The National Quality Framework is entering a new phase, with a stronger and more explicit focus on child safety across both the Education and Care Services National Regulations (from 1 September 2025) and refinements to the National Quality Standard (from 1 January 2026).
For many services, the pressure point won’t be doing the work — it will be proving the work has changed, and that it is not just a policy update sitting in a folder.
This is where your Exceeding Guidance Summary becomes a genuine strategic tool: it helps you capture, organise, and clearly communicate how your practice is being reviewed, improved, embedded, and sustained — especially in relation to new expectations around child safety, governance, and leadership.
What’s changing in 2025–2026 (and why it matters for evidence)
ACECQA has confirmed:
From 1 September 2025 (Regulations)
Changes to the National Regulations include:
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new/strengthened requirements for policies and procedures for safe use of digital technologies and online environments
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tightened notification timeframes for physical and sexual abuse
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prohibiting vaping substances and devices
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additional child safety-related reforms (with further changes staged into 2026)
From 1 January 2026 (NQS refinements)
There will be refinements to sharpen the focus on child safety and explicitly reference child safety in Quality Areas 2 and 7.
Key takeaway: Assessors will increasingly be looking for services to demonstrate that child safety is not an “add on” — it is embedded through practice, leadership, decision-making, and continuous improvement.
You can learn more about the upcoming changes in our article, NQS 2026 Updates and 2025 Policy Guidelines: Downloadable Resources.
The evidence trap: why policy updates alone won’t be enough
Many services will respond with:
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updated policies
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staff signatures
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a quick staff meeting agenda item
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a new induction page
That’s a start — but it rarely meets the real Exceeding expectation: improved practice sustained over time.
To demonstrate Exceeding level practice, services need to show:
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how changes were identified and actioned
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how practice is implemented consistently
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how leadership drives accountability
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how changes are reviewed, evaluated, improved, and embedded
This aligns strongly with ACECQA’s Exceeding themes approach. Our Exceeding Guidance Summary supports you understand the NQS across the three exceeding themes.
What the Exceeding Guidance Summary should prove in 2026 assessments
Your Exceeding Guidance Summary should make it easy for an assessor to see evidence that your service has moved through a clear improvement pathway:
1) We identified the change
Evidence examples:
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summary sheet of key NQF changes (2025–2026)
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compliance checklist / internal audit findings
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risk assessment updates (digital tech, devices, online storage, photography)
2) We updated practice
Evidence examples:
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updated procedures that changed what educators do, not just what they know
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changes to daily routines, supervision plans, device storage/usage rules
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updated child safety response flowcharts displayed in staff areas
3) We embedded practice
Evidence examples:
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team meeting minutes showing repeated revisiting and refinement
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scenario training / role-play evidence
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coaching logs and educator reflections
4) We evaluated and improved practice
Evidence examples:
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QIP updates with measurable goals and review points
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internal spot-check results over time
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feedback loops from educators and families
5) We can show impact
Evidence examples:
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reduced incidents/near misses
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stronger staff confidence in response obligations
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clear consistency in photo permissions and digital storage compliance
Evidence of updated practice: what assessors want to see (real-world examples)
Below are strong, practical examples you can include in your Exceeding Guidance Summary to clearly show updated, embedded practice in response to 2025–2026 changes.
A) Safe use of digital technologies & online environments
This is one of the biggest evidence priorities for the 1 September 2025 change.
Strong evidence looks like:
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a digital tech register (who has access to what, and when)
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photo/video permission process that is consistent across rooms
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clear rules for devices (service-owned and personal)
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documented storage and deletion processes for child images/videos
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auditing of apps/platforms used for documentation
Practical evidence items to cite in your Exceeding Summary
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Staff training pack: “Safe Use of Digital Technologies”
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Audit checklist for digital platforms (including permissions + storage)
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Room sign-in/out log for devices
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Family comms explaining how images are used and protected
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Incident log: unauthorised photo prevention measures
B) Strengthened response expectations (physical/sexual abuse notifications)
Notification and response obligations are being strengthened, and scrutiny will increase.
Strong evidence looks like:
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child safety reporting flowchart displayed and used
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scenario-based training (not just reading a policy)
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educator confidence tracking (survey before/after training)
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leadership follow-ups to ensure procedures are understood and consistent
High value evidence
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“Mandatory Reporting Scenario Pack” (completed by educators)
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Training attendance + notes + knowledge check results
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Team meeting minutes showing follow-up discussion
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Reflective practice entries showing changes in supervision and risk awareness
C) Vaping ban compliance
The vaping prohibition is clear, but Exceeding evidence shows leadership and culture, not just compliance.
Better-than-basic evidence:
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explicit signage and staff induction section
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visitor/contractor compliance process
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community education snippet in newsletters
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enforcement process documented (including escalations)
D) NQS refinements to Quality Areas 2 and 7: child safety explicitly embedded (from 1 Jan 2026)
This is where services can stand out: by showing child safety is woven through health/safety and governance/leadership.
Quality Area 2 evidence:
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review of supervision plan & high-risk routines
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improvement actions tied to hazards/near-misses
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training focused on active supervision
Quality Area 7 evidence:
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governance decisions documented (resourcing, professional learning)
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clear leadership accountability (who monitors what and when)
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compliance monitoring systems (not reactive, but planned)
Exceeding guidance work is built around demonstrating this sustained, embedded approach.
How to write your Exceeding Guidance Summary so it actually helps you exceed
Here’s a format that consistently produces better assessor readability:
✅ 1. Start with “What changed”
Example sentence:
Strengthened child safety practice in response to updated NQS, particularly related to digital technologies, reporting obligations, and QA2/QA7 governance.
✅ 2. List your “Updated Practice Evidence”
Use dot points like:
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Updated procedures for photographing/recording children - policy "name"
- Implemented scenario-based mandatory reporting training - PD record in Nominated Supervisor Diary
- Added quarterly compliance audits for child safety practice - compliance audits folder dated 1/1
✅ 3. Close with sustainability
The “gold” for Exceeding:
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ongoing audit schedule
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yearly refresh training
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induction embedding
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leadership reporting
Use your Diaries to show ongoing practice has been scheduled and update your evidence summary once completed.
Quick checklist: do you have updated practice evidence (not just documents)?
If you can tick these, you’re in a strong position:
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Policies updated AND educators can explain what changed in practice
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Evidence shows changes over time (not all created in one week)
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Leadership monitoring is documented (QA7 strength)
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Digital technology procedures are active, auditable, and followed
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Child safety is visible in supervision decisions and incident prevention
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QIP reflects the change and includes review dates
Final note: Exceeding in 2026 won’t be about doing more — it will be about showing better systems
The services most likely to Exceed won’t necessarily have the biggest binders.
They’ll have:
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clear governance
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purposeful training
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consistent implementation
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and a well-organised Evidence Summary that proves updated practice is real, embedded, and improving.
And with child safety now explicitly strengthened across the NQF changes, your Exceeding Guidance Summary is one of the clearest ways to make that visible.
