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Childcare camera policy & parent consent, for Australian services

If your service runs cameras, two things belong in writing: a camera policy for your policy folder and family handbook, and a parent consent form before any family gets live viewing access. Below are adaptable templates written for the National Quality Framework and the Privacy Act, rather than the US-style templates you will find elsewhere on this site.

Not legal advice. These are general, adaptable templates for Australian services, not legal advice and not a substitute for the requirements that apply to you. Review and adapt them for your service, and confirm with your state or territory regulatory authority, or a lawyer, before you rely on them.

What an Australian camera policy should cover

  • ✓Where cameras are, and where they never are: no bathrooms, no nappy change areas, no staff rooms.
  • ✓Whether audio is captured. Video-only avoids listening-device and surveillance questions entirely.
  • ✓Who can view live: which family, which room, during which hours.
  • ✓What is recorded, where it is stored, how long it is kept, and who can access it.
  • ✓That the system is supplied and authorised by the approved provider, not a personal device.
  • ✓How families and educators are told, and how consent is obtained and recorded.
  • ✓How a family or educator raises a concern, and who at the service owns the policy.

Camera policy template

Copy and adapt. Replace the [bracketed] items for your service.

[Service Name]: Camera and Parent Viewing Policy

Purpose. [Service Name] uses cameras in learning rooms and play spaces to support child safety, practice reflection, and transparency with families. This policy sets out how the system is used and how images of children are handled.

Authorised equipment. The camera system is supplied and authorised by the approved provider for education and care purposes. Educators do not capture, store, or transmit images of children on personal devices, consistent with the National Law and National Regulations as amended on 27 February 2026.

Camera placement. Cameras are placed only in learning rooms, indoor play areas, and outdoor play spaces. Cameras are never placed in bathrooms, nappy change areas, staff rooms, or any other private space.

Audio. Cameras do not capture audio for parent viewing. [If your own recorder captures audio, describe why and how consent is handled for your state or territory.]

Parent live viewing. Enrolled parents and guardians may be granted an individual, authenticated login to view only their own child's room, live, during service-approved hours ([e.g. 9:00am to 4:00pm on care days]). Access is not a public link, is limited to approved accounts, and the service may vary or revoke it at any time. Access ends when a child leaves the service.

No recording or sharing by families. Live viewing is not recording. Families may not record, screenshot, or share the stream, and access is for the enrolled family only.

Recording and retention. [If footage is recorded on the service's own recorder, state where it is stored, how long it is kept ([e.g. 30 days]), and who may access it. If nothing is recorded, state that viewing is live-only and no footage is retained.] The service does not keep images of children for longer than needed for the purpose described in this policy.

Access and security. Viewing requires an authenticated account. Access is granted per family and per room by [Nominated Supervisor / Director] and is reviewed [e.g. each term]. A record is kept of which account viewed which camera and when.

Privacy. Images of children are personal information under the Privacy Act 1988 and are handled in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles and this service's Privacy Policy. Families may ask [Nominated Supervisor / Director] how their child's information is handled.

Educators. Educators are informed of camera locations and the purpose of the system before they begin work, and camera use is acknowledged in employment and induction documentation.

Concerns. Families or educators with concerns about the camera system may raise them with [Nominated Supervisor / Director] at [contact]. Concerns are handled under the service's complaints procedure.

Adopted [date]. Next review [date]. Policy owner: [name, role].

Not legal advice. These are general, adaptable templates for Australian services, not legal advice and not a substitute for the requirements that apply to you. Review and adapt them for your service, and confirm with your state or territory regulatory authority, or a lawyer, before you rely on them.

Parent consent form template

[Service Name]: Camera and Live Viewing Consent

I, [Parent/Guardian Name], parent or guardian of [Child Name], have read [Service Name]'s Camera and Parent Viewing Policy and I:

  • • Acknowledge that learning rooms and play spaces are monitored by cameras, and that no audio is captured for parent viewing.
  • • Understand that any live viewing access I am given shows only my own child's room, during service-approved hours, and may be varied or revoked at any time.
  • • Understand that other children and educators in that room will be visible, and agree not to record, screenshot, or share what I see.
  • • Agree that my login is for my family only and will not be shared.
  • • Consent to my child's presence on the service's cameras as described in the policy.

Parent/Guardian signature: ______________________ Date: __________

Retain with the enrolment record. Update if the policy changes materially.

Educator note: tell your team before the cameras go live, not after. Cover where cameras are, that no audio is captured for parent viewing, that families see only their own room during set hours, and that the system is service-supplied so nobody is expected to use a personal device. Put the acknowledgment in induction documentation.

Not legal advice. These are general, adaptable templates for Australian services, not legal advice and not a substitute for the requirements that apply to you. Review and adapt them for your service, and confirm with your state or territory regulatory authority, or a lawyer, before you rely on them.

How CareCam keeps the policy short

Most of what makes a camera policy hard to write is retention, access, and audio. CareCam removes all three: viewing is live only, so there is no footage to retain, video only, so there is no listening-device question, and access is per family, per room, per hour with every view logged. Anything your own recorder keeps stays on site, under your policy.

CareCam for Australian centresTalk to us about your service

Camera policy in Australian ECEC: FAQ

Does an Australian childcare service need a written camera policy?
If you run cameras, yes, in practice. Your service already needs policies and procedures covering child safety and the handling of personal information, and cameras touch both. A written camera policy is what you hand your regulatory authority when asked how footage of children is governed, and what you give families so consent means something. Cover placement, whether audio is captured, who can view live, what is recorded and for how long, and how families and educators are told.
Do we need parental consent for cameras and live viewing?
Get it, and get it explicitly rather than buried in an enrolment pack. Children's personal information is protected under the Privacy Act, and images of a child are personal information. The consent template below covers acknowledgment that rooms are monitored, that any live access shows only that family's room during set hours, and that recording or sharing the stream is not permitted. Have your approved provider review it before it goes to families.
What about the February 2026 device rules?
From 27 February 2026, changes to the National Law and National Regulations limit how images of children are captured, stored, and transmitted, and stop centre-based staff using or carrying personal devices while working directly with children. A fixed camera system the approved provider owns and authorises is a different thing from an educator's phone, but your policy should say so plainly: name the system as service-supplied and authorised, and state that educators do not capture images on personal devices. Confirm the detail with your regulatory authority.
Should our policy address audio?
Yes, and the simplest answer is usually no audio. Recording conversations between educators and children raises surveillance and listening-device questions that vary by state and territory, and it adds nothing to parent viewing. CareCam is video-only for parents regardless of how the camera is configured, so the cleanest posture is a policy line saying audio is not captured for parent viewing. If your own recorder captures audio, your policy has to address it for your jurisdiction.
How long should we keep footage?
Only as long as you have a reason to, and say the number in the policy. Under the Australian Privacy Principles you should not hold personal information you no longer need. Many services land on 30 days on their own recorder. If you run live viewing without recording, the policy gets simpler: state that viewing is live-only and no footage is retained, which is how CareCam works.