Childhood safety stakeholder engagement
The Department of Education and Training is committed to meaningful engagement with the childhood education and care (ECEC) sector to strengthen collaboration and shared accountability for safety and quality.
Early Childhood Community of Practice
The Community of Practice initiative is designed to:
- integrate early childhood stakeholders into policy conversations
- foster shared responsibility for improving child development outcomes
- promote equity, affordability, quality and accessibility into early childhood education and care
- enable strategic networking and information sharing.
A conversation with the Minister series
The Minister for Early Childhood, the Hon Jo Hersey, has hosted forums in Darwin, Katherine and Alice Springs.
These sessions have provided an invaluable opportunity for the Minister and senior departmental representatives to hear directly from educators, service leaders, community representatives and stakeholders in these regions.
The Minister also used these unique opportunities to outline the direction of the national reform agenda and express her commitment to working with the sector to shape reforms that meet the needs of educators, children and families.
Participants shared thoughtful insights on workforce pressures, qualification and training challenges and the unique strengths of supporting children and families in regional and remote communities.
Discussions focused on staff attraction and retention, remuneration, access to professional learning and the administrative demands placed on providers, including small business operators.
A key theme throughout the forums has been the importance of building and maintaining a stable workforce to support high-quality services and improve outcomes for children and families.
The expertise, commitment and local knowledge contributed by participants highlighted the value of shaping our policy planning and advocacy through the voices of those working directly with children and families.
The Minister expressed her commitment to regular regional meetings with the sector.
Keep an eye out for more details.
More information
For more information, contact the Office of Early Childhood by emailing OEC.EYSS@education.nt.gov.au.