review of the regulation
The review of the Children’s Services Regulation 2004 is progressing well. The review began in late 2008 with the release of a discussion paper and extensive statewide stakeholder consultations.
The review is now in its second stage, which involves the development of a draft new Regulation and an accompanying Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS). Feedback received during the first round of public consultations is being incorporated into these documents.
The RIS will assess the costs and benefits of the new regulatory options being considered and their likely impact on the children’s services sector.
Stakeholder consultations on the new draft Regulation and the RIS will be undertaken in early 2010. Public forums and focus groups will be held in Sydney and in a number of regional areas of NSW.
Detailed information about dates and venues for consultations will be posted on this website at a later stage.
Online surveys will also be available to provide another way for service providers and families to have their say about the draft new Regulation.
when will the new Regulation come into effect?
It is anticipated that the new Regulation will come into effect from 1 September 2010.
All new children’s services that commence operation after 1 September 2010 will need to comply with the new Regulation immediately.
For existing children’s services, it is expected that there will be a transition period to enable existing services to make any necessary changes to ensure that they comply with the new regulatory requirements.
what new requirements will be included?
A number of proposed changes are being considered during the review, including proposals relating to number of qualified staff, the licensing model and the compliance and enforcement tools available to Community Services to improve greater compliance with the regulation.
Community Services understands that services may be trying to plan for the introduction of new measures. However, the content of the new Regulation will not be finalised until after the second stage of stakeholder consultations have been conducted in early 2010.
Once the content of the Regulation is finalised, services will be able to plan for the implementation of any new requirements.
what can I plan for immediately?
There are some regulatory changes that the NSW Government has already endorsed and services can start to plan for now.
These are:
- move to a 1:4 staff to child ratio
- fees for new licence applications and renewal of current licences
where can I get more information?
Information and details about the Regulation review will be regularly updated on this website.
Community Services will also publish updates in Inside Out and Building Blocks, as well as other children’s services sector publications and newsletters.
Any enquiries about the Children’s Services Regulation review can be emailed to CSRegRev@community.nsw.gov.au.