It began operating as a Network under the Australian Council of Deans of Education in December 2017.
AECTEN brings together representatives from 42 higher education institutions that deliver early childhood teacher education programs across Australia. Members are leaders in the field, committed to advancing the quality, consistency, and innovation of early childhood teacher education.
Through collaboration, research, and policy engagement, AECTEN provides a national voice on issues affecting the preparation and professional learning of early childhood teachers, supporting excellence in early learning and education.
AECTEN holds regular cross-institutional meetings, collegial discussions, and sector engagement activities to ensure the currency, relevance, and quality of early childhood teacher education programs across Australia. In addition to ongoing virtual collaboration, members met in person for a national planning meeting, strengthening connections and setting shared priorities for advancing early childhood teacher education.
The child safety and child protection in ECEC ITE Professional Learning Series is a joint initiative of the AECTEN and the Early Childhood Professorial Advisory Council, designed to facilitate knowledge exchange among academics working in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) initial teacher education in response to child safety and child protection reform in the sector. The series comprises five 90-minute seminars delivered fully online as webinars, with participants able to attend the full series or opt in and out of individual sessions according to their professional learning needs.
1. Introduction to child safety, child protection and child safeguarding (17 June 2026)
What is child safety, child protection and child safeguarding; National Office of Childhood Safety Child Safe Organisations (10 principles) Focus: NQF, NQS and ACECQA updates
Distinguished Professor Ben Matthews, QUT
2. Child safety and child protection in context (19 July 2026)
Preventing harmful/sexual behaviour; body safety; Consent, respect and body safety; Detect, disrupt and report harm. Focus: Mandatory training and reportable conduct schemes
Emeritus Professor Kerryann Walsh, QUT
3. Insights and challenges in ECEC ITE
Date: Tuesday, 22 September 2026
Integrating child safety and child protection into ECE programs. Responding to administrative burden when embedding child safety and mandatory reporting in ECE ITE programs
Addressing: ACECQA National Model Code for taking images of children in ECEC ITE
Focus: What institutional supports do ITE academics need to sustain up-to-date, confident teaching of child protection responsibilities?
4. Responding to child safety and child protection reform in ECEC ITE
Date: Thursday 8 October 2026
Addressing: Policy responsive reform in ECEC; ITE ECEC student guardianship
Focus: How and where is ITE ECEC student guardianship developing in our programs?
5. Advancing the scholarship of child safety and child protection in ECEC and ECEC ITE
Date: Thursday 5 November 2026
Invited presentations by 3 HDR students: What are the future knowledge needs in policy, practice and pedagogy regarding child safety and child protection in ECEC ITE?
| Role | State | Name | University |
|---|---|---|---|
| Co-Chair | WA | Dr Fiona Boylan | Edith Cowan University |
| Co-Chair | SA | Dr. Susie Raymond | Adelaide University |
| - | ACT | Assoc Prof Kate Highfield | University of Canberra |
| - | NSW | Professor Wendy Boyd | Griffith University |
| - | QLD | Professor Susie Garvis | Griffith University |
| - | QLD | Ms Laurien Beane | Australian Catholic University |
| - | SA | Ms Rachael Hedger | Flinders University |
| - | TAS | Dr Elspeth Stephenson | University of Tasmania |
| - | VIC | Dr Laura McFarland | La Trobe University |
| - | WA | Assoc Prof Christine Robinson | Edith Cowan University |
Webinar: Safety from the Start: Professor Daryl Higgins (16 September 2025)
As child safety continues to be a prominent concern in media and public discourse, it is heartening to see universities and educators come together with such commitment to raising standards and improving quality in early childhood education. Professor Higgins shared invaluable insights that challenged us to reflect deeply on our practices and reaffirm our shared responsibility to protect and nurture children from the very beginning.
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