2025-Responsible person in charge

Management/Nominated Supervisor/Responsible Person in Charge will:

• Provide written consent to accept the role of Responsible Person.
• Ensure that, in their absence from the centre premises, another person with a signed RPIC (Responsible Person in charge) form is placed in day-to-day charge of the centre.
• Ensure they have a sound understanding of the Responsible Person role.
• Ensure that the name and position of the Responsible Person in charge of the centre is displayed and easily visible from the main entrance of the centre.
• Develop rosters in accordance with the availability of responsible persons, hours of operations and the attendance patterns of children.
• Notify the Approved Provider and the Regulatory Authority within 7 days of any changes to their personal situation, including a change in mailing address, circumstances that affect their status as fit and proper, such as the suspension or cancellation of a Working with Children Check, Blue Card or teacher registration, or if they are subject to disciplinary proceedings.
• Ensure Nominated Supervisors and the RPIC have a clear understanding of the role of the Responsible Person.
• Ensure the Responsible Person is appropriately skilled and qualified.
• Ensure a Responsible Person is physically present at the centre at all times.
• Ensure a substitute for the Responsible Person will be in present where a waiver is in place

Range of responsibilities can include;

Supervision and Safety of Children

• Ensure children are adequately supervised, are not subject to inappropriate discipline, and are protected from harms and hazards

Entry to and Exit from the Premises

• Ensure children do not leave the education and care service premises except in accordance with the National Regulations (for example, with a parent, on an authorised excursion, or for emergency medical treatment).
• Ensure that a parent of a child being educated and cared for by the service may enter the service premises at any time when the child is being education and cared for by the service – except when:
  
  • Permitting entry would pose a risk to the safety of the children and staff or conflict with the duty of the supervisor under the National Law or;
  • The supervisor is aware that the parent is prohibited by a court order from having contact with the child.
• Ensure an unauthorised person (as defined under the National Law) is not at the service while children are present unless the person is under direct supervision.

Food and Beverages

• Ensure adequate health and hygiene practices and safe practices for handling, preparing and storing food are implemented at the service to minimise risk to children.
• Ensure children being cared for by the service have access to safe drinking water at all times and are offered food and beverages on a regular basis throughout the day.
• Ensure that, where food and beverages are supplied by the service, they are:
  
  • Nutritious and adequate in quantity.
  • Chosen with regard to dietary requirement of individual children.
• Ensure that, where food and beverages are provided by the service, a weekly menu that accurately describes the food and beverages to be provided is displayed at the premises in a location accessible to parents.

Administration of Medication

• Ensure that medication is not administered to a child being cared for by the service unless the administration is authorised (except in the case of anaphylaxis or asthma emergency) and is administered in accordance with the National Regulations.
• Ensure that a parent/guardian of the child, and emergency services, are notified as soon as practicable when medication is administered to a child without authorisation in a case of an anaphylaxis or asthma emergency.

Prescription and Non-prescription Drugs and Alcohol

• That while educating and caring for children at the service, staff must not consume alcohol or be affected by alcohol or drugs (including prescription medication) so as to impair their capacity to supervise or provide education and care to children.

Staffing

• Ensure the prescribed educator-to-child ratios are met and each educator at the services meets the qualification requirements relevant to the educator’s role.