In conducting its inquiry, the Royal Commission was tasked to hear the voice of:
- parents and caregivers from diverse backgrounds
- experts in early childhood development
- service providers in the first 1000 days
- leaders of early childhood education and care services
- relevant unions
- providers of Out of School Hours Care.
Protocols were published to explain to participants in Royal Commission hearings, roundtables, public forums and face-to-face meetings the way in which information they share would be published and used.
How did the Royal Commission engage?
Public hearings were held to help define the key issues for the Royal Commission.
This included a hearing focused on the workforce issues critical to delivering early childhood education and care.
The first round of hearings was held in January. These are available to view online.
A number of public forums with parents and caregivers were held online to hear directly from South Australian families.
There were also dedicated sessions for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and families with children with a disability.
Roundtables were organised into 3 streams, reflecting the Royal Commission's key areas of inquiry:
- preschool
- the first 1000 days
- Out of School Hours Care (OSHC).
The roundtables brought together identified stakeholders over a number of sessions with the intention of building a shared understanding of the key issues in each workstream, and exploring possible solutions.
The Royal Commission asked parents, families and caregivers to have their say via our YourSAy consultation.
Parents and families could read our community guide outlining the key issues, and complete an online survey about their experiences with early childhood education and care.
Formal submissions could be lodged until 19 May 2023.
In addition, the Royal Commission issued two formal calls for submissions, with guiding questions to support the Commission's inquiries.
The Royal Commission was also supported by an Expert Advisory Group.
