Prevention is better than cure: how to truly safeguard your Service from compliance risk

As expectations around governance, child safety and organisational accountability continue to evolve, early childhood education and care (ECEC) providers are increasingly recognising that the strongest organisations are those that identify and respond to risk long before incidents occur.

That conversation will take centre stage during Panel 3 at  The Sector Connect+ ECEC Compliance & Risk Forum 2026, where leading specialists in safeguarding, crisis communication, digital safety and organisational risk will examine how providers can build systems that support safer, stronger and more resilient organisations.

Moderated by Jason Roberts, Founder and CEO of The Sector Publishing, the session "Prevention is Better than Cure - How to truly Safeguard your Service from Compliance Risk" brings together a diverse panel of experts to explore practical strategies that help providers move beyond reactive compliance towards proactive organisational resilience.

Joining the discussion are:

• Susie Wilson, CEO and Founder, Child Aware
• Samantha Dellamarta, Senior Advisor, Safeguarding Australia
• Phoebe Netto, Marketing and Communications, Pure Public Relations
• Leigh Harper QPIB, Business Development Leader, Affinity and Commercial, Howden

The Sector Publishing CEO Jason Roberts said the panel had been intentionally designed to bring together expertise from across safeguarding, communications, governance, insurance and organisational risk.

“No single discipline holds all the answers when it comes to building organisational resilience,” Mr Roberts said.

“Providers are increasingly recognising that strong risk management depends on leadership, culture, communication and systems working together, rather than compliance being treated as a standalone function.”

“This panel will bring together different perspectives to give delegates practical ideas they can take back to their own organisations to identify risks earlier, strengthen their systems and respond with greater confidence.”

Sponsored by Child Aware, the session will explore how risk management has evolved beyond compliance to become an essential leadership capability across the ECEC sector.

"Child-safe organisations don't simply respond well when incidents occur, they proactively identify, manage and reduce risks by creating environments where child safety is at the centre of every decision and action. Building that capability requires more than compliance; it requires committed leadership, strong systems and a culture of continuous improvement. We're proud to support conversations that help providers strengthen these foundations across the sector."

– Susie Wilson, CEO and Founder, Child Aware.

While incident responses remain an important capability, experienced leaders understand that every complaint, concern, near miss and operational challenge provides valuable insight into how systems can be strengthened.

Rather than focusing solely on what happens after something goes wrong, this discussion will examine how providers can recognise emerging risks earlier, create environments where concerns are raised confidently and embed organisational practices that reduce the likelihood of serious incidents occurring.

The conversation reflects the broader theme of this year's forum, Beyond Compliance: From Response to Recovery, by focusing on the preventative systems and leadership behaviours that underpin high-performing organisations. 

Throughout the session, panellists will explore practical approaches that leaders can implement within their own organisations, including:

• recognising operational, behavioural and environmental warning signs before they escalate;
• creating psychologically safe workplaces where staff feel confident to raise concerns;
• strengthening incident management systems and escalation processes;
• leadership behaviours that reduce organisational risk;
• crisis communication and protecting community trust during challenging situations;
• managing digital, online and technology-related risks;
• understanding the role of governance, insurance and organisational accountability;
• using complaints, incidents and near misses to drive continuous improvement; and
• embedding practical risk prevention strategies that support consistent, high-quality practice.

Rather than presenting risk management as a standalone compliance function, the panel will examine how governance, culture, communication and leadership work together to create organisations capable of preventing issues before they become significant events.

Every organisation experiences challenges. What distinguishes resilient providers is their ability to learn from those experiences and continuously strengthen the systems that support children, families and educators.

Drawing on expertise across safeguarding, public relations, organisational risk and governance, the panel will explore how providers can move beyond minimum compliance expectations to build organisations that are adaptable, responsive and prepared for an increasingly complex operating environment.

Delegates will leave with practical frameworks, ideas and strategies they can immediately apply to review their own systems, validate current practices and identify opportunities to strengthen governance, organisational resilience and risk management.

Panel 3 completes a program designed to examine the full lifecycle of compliance and organisational resilience.

Following discussions exploring regulatory reform and governance, and leadership lessons from real-world compliance experiences, this final panel turns attention towards prevention, examining how organisations can identify risk earlier, build stronger systems and create cultures that support continuous improvement. 

Event details

• Date: Friday 4 September 2026

• Location: Waterview, Bicentennial Park, Sydney Olympic Park

• Time: 8.30am registration | 9am start – 4.30pm close

Sponsors: Storypark and Child Aware

 

Tickets are selling fast. Professionals across early childhood compliance, quality, governance, operations, leadership and risk are encouraged to secure your place at The Sector Connect+ ECEC Compliance & Risk Forum 2026 now.

Further program announcements will follow, including the sector champion who will take part in the Forum’s fireside chat.