{"id":8557,"date":"2025-08-28T07:53:24","date_gmt":"2025-08-27T21:53:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/1placechildcare.com\/au\/?p=8557"},"modified":"2026-04-29T11:24:30","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T01:24:30","slug":"embedding-a-culture-of-safety-and-learning-with-tracey-davey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1placechildcare.com\/au\/embedding-a-culture-of-safety-and-learning-with-tracey-davey\/","title":{"rendered":"Embedding a Culture of Safety and Learning with Tracey Davey"},"content":{"rendered":"

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We recently sat down with Tracey Davey<\/a>, an early childhood consultant with over 30 years in education and Director at ELC Group<\/a>, to discuss the challenges services face with risk management and how she’s helping transform the sector’s approach through innovative solutions.<\/p>\n

Tracey, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I grew up in Seymour, a small town in rural Victoria. Seymour is known for its railway and military heritage and the natural beauty of the Goulburn River. Life there offered a blend of rural tranquillity and access to urban opportunities. Growing up, I watched people work incredibly hard, and my parents had high expectations for us to achieve our full potential. That experience shaped my strong sense of capability and determination. Coming from a small rural town, I was eager to broaden my horizons, so after university I set out to explore the world.<\/p>\n

I began my career as a primary teacher in the UK and then returned to rural Victoria to teach for ten years in both Government and Catholic Schools. I then transitioned into secondary education for another decade before coming full circle back to the early years sector. For the past ten years, I\u2019ve worked as a consultant and VIT-trained mentor teacher, supporting educators while staying closely connected to classroom practice.<\/p>\n

What continues to inspire me most are the children themselves. They are so smart, honest, and joyful\u2014and working with them remains the best part of the job. Their energy and curiosity are what keep me passionate about education and excited to come to work every day.<\/p>\n

You recently told us about an approved provider being asked about their risk management plan. Can you share that situation?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Most approved providers, centre directors, and staff understand that risk management plans play a vital role in reducing risks within services. The challenge is that everyone is so time poor.<\/p>\n

What I often see when visiting different services is people turning to the internet to find blank risk assessment templates. There are countless versions of those available \u2014 but they rarely capture the unique risk factors of a specific service. Each service has its own context, and the way risks are identified and managed must be thought through carefully.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what prompted me to build a comprehensive bank of risk assessments. They provide a strong starting point by covering common risks, while also being flexible enough to tailor and adapt to the unique needs of each service.<\/p>\n

Recognising this need across the sector, I developed a dedicated risk assessment section within 1Place. As new requirements arise from regulations \u2014 or when I see a commonly overlooked risk area \u2014 I continue to expand the content so services always have access to relevant, practical tools.<\/p>\n

Are there organisational risk assessments similar to what NSW Office of Children’s Guardian uses in Victoria?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, Victoria has equivalent frameworks, particularly around the Child Safe Standards and the regulatory oversight by QARD, plus the SAFER framework in child protection. They serve many of the same goals as NSW\u2019s Office of the Children\u2019s Guardian\u2019s risk assessments, though with some differences in scope, power, or detail.<\/p>\n

With the risk assessments I\u2019m focusing on, sometimes there are standard ones like safe sleep and rest, child safe risk assessments, but we also have a reporting function in 1Place where staff can report disclosures, concerns, allegations, complaints, or notifiable incidents.<\/p>\n

What I\u2019m finding is that when Educators report, part of the debriefing process involves thinking about reducing risk in the future. A lot of new risk assessments come from those incidents.<\/p>\n

So it’s ongoing amendment – a moving part?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Exactly \u2014 it\u2019s very much a \u201cliving\u201d process, not a static document. The key idea is that risk assessments aren\u2019t a one\u2011off box\u2011ticking exercise. They need to be continually reviewed and updated as the environment, staff, children, or activities change.<\/p>\n

By taking a proactive approach<\/span>, you:<\/p>\n