More than 1,300 ECEC services visited as national spot-check program expands

More than 1,300 early childhood education and care (ECEC) services have received unannounced visits from Australian Government officers since the national spot-check program began in November 2025, as the Commonwealth increases its compliance presence across the sector.

The Australian Government Department of Education confirmed the milestone on 20 August, with authorised officers having visited Centre-Based Day Care, Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) and Family Day Care (FDC) services across metropolitan, regional and remote communities.

The program is focused on strengthening Child Care Subsidy (CCS) integrity and compliance with Family Assistance Law, while also providing another mechanism through which quality and child safety concerns can be identified and referred to state and territory regulators. 

Spot checks are unannounced, in-person visits conducted by authorised Australian Government Department of Education officers.

During a visit, officers work with service staff to check enrolment and attendance records, review record-keeping practices and ensure CCS is being administered correctly.

The Department's more detailed guidance says officers can also examine whether services are meeting their legislative obligations under Family Assistance Law, accurately reporting enrolments and attendance, maintaining appropriate records and having procedures in place to manage payments and fees. 

Authorised officers are required to introduce themselves, show their authorised person identity cards and provide relevant documentation, including a consent to enter premises form.

The visits also have an educative component, with officers able to provide information to help services better understand their obligations and share examples of effective practice. 

The scale of the program has increased significantly since it commenced nationally in November.

More than 1,300 services have now been visited, covering different service types and communities across Australia.

Centre-Based Day Care, OSHC and Family Day Care services have all been included, with visits taking place in metropolitan, regional and remote locations. 

The Department said the checks help build confidence that services are meeting their obligations.

“By identifying issues and helping providers fix them, we are building a safer sector together,” it said. 

The national program followed a pilot conducted during October and November 2025.

Approximately 45 services across regional and urban areas in New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia participated in the initial phase.

The findings were subsequently used to shape a nationally consistent and scalable framework for the spot-check program. 

Following the pilot, the Department announced in November that the checks would be rolled out nationally and that any registered service across Australia could receive an unannounced visit. 

An important distinction for approved providers and service leaders is that the Commonwealth spot checks do not replace routine monitoring and compliance activities conducted by state and territory regulatory authorities.

The Commonwealth program focuses on CCS administration and obligations under Family Assistance Law.

State and territory regulatory authorities retain their responsibilities for monitoring and enforcing requirements under the National Quality Framework.

However, there is an important connection between the two systems.

If Australian Government officers observe quality or safety concerns during a spot check, those concerns will be referred to the relevant state or territory regulator. 

This means a visit that begins as a Commonwealth CCS compliance check could potentially result in further regulatory attention if other concerns are observed.

The spot-check program follows changes to Commonwealth legislation in 2025 which provided authorised officers with new powers of entry to conduct unannounced visits.

The powers were introduced as part of a broader package of measures aimed at strengthening regulation, safety and accountability across ECEC. 

The Commonwealth has also increased collaboration with state and territory regulators, expanded the compliance information available to families and introduced other measures designed to strengthen oversight of the sector. 

The Department says spot checks are intended to build sector capability and accountability, identify broader issues early and highlight examples of effective practice, as well as confirm government funding is being used appropriately. 

For approved providers, the milestone reinforces an increasingly important message: compliance needs to be demonstrable on an ordinary day, not just when a service knows someone is coming.

Services should be confident that enrolment and attendance records are accurate and current, CCS is being administered correctly, required records can be readily accessed and processes for payments and fees comply with Family Assistance Law.

Service leaders should also know what to do if an authorised officer arrives without notice,  including how to verify their identity, who within the organisation should be notified and where relevant records are maintained.

That readiness is particularly important because the Commonwealth program now operates alongside, rather than instead of, existing state and territory regulatory oversight.

With more than 1,300 services already visited in less than a year, unannounced Commonwealth spot checks have moved from pilot program to an established part of Australia's ECEC compliance landscape.

For providers, the implication is straightforward: CCS compliance, accurate records and sound governance need to withstand scrutiny at any time, not simply in preparation for a scheduled visit.

Read the Department of Education spot check guidance for providers announcement here.