Frequently asked questions

We offer huge savings for Service owners who want to operate their centre without excessive fees and charges. An Approved Provider is a person or organisation that has been granted provider approval under the Education and Care Services National Law. All Services must be attached to an Approved Provider before they can operate as an approved education and care service in Australia. Without it, you cannot legally operate a long day care, family day care, outside school hours care, or preschool service under the National Quality Framework.

We offer huge savings for Service owners who want to operate their centre without excessive fees and charges. Individuals, companies, partnerships, associations, and other legal owners can save on their annual compliance fees and charges. We ensure your centre operates as a compliant operation, including checking that persons with management or control of the service are fit-and-proper under the National Law. This includes demonstrating good character, no relevant criminal history, and the capacity to comply with the Law and Regulations.

Approved Provider Advisory Group helps owners meet their Approved Provider and Service needs. The fit and proper person test is assessed by each state's or territory's regulatory authority. It considers factors including criminal history checks for all persons with management or control, any history of non-compliance with education and care legislation, financial history, and the overall capacity of the owner to meet their obligations as an Approved Service.

Approved Providers have extensive ongoing obligations under the National Law and Regulations. These include ensuring each service operates in compliance with the National Quality Standard, maintaining mandatory policies and procedures under Regulation 168, notifying the regulatory authority of certain events, ensuring services have a Nominated Supervisor and Responsible Person in place at all times, and cooperating with assessment and rating visits. Approved Provider Advisory Group provide all essential ongoing fitness and propriety reviews to ensure your business continues to operate inline with compliance regulations.

Yes. A single Approved Provider approval covers the provider entity — you then apply for a separate service approval for each individual service you operate. Many providers operate multiple services under one provider approval. Each service must still meet all requirements independently, and the provider remains responsible for compliance across all services.

Acquiring APAG services means you do not have to go through the drawn out process of applying to Approved Provider status. We become your own approved Provider. This saves owners months of tedious work from lodgement though to opening. This can be longer if the authority requests additional information or if criminal history checks take time to return. Switching Approved Providers is a simple and effective way of saving on excessive franchise fees and charges.

Requirements vary by jurisdiction, but typically include: completed application forms, criminal history checks for all persons with management or control, evidence of the applicant's identity and legal structure (e.g. company registration documents), a statement of the applicant's capacity to comply with the Law and Regulations, and details of the proposed service or services. Some regulatory authorities also require a business plan or financial statements.

Engaging APAG removes all of the potential delays in obtaining Approved Provider status. Working with us means that your centre will have guaranteed Approved Provider status from day one. The most common issues are facing owners trying to obtain AP status as incomplete documentation, criminal history disclosures that require further assessment, insufficient evidence of capacity to comply, and inconsistencies between the application and supporting documents. Applications that are vague about governance arrangements or that do not clearly address the fit and proper person criteria are also frequently queried. APAG ensures you are thoroughly prepared before starting to operate your centre, significantly reducing your costs and potential risks.

Yes. Provider Approval and Service Approval are separate. Provider Approval authorises the owner to operate an Approved Services; Service Approval authorises the operation of a specific service at a specific location. Both must be in place before you can legally operate. Service Approval applications are lodged after we are established as your Approved Provider for any of the centres you wish to own and operate.

Yes. Once we are in place as your Approved Provider, we can help you lodge the Service Approval application. Note, Service Approval cannot be granted until Provider Approval is in place.

The National Quality Standard (NQS) is the benchmark against which approved education and care services are assessed and rated. It comprises seven Quality Areas covering educational program and practice, children's health and safety, physical environment, staffing arrangements, relationships with children, collaborative partnerships with families and communities, and governance and leadership. Each Quality Area contains a number of Standards and Elements that services must meet.

APAG ensures your service is compliant prior to any authorised officer visits your service to assess it against the National Quality Standard. We observe practice, review documentation, and speak with educators, staff, and sometimes families on your behalf. We help set up your service so that the authority can quickly issue a rating for each Quality Area and an overall rating.

Regulation 168 of the National Regulations requires Approved Providers to have written policies and procedures covering a prescribed list of matters. These include health and safety, incident and illness management, enrolment and orientation, privacy and confidentiality, governance and management of the service, staffing, and others. The policies must be implemented, kept current, and made available to families and staff. Failure to have compliant policies is one of the most common issues identified during our assessment audits.

A compliance notice is issued by a regulatory authority when it believes a provider or service is not complying with the National Law or Regulations. It specifies the provision being contravened, the action required to remedy the non-compliance, and the timeframe for doing so. Responding promptly and thoroughly is critical — failure to comply with a compliance notice can result in further enforcement action including conditions on approval, suspension, or cancellation. If you receive a compliance notice, please seek our specialist advice before responding.

There is no fixed schedule — regulatory authorities determine when to assess services based on a range of factors including time since last assessment, any compliance concerns, and risk-based prioritisation. Most services can expect to be assessed every three to five years, though services with compliance issues may be assessed more frequently. APAG assists owners in maintaining full compliance continuously rather than only preparing when an assessment is anticipated.

An initial consultation is a free, no obligation conversation about your situation and what you need. We'll ask about your service type, where you are in the application or compliance process, and what specific challenges you're facing. Based on that, we'll recommend the most appropriate service and provide a written proposal with a fixed fee before any work begins. There's no cost for the initial consultation.

Yes. We work with Services and Centre owners across all Australian states and territories. While the National Quality Framework is a national framework, each jurisdiction has its own regulatory authority with its own processes and expectations. We have working knowledge of regulatory authority practices across multiple jurisdictions and can advise on jurisdiction-specific requirements.

We work on fixed-fee engagements. Before any work begins, we provide a written proposal that sets out exactly what we will do and what it will cost. There are no hourly billing surprises. The fee depends on the scope and complexity of the engagement and the specific circumstances affecting your centre. APAG guarantees that we will save you a significant amount when you switch to our service.

Yes. We can assist owners who have received compliance notices, are subject to compliance investigations, or are facing enforcement action. In these situations, the quality and timeliness of your response to the regulatory authority is critical. We can help you understand what is being alleged, prepare a thorough and accurate response, and develop a remediation plan that demonstrates genuine commitment to compliance.

An assessment and rating visit is conducted by the regulatory authority and results in an official rating under the National Quality Standard. A compliance audit conducted by us is an internal review — we assess your service against the NQS and the National Regulations before a regulatory visit, identify gaps, and help you address them. It is a preparation and improvement tool, not an official regulatory process. Centre owners and operators use our audit service to ensure they are ready before their next regulatory assessment.