Safe, healthy, and respectful relationships education in early childhood settings

As part of the NSW Government response to preventing domestic, family and sexual violence, students are being educated about respectful, safe and healthy relationships in every stage of learning. All students from kindergarten to Year 12 are receiving age-appropriate education around building respectful relationships. They are also receiving skills in recognising and responding to unsafe situations, seeking assistance and protective strategies through the mandatory personal development, health and physical education syllabus. Respectful Relationships Education (RRE) is also taught in Years 11 and/or 12 through the Life Ready mandatory 25-hour course.

The NSW Department of Education (DoE) have identified 10 case study schools, which will receive RRE as part of a pilot to embed RRE across the whole of school. A further 200 schools will be identified through an expression of interest process. To coordinate the implementation, DoE have recruited 14 new staff. DoE have also commenced the design and development of professional development activities for teachers and a new curriculum to embed age-appropriate RRE.

Separately, the All In program is delivered in early childhood education settings to prevent gender-based violence by promoting healthy relationships when children are young. All In provides tools, training and guidance for educators, families, and influential adults to promote positive, age-appropriate messages about equality, inclusion, and respect. During the All In pilot period, 16 early childhood education centres (9 in Sydney and 7 in regional areas) were engaged, reaching a total of 135 educators and 717 children. The independent evaluation of the pilot finds the program "has demonstrated promising potential in promoting gender equality and challenging traditional gender norms and stereotypes within early childhood education settings. The evaluation highlights the program’s success in raising awareness, increasing knowledge, and encouraging gender-equitable practices among early childhood education centres.

Women’s and Girls’ Emergency Centre (WAGEC) completed the All In pilot project in September 2024. An independent evaluation of the project found a range of positive impacts of All In, and identified the key elements of its success as well as learnings and opportunities for improvement. WAGEC has been contracted to deliver the All In program expansion through to June 2028. The expanded program will take into account evaluation recommendations and expand the reach of the program across NSW. For more information see All In - WAGEC.