QA2: Emergency Evacuations
NQS Best Practices: Childcare 2020
The subsection that governs emergency evacuation procedures is ‘2.2.2 – Plans to effectively manage incidents and emergencies are developed in consultation with relevant authorities, practiced and implemented’.
“Services exceeding the NQS charge an average of 7% higher fees.” It pays to implement best practices in your service.
National survey for The Early Years Insights – Sept 2019
Here are three best practices to consider implementing to ensure your centre is meeting the NQS:
- Written emergency and evacuation procedures that include instructions. These should include what must be done in the event of an emergency as well as ensuring an emergency evacuation floor plan (for example, a plan for a bushfire in a bushfire-prone area) is displayed in easy to find areas.
- Emergency evacuation and lockdowns are practiced at least every three months, and all team members know when these are being held (for example, first Friday of every quarter).
- Policies and records are accessible to families.
Exceeding Recommendations
Here are three recommendations to show that your centre is going beyond the requirements of the NQS:
- In addition to displaying emergency protocols and evacuation procedures in easy to access areas in the centre such as exits, your service also has a digital copy or procedures and exit strategies that parents can access from their own secure login at home. This means that parents do not have to physically come into the centre to view this.
- You run practice emergency evacuations and lockdowns more frequently than 4 times a year (for example, monthly). You also record who ran the emergency, how long the evacuation took as well as what specific children were “marked as safe” contrasting those who were absent on this day.
- You self assess and compare each practice emergency against the last. Was it faster or slower? What was different from the last one? What are your goals for the future?
Xplor automates these requirements to give you the best possible chance at obtaining exceeding 2.3.3 (emergencies).
TO LEARN MORE about implementing best practices as well as automating the recording of data needed to give you the best chance of Exceeding QA2, reach out to Xplor.
