POLICY CONTENT

Under the Education and Care Services National Regulations, the Approved Provider must ensure that policies and procedures are in place for emergency and evacuation situations (regulation 168) and take reasonable steps to ensure those policies and procedures are followed (Regulation 170) (ACECQA 2021). 

Our School is committed to the ongoing safety and wellbeing of children, staff, families, and visitors. To achieve this, we will implement a clear plan to manage all emergency situations, including a plan for emergencies that may require our School to go into lockdown and ensure our educators and staff are well equipped with the knowledge and expertise to respond effectively when required. Children and staff will regularly rehearse our emergency procedures, including lockdown to ensure their safety and wellbeing. 

 

NATIONAL QUALITY STANDARD (NQS)

QUALITY AREA 2: Children's Health and Safety

2.2	Safety	Each child is protected.
2.2.1	Supervision	At all times, reasonable precautions and adequate supervision ensure children are protected from harm and hazard.
2.2.2	Incident and emergency management	Plans to effectively manage incidents and emergencies are developed in consultation with relevant authorities, practiced and implemented.

QUALITY AREA 7: Governance and Leadership

7.1.2	Management systems	Systems are in place to manage risk and enable the effective management and operation of a quality school.
7.1.3	Roles and responsibilites	Roles and responsibilities are clearly defined, and understood, and support effective decision-making and operation of the school.

PURPOSE 

We aim to minimise the risk of harm, ensuring the safety of children, educators, families, and visitors of the School in the event of a threatening situation.  
 

SCOPE 

This policy applies to children, families, staff, management, and visitors of the School. 
  

IMPLEMENTATION 

We have set procedures to follow in the event of any emergency requiring evacuation or lockdown. These procedures comply with regulatory requirements and are consistent with recommendations by recognised authorities. They are made to make sure that the process is efficient, safe, and calm for all the children, staff, families, and visitors.  
 

SCHOOL LOCKDOWN 

Whilst many emergency situations will require staff and children to evacuate from the School, there are potential situations that will require the School to go into ‘lockdown’.  Within early childhood Schools there are three types of lockdown that may be required: 

• ‘External threat’ indicating that there is a potential threat outside that you wish to prevent from entering the building. For example and unidentified dangerous animal or insects 
• ‘Shelter-in-place’ which generally will be required when there is a real or perceived threat to health or safety. For example:  
  • Severe storms 
  • Extreme smoke from a local or distant bushfire 
  • Chemical or hazardous substance spill 
  • Gas leak / atmospheric hazardous substance 
  • Flood
• ‘Full lockdown’ for situations that involve serious threats such as: 
  • Potentially dangerous unwanted or uninvited intruder 
  • Potentially dangerous person due to intoxication or substance abuse 
  • Receiving an emergency services warning about a reported incident or civil disturbance 

Lockdown entails locking all windows and external doors, as well as locking internal doors and closing blinds where possible. 

SHELTER-IN-PLACE OR EXTERNAL THREAT LOCKDOWN

For a ‘Shelter-in-place’ or ‘External threat’ lockdown, children are able to participate in the usual experiences and activities: However, for a ‘Full Lockdown’ children and adults must be moved to a room / position that does not allow them to be viewed. 

Where possible, access should be maintained to a bathroom, and enough space should be available for children to be comfortably involved in quiet activities. As a result, it is critical that appropriate spaces are identified and displayed in an emergency lockdown procedure. This information can be displayed on the back of the Evacuation Plan, which can then be quickly taken from the wall when required. This act will ensure that in a situation involving unwanted visitors, or previous visitors that have now returned with malicious intent, the plan is not visible or available.  
 
Management or the Nominated Supervisor will:

• develop, and review annually, a risk assessment to identify potential emergencies that may require the School to go into lockdown 
• engage relevant stakeholders/authorities to improve risk mitigation strategies for lockdown situations as part of our Emergency Management Plan (i.e police, fire, ambulance, staff, Approved Provider, parents/families as examples) 
• consider procedures for non-ambulant children and staff implications in the event of a lockdown (especially for a multi-story setting) 
• ensure new staff, volunteers and students are provided with information and training about lockdown procedures upon induction 
• ensure Emergency Evacuation Plans and Procedures are displayed in prominent positions near each exit and in the indoor learning environments and or have accessible copy if required
• nominate the person/people with authority to manage the lockdown - All Responsible Person
• determine communication channels to ensure all educators and staff have access to an operating telephone or means of communication
• determine how the different type of lockdown can be communicated
• contact emergency services as soon as practicable - provide essential information to police depending on the type of lockdown (e.g.: description of the intruder, threat, weapons) 
• develop a strategy for checking the attendance roll and communicating with children, educators, families, and visitors of the School 
• ensure all children, staff, families, and visitors of the School remain inside and following instructions given
• ensure lockdown drills are practiced every three months at different times to ensure all staff and children have the opportunity to participate 
• document emergency lockdown rehearsals including the Responsible Person who is present at the time of the rehearsal 
• ensure lockdown drills are reviewed and reflected upon each time they occur and are adequately documented including any improvements 
• communicate with families about lockdown procedures and drills 
• complete a serious incident notification to the regulatory authority within 24 hours when there has been an emergency that has posed a risk to the safety and wellbeing of the children

 In the event of a lockdown, Educators will:

• direct children to shelter in place indoors, where doors can be locked or barricaded securely (as per plan)  
• ensure all children are accounted for (check daily sign on sheet/app) 
• immediately lock doors and windows 
• close all blinds/curtains 
• ensure all children remain inside the indoor learning space (or are accompanied by an educator/staff member if going to the bathroom) 
• ensure children remain in a confined area, (or out of sight for a ‘Full Lockdown’ – see below) during the lockdown period 
• ensure children remain calm: except for ‘Full Lockdown’, arrange activities to engage them 
• remain in lockdown until the all-clear signal is given 
• ensure all families are notified of the incident as soon as practicable after the lockdown has ended

 Additionally, during a Shelter-In-Place Lockdown, Educators will: 

• use any available linen to block gaps around doors or window to minimise the entry of smoke/hazardous chemicals 

FULL LOCKDOWN

Additionally, during a Full Lockdown, Management, Nominated Supervisors will: 

• implement lockdown procedure 
• alert staff using agreed signal for immediate lockdown 
• contact emergency services (000) for assistance 
• have a copy of the evacuation of the School 
• move infants and children to a secure designated lockdown location 
• lock external doors, window and close blinds and turn off lights 
• clear any room/hallway that cannot be secured 
• silence televisions and radios/speakers
• ensure all children remain low away from doors and windows 
• encourage all children to remain quiet (i.e. Have books ready for children to look at to assist with engaging them during the lockdown) 
• ensure all children and persons in the room remain out of sight of external windows and glass doors, and internal viewing windows 
• ensure all families are notified of the incident as soon as practicable after the lockdown has ended 
• complete a serious incident notification to the regulatory authority within 24 hours when there has been an emergency that has posed a risk to the safety and wellbeing of the children 
• provide opportunities for debriefing and counselling to families,children, and staff. 

SOURCE 

ADT. (2019). Best practices for campus and school lockdown procedures 
Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment (2020). Help in an emergency 
Education and Care Services National Regulations. (2011).      
Guide to the Education and Care Services National Law and the Education and Care Services National Regulations. (2017). 
Guide to the National Quality Framework. (2018). (Amended 2020) 
Kearns, K. (2017). The Business of Childcare (4th Ed.). 
Queensland Government Natural disaster resources  
Revised National Quality Standard. (2018) 
Victoria State Government Department of Education and Training (2018). Responding to Intruder Threat Guidelines for Early Childhood Services and Schools.