The Committee meets four times a year and endeavours to monitor the ongoing Child Protection Act implementation strategies. The following areas of education are represented:

•Out of School Hours Care (OSHC)
•The Australian Education Union
•Child Protection Curriculum
•Aboriginal Education

During the past year the committee has worked on a number of new programs to be introduced into state education, such as SMART and RAN. The Strategies for Managing Abuse and Responding to Trauma (SMART) program is currently being adapted for national use after being trialled in SA, and suggests two different training curricula for teachers - beginner and advanced.

The Responding to Abuse and Neglect (RAN) refers to what used to be known as mandatory reporting. The name change from reporting to responding, should ensure the emphasis is on child protection, and not reporting. Reporting is only a small part of the resolution. The new training for teachers will be multi-media and compulsory every three years.

The Child Protection Curriculum Strategy is now to be used in all sites and will be evaluated at the expense of the Federal Government. The Curriculum is of national best practise standards and may in future be shared with other states.

Child Protection continues to be an important aspect of education and a focus of SAASSO and its representatives.