Under the National Quality Framework, every family day care coordinator must hold an approved diploma-level education and care qualification or an ACECQA-recognised equivalent. This establishes an important minimum foundation in children’s learning, development, health, safety and educational practice.

However, being qualified to work as an educator is not the same as being prepared to succeed as a family day care coordinator.

The coordinator role is one of the most complex and frequently underestimated positions in early childhood education and care. Coordinators work at the intersection of pedagogy, compliance, safeguarding, risk management, workforce development, relationships and service operations. They must apply these capabilities across multiple residences and venues, with educators working independently and sometimes across substantial geographic areas.

A diploma is a valuable foundation. It is not, by itself, everything an FDC Coordinator needs to succeed.

Most early childhood qualifications are primarily designed to prepare people to educate and care for children. They appropriately focus on areas such as child development, relationships, curriculum planning, inclusive practice, health, safety and the approved learning frameworks.

A coordinator certainly needs this knowledge—but the role requires much more.

Unlike an educator working within a centre-based team, a family day care coordinator is expected to monitor and support numerous educators operating independently from their own homes. The coordinator must determine whether practice is safe, compliant and of an appropriate quality, while also maintaining a constructive professional relationship with the educator.

That requires the coordinator to move between several roles:

• coach and mentor
• compliance monitor
• educational leader
• risk assessor
• investigator and problem-solver
• complaint manager
• trainer and facilitator
• relationship manager
• record keeper
• operational adviser
• representative of the approved provider.

These responsibilities cannot be developed simply by holding the minimum qualification.

Coordinators must translate regulation into everyday practice

One of the greatest challenges for coordinators is learning how to interpret the National Law, National Regulations, National Quality Standard, approved learning frameworks and service policies—and then translate them into practical expectations for educators.

Knowing that a regulation exists is different from being able to determine:

• what evidence demonstrates compliance
• when an issue is a coaching opportunity and when it requires formal action
• how to document observations objectively
• how to assess cumulative or repeated concerns
• when an issue should be escalated
• how to follow up and verify that corrective action has occurred
• how to support continuous improvement without overlooking unacceptable risk
• how to balance the role of compliance with the role of support person
•  what evidence demonstrates compliance
• when an issue is a coaching opportunity and when it requires formal action
• how to document observations objectively
• how to assess cumulative or repeated concerns
• when an issue should be escalated
• how to follow up and verify that corrective action has occurred
• how to support continuous improvement without overlooking unacceptable risk
• how to balance the role of compliance with the role of support person

ACECQA’s guidance identifies coordinator responsibilities including implementing monitoring, support and supervision procedures, maintaining appropriate documentation, supporting continuous improvement, providing professional development opportunities and helping ensure that areas used within family day care premises are safe, secure and free from hazards.

Each of these responsibilities requires judgement—not simply knowledge.

Monitoring is not just completing a checklist

A home visit can appear straightforward when reduced to a checklist. In practice, effective monitoring requires the coordinator to observe the environment, educator practice, children’s experiences, documentation, household dynamics and potential risks simultaneously.

The coordinator must know how to ask questions that uncover actual practice rather than rehearsed answers. They must recognise subtle warning signs, test whether policies are understood and implemented, and distinguish an isolated issue or event from a broader pattern of risk.

They must also document what they have seen in a way that is clear, fair, evidence-based and capable of supporting future decisions.

This becomes even more complex when coordinators are supporting educators in rural or remote locations, where systems and supervision approaches may need to be adapted while still meeting regulatory requirements. ACECQA’s guidance specifically asks services to consider how their monitoring, assessment and support systems will operate in these contexts.

These are advanced professional skills. They are rarely developed through qualification alone.

Coordinators need expertise in adult learning and difficult conversations

Family day care coordinators do not only monitor educators; they are expected to develop them.

That means being able to identify capability gaps, provide meaningful feedback, build reflective practice, facilitate professional learning and support educators to make sustainable changes.

A coordinator may need to tell an experienced educator that a familiar practice is no longer acceptable. They may need to address resistance, defensiveness or distress. They must maintain the relationship while remaining clear about the required standard.

Poorly handled conversations can damage trust, increase educator turnover or leave serious risks unresolved. Avoiding difficult conversations may feel supportive in the moment, but it can place children, educators and the service at greater risk.

Effective coordinators therefore need practical skills in:

• coaching and reflective questioning
• giving evidence-based feedback
• managing resistance
• setting clear expectations
• developing improvement plans
• documenting performance concerns
• recognising when mentoring is no longer an adequate response.

These capabilities require deliberate development, practice and support.

The role carries significant safeguarding responsibilities

Family day care operates in private residences, where educators may work largely alone and other household members may be present. This makes robust assessment, monitoring and professional judgement essential.

Services must have systems for assessing educators, educator assistants and people residing at family day care residences. They must consider suitability, fitness and propriety, child protection responsibilities and the ongoing safety of the environment.

Coordinators are often the people who see the environment, speak with the educator and identify changes or emerging concerns. They need the confidence and capability to notice what is not being said, question inconsistencies and escalate matters appropriately.

This is not an area in which new coordinators should be expected to learn solely through trial and error.

Qualification does not automatically create role clarity

Coordinator positions also differ significantly between services.

In one organisation, the coordinator may focus primarily on pedagogical mentoring and home visits. In another, the role may include educator recruitment, induction, complaints, incidents, enrolments, Child Care Subsidy processes, policy implementation, performance management and operational reporting.

Without clear role boundaries, coordinators may be given responsibilities without sufficient authority, supervision or training. They may also be held accountable for organisational failures that properly sit with the approved provider or nominated supervisor.

ACECQA’s guidance emphasises the need for services to clearly define and document the respective responsibilities of approved providers, nominated supervisors, coordinators, educators and other staff.

A strong coordinator development program must therefore do more than teach regulations. It must help coordinators understand their role, their delegations, their escalation pathways and the limits of their authority.

Why the FDC Coordinator Development Program is critical

The FDC Coordinator Development Program has been developed to bridge the gap between holding the required qualification and being able to perform the coordinator role confidently, consistently and competently.

It provides structured, family-day-care-specific development grounded in the realities coordinators face every day.

Rather than relying on generic early childhood training, the program helps coordinators build practical capability across areas such as:

• understanding the coordinator’s role, authority and accountabilities
• interpreting regulatory requirements in an FDC context
• planning and conducting effective monitoring visits
• identifying, assessing and documenting risk
• distinguishing support issues from compliance concerns
• coaching educators and strengthening reflective practice
• conducting difficult and corrective conversations
• developing clear records and defensible evidence
• escalating incidents, complaints and emerging concerns
• supporting educational programs and continuous improvement
• balancing educator relationships with regulatory responsibilities
• using service information and trends to identify systemic risk.

The emphasis is not simply on what coordinators need to know. It is on what they need to be able to do.

Through practical tools, scenarios, frameworks and structured learning, coordinators can build the judgement needed to respond consistently to real situations. Approved providers also gain greater confidence that coordinator practice is aligned with the organisation’s policies, risk appetite and regulatory responsibilities.

Supporting coordinators protects the whole service

When coordinators are underprepared, the consequences extend beyond the individual employee.

Inconsistent monitoring can allow poor practice to continue. Weak documentation can undermine regulatory responses or performance processes. Unclear feedback can damage educator relationships. Failure to identify patterns can expose children and the service to preventable risk.

By contrast, capable coordinators strengthen every part of the family day care system. They help educators improve, identify concerns earlier, support stronger educational practice, contribute to educator retention and provide approved providers with reliable information about what is occurring across the service.

The minimum qualification should therefore be understood for what it is: an entry requirement.

It confirms that a person has an appropriate educational foundation. It does not confirm that they have been prepared for the full complexity of coordinating, monitoring and developing a dispersed family day care workforce.

Family day care services cannot afford to leave this development to chance.

The FDC Coordinator Development Program provides the focused preparation, practical tools and FDC-specific capability coordinators need to move from being qualified for the position to being genuinely equipped to succeed.

The announcement of the In Home Care Sustainability Support Grant is welcome news for many providers across Australia.

For a sector that delivers essential services to families with complex needs, those living in remote areas and those requiring non-standard hours of care, sustainability has been an ongoing challenge for many years.

The reality is that In Home Care operates within what is often described as a thin market.

Many providers face increasing costs associated with workforce, compliance, administration, travel and service delivery. At the same time, opportunities to increase revenue are often constrained by government funding settings and the affordability of fees for families.

Unlike some other sectors, sustainability challenges cannot simply be solved by increasing prices or significantly expanding utilisation. For many providers, maintaining service viability requires a careful balancing act between supporting families, supporting educators and managing organisational sustainability.

Looking Beyond Immediate Pressures

When grant funding becomes available, the natural instinct is often to focus on immediate operational needs. There is nothing wrong with this.

Many services are dealing with genuine pressures and funding can provide important relief.

However, there is another question worth considering:

How can this funding create benefits that continue long after the grant funding has been spent?

This question shifts the conversation from short-term expenditure to long-term organisational capability.

Instead of asking:

"What can we spend this funding on?"

Perhaps a better question is:

"What can we invest in that will strengthen our service into the future?"

The Challenge of Working In the Business

One of the most common observations I have made throughout my career working with Family Day Care and In Home Care services is that leadership teams spend most of their time working in the business.

They are:

• Supporting families
• Recruiting and retaining educators
• Managing compliance obligations
• Responding to operational issues
• Navigating workforce shortages
• Maintaining service continuity

These activities are essential.

The challenge is that they often leave little time to work on the business.

Questions such as these can remain unanswered:

• What are the biggest risks to our long-term sustainability?
• What opportunities are we missing?
• Are our systems and processes supporting efficiency?
• Are we investing resources in the right areas?
• How effective are our governance arrangements?
• What would strengthen workforce retention?
• Where should we focus our improvement efforts?

Without dedicated time and objective analysis, these questions often remain buried beneath day-to-day operational demands.

Why Independent Assessment Matters

Every organisation develops blind spots. This is not because leaders lack capability or commitment. It is simply a consequence of being deeply immersed in the day-to-day realities of service delivery.

An independent assessment can provide:

• A fresh perspective
• Objective analysis
• Evidence-based recommendations
• Validation of existing approaches
• Identification of unseen risks and opportunities

Most importantly, it can help organisations distinguish between challenges that are structural and outside their control and those that can be influenced through better systems, processes, governance and decision-making. An independent assessment will not solve every challenge facing the sector.

However, it can help services better understand what is driving their performance and where targeted improvements may deliver meaningful benefits.

From Insight to Action

One of the weaknesses of many reviews and assessments is that they end with a report. Recommendations are documented. Priorities are identified. Then daily operational demands take over and implementation becomes difficult.

Real improvement occurs when insights are translated into action.

This is why any sustainability assessment should be accompanied by a practical implementation approach. The objective should not simply be to identify opportunities.The objective should be to strengthen the organisation.

This may include:

• Governance improvements
• Workforce sustainability initiatives
• Operational efficiencies
• Compliance system enhancements
• Strategic planning
• Organisational capability development
• Service delivery improvements

These are all investments that can continue to deliver value long after grant funding has been exhausted.

A Different Way to Think About the Grant

The In Home Care Sustainability Support Grant provides a rare opportunity to invest not only in operational sustainability but also in organisational capability.

For some services, this may mean allocating a portion of funding towards:

Phase 1: Sustainability Diagnostic Assessment

A whole-of-service assessment examining:

• Financial sustainability
• Governance
• Workforce capability
• Compliance
• Operations
• Service delivery
• Strategic opportunities

Phase 2: Sustainability Improvement Program

Implementation of priority initiatives designed to strengthen:

• Organisational capability
• Workforce sustainability
• Governance effectiveness
• Operational performance
• Long-term viability

The goal is not simply to produce another report.

The goal is to build a stronger, more resilient and more sustainable service.

Building Sustainability Beyond the Grant

The challenges facing the In Home Care sector are real. Many are systemic and beyond the direct control of individual providers. However, there remains significant value in understanding how your organisation is performing, identifying opportunities for improvement and making informed decisions about future investment.

The most successful organisations are rarely those that work the hardest. They are often the organisations that have the clearest understanding of their strengths, risks, opportunities and priorities.

As providers consider how to utilise the In Home Care Sustainability Support Grant, it may be worth asking:

What investment could strengthen our service not just for the next 12 months, but for the next five years?

That is where true sustainability begins.

Moving beyond “keeping the doors open”