Fully licensed Family Day Care services will have to meet all the requirements of the Children's Services Act 1996 and the Children's Services Regulations 2009. Over 75 services have applied for provisional licences with the Department of Education and Early Childhood to date. Provisional licences are granted for a period of up to one year and services are encouraged to apply for their full licence at least three months before the expiry of their provisional licence.
One of the key changes for Family Day Care will be the qualification of carers. The Children's Services Regulations 2009 require all staff members and family day carers who care for or educate children to hold a minimum of Certificate III in Children's Services, be a qualified staff member or a teaching staff member, or hold a primary school teaching qualification. Carers in Family Day Care services will be required to have their qualification complete by 1 January 2012.
The Victorian Early Childhood Workforce Strategy provides for a number of options to assist existing staff without an early childhood qualification or training to obtain a Certificate III, including scholarships of up to $1000 and from 2011 subsidised places in registered training courses.
More information and resources can be found on the Department of Education and Early Childhood website link below.
