feedback, and contribute to decisions that support their child’s safety and development.
By working in genuine partnership, we build trust, strengthen shared responsibility, and create a consistent approach to protecting children across both home and our services.