Element 6.2.1: Transitions

What Element 6.2.1 aims to achieve

Transitions can occur every day between routines, play spaces, or settings, as well as transitions between home, education and care settings, and school. Transitions in early childhood education settings occur:

• from home to the education and care setting
• between rooms and groups in a setting
• between settings
• between education and care settings and school
• between routines and experiences
• from one educator to another
• from indoor to outdoor play spaces
• to and from mealtimes and sleep or rest times (Early Years Learning Framework).

Transitions offer opportunities and challenges for children as different spaces and settings have different purposes, expectations and practices. Working collaboratively with families, other educators, and other professional services, educators support children to actively prepare for transitions between settings and experiences by:

• helping children and young people to understand the traditions, routines and practices of different settings, and building resilience to feel comfortable with the process of change
• sharing information about each child’s knowledge, skills, learning, strengths and interests to support educators in a new setting or group to build on these foundations
• building on children’s funds of knowledge to help them to feel secure, confident and connected to familiar people, places, events and understandings (Early Years Learning Framework; Framework for School Age Care).

Policies and procedures

Approved providers must ensure that each service has a policy and procedures in place for the safe arrival of children who travel to or from the education and care services. These must set out the procedures to ensure the safe arrival of children who travel between the service and any other education or early childhood service. An education or early childhood service is:

• a school
• an education and care service
• a children's service, or
• any other service which provides education and care to children.

When preparing these policies and procedures, the service must consult their staff, parents and (if applicable) children at the service.

Policies and procedures should clearly specify who holds the duty of care for children during these periods of travel. Services should ensure this information is clearly communicated to and understood by families, all educators and school-based staff. The supervision of children during their travel to and from the service is important given the heightened risk to the safety and wellbeing of children during these times. 

The policy and procedures must also include a risk assessment, which is to be conducted at least once every 12 months and as soon as practicable after becoming aware of any circumstance that may affect the safe arrival of children travelling between the service and any other education or early childhood service. 

The purpose of the risk assessment is to identify and assess any risks that a child’s travel between an education and care service and any other education or early childhood service may pose to the safety, health or wellbeing of the child. A risk assessment must also specify how the identified risks will be managed and minimised. Some of the things a risk assessment must consider include:

• the age, developmental stage and individual needs of the child
• the role and responsibilities of; 
  • the nominated supervisor of each service the child will travel to or from
  • the child's parent
  • an authorised nominee named in the enrolment record
  • a person authorised by either the child’s parent or an authorised nominee in the enrolment record, and 
  • the service the care of which the child is entering or leaving
• the communication arrangements between the service the child is leaving and the service the child is entering, including any communication arrangements if the child is missing or cannot be accounted for during the child's travel
• the procedure if the service has identified a child is missing or cannot be accounted for during their travel
• given the risks posed by the child’s travel, the number of educators or other responsible adults that is appropriate to provide supervision
• the proposed route and destination, including any proximity to harm and hazards
• the process for entering and exiting both the service premises and the pick-up location or destination (as required)
• the procedure to be followed by the service to ensure the child leaves the service premises in accordance with regulation 99(4)(b). 

The policies and procedures must be updated as soon as practicable if a risk related to the child’s travel is identified after a risk assessment is conducted. 

A record of the risk assessment must be kept by the approved provider.  Failure to conduct the risk assessment may attract a compliance notice and a $2,200 penalty. 

Assessment guide for meeting Element 6.2.1 (for all services)

Supporting smooth transitions

Assessors may observe:

Assessors may discuss:

Assessors may sight: