School age care management strategy
Building standards compliance required by 31 August 2008
Under the Child Care Act 2002 and Child Care Regulation 2003 all school age care services must be licensed.
Transitional provisions contained within the Child Care Act 2002 require school age care services to comply with the building standards within MP5.4 – Child Care Centres of the Queensland Development Code by 1 September 2008.
Therefore, services need to demonstrate that they are compliant with the building standards by providing written evidence to the Department of Communities by 31 August 2008.
School Age Care Management Strategy
Under the School Age Care Management Strategy, services that are not compliant with the building standards by 31 August 2008 can continue to operate while working towards compliance with the relevant building standards. Services must be compliant with all aspects of the Child Care Act 2002, including building standards OR have implemented a management plan that outlines proposed progress towards achieving compliance.
These services will be supported by the Department of Communities in delivering quality child care to meet the changing needs of Queensland families beyond 1 September 2008.
By completing the management plan, the licensee is agreeing to take the steps described in order to meet compliance with the building standards in the agreed timeframe. This timeframe will be negotiated with the Department of Communities Regional Office in conjunction with the guidelines included in the plan. Management Plans can be found below.
Services are encouraged to apply for Alternative Solutions where they may have a solution to meet the required building standards in a different way. An application form for alternative solutions is available below.
- Alternative Solution Application Form - for use by school age care services that existed prior to 1 September 2003
For further information, please see fact sheet or contact the Child Care Information Service on Freecall 1800 637 711* (24 hrs) to speak with a Child Care Resource Officer within your local area.
*Calls from mobile phones are charged at applicable rates