United Workers Union has launched (UWU) Safer Staffing Action Plan developed in response to the current safety crisis following tragic incidents in Victoria and other states.
The blueprint for a safer sector based on the views of thousands of educators about challenges that face staff, children and families. It calls for the resolution of widespread unsafe staffing issues and an end to a misused staffing loophole. The UWU plan was delivered to the Federal Minister for Early Education, Senator Jess Walsh as well as state-based education ministers.
The UWU Safer Staffing Action Plan calls for staffing to be put at the centre of reforms for a safer sector, including an end to the so-called ‘under the roof’ ratio, which allows educator-to-child rations to be counted across a whole centre, despite unmet ratios in individual rooms.
UWU conducted a survey of over 2,000 educators, with 77% saying they were operating below minimum staffing levels in their rooms at least weekly, and 42% saying it occurred daily. In the same survey, 83% of educators strongly agreed the loophole compromises the safety and wellbeing of children.
The plan also includes calls for:
- Every child requiring additional support, whether diagnosed or not, to be fully supported through additional staffing and other required resources.
- Staffing waivers at centres allowing understaffing to be only used as a last resort and strictly time limited.
In the union’s recent survey of more than 2000 educators:
- 75% said understaffing meant children were left without emotional support,
- 72% said understaffing led to an increase in children hurting themselves or others.
- 79% said there was not enough inclusion support educators to meet the needs of children who need additional support.
UWU Early Education Director Carolyn Smith said, “We have seen a range of quick fix responses to safety issues across centres that fail to address the underlying issue of understaffing. If we are to achieve the wellbeing and safety that children deserve, no amount of CCTV can replace the oversight of skilled, trained educators who are able to give children the necessary time and attention.”
Read more: ECEC-Staffing-Action-Plan-Policy-Priorities-2025.pdf
