NCAC Spot Checks - CareforKids.com.au ®

NCAC Spot Checks

A message from the National Childcare Accreditation Council (NCAC)

The following information can assist services to prepare for a Child Care Quality Assurance (CCQA) Spot Check:

What is a Spot Check?
A Spot Check is a short, unannounced visit to any Accredited child care service to determine whether it is maintaining the standard of practice required for Accreditation.

An NCAC Spot Check:

should take no more than two hours
is conducted by a NCAC Validator and
can occur at any time during the period from when a service receives its Accreditation Decision to when it submits its next Self-study Report.

The NCAC database randomly selects Accredited services to receive Spot Checks. Services can receive more than one Spot Check and, as they do not receive prior notification, services should be prepared to receive a Spot Check at any time.

What happens during a Spot Check?
A Validator arrives at the service to conduct the Spot Check. Following a short tour of the service, the Validator will then observe practices and talk with child care professionals while trying to avoid any disruption to the service's routines.

The Validator will then complete a Spot Check Report, which describes whether or not practices are being met at the standard required for Accreditation. The service can discuss the Report with the Validator at the conclusion of the Spot Check. If the service is meeting the standard required for Accreditation, the Validator will sign the Spot Check Report and no further action is required.

What happens if the service is not meeting the standard required for Accreditation?
There may be instances where the service can immediately take action to rectify unsatisfactory practice observed by the Validator. For example, by labelling dangerous products or removing hazards. The Validator will record in the Spot Check Report the unsatisfactory practice and what the service has done to rectify the issue.

Where longer term action is required, for example, improving interactions between children and staff at mealtimes, the Validator will record the unsatisfactory practice and the service will sign the Report to acknowledge that action will be taken after the Spot Check.

Where can I get more information about NCAC Spot Checks?
For further information about Spot Checks, please telephone NCAC on 1300 136 554 and ask to speak to a Child Care Adviser.