Reporting an Incident: How to Report Child Injury, Harm, or Risk of Harm in Early Childhood Education
Has your child been injured, harmed, or put at risk while in an early childhood service? This guide explains what counts as an incident, why reporting matters, and how to report it quickly and effectively – including your rights throughout the process.
When any incident occurs, you should also make a complaint to the Education Review Office (ERO) to ensure it knows what happened, hears your perspective on it and it how it has impacted on you or your child, takes action to prevent similar incidents, and holds the service accountable.
1. What counts as an incident?
An incident is an event that has harmed, or may have harmed, a child while in the care of a service. This includes:
- Physical injury
- Emotional harm (e.g. mocking, shouting, humiliation, witnessing staff being bullied, or distress caused by unsafe animals on the premises
- Neglect (e.g. being left unsupervised, withholding food or force‑feeding, leaving an infant in wet nappies, or failing to meet basic care and safety needs)
- Major health issues linked to the service (e.g. sunburn, heat stroke, contaminated water, poor ventilation, exposure to hazards, or any illness caused or worsened by the environment or practices at the service)
2. Who to report the incident to
Depending on what happened, you may need to notify more than one organisation. Each plays a different role in protecting children.
- NZ Police – for any serious injury, assault, abuse, neglect, or unauthorised adult contact
- WorkSafe NZ – when a child has a serious injury or illness requiring medical treatment (e.g., amputation, serious head injury, severe burn) or when an incident exposes children to a serious risk, such as a gas leak, electric shock, unsafe chemical use, or any hazardous environment. Go to the WorkSafe online notification form
- Your family GP or health professional – ask whether the issue should be reported to Public Health or WorkSafe (e.g., disease infection, water contamination, environmental exposure)
- Education Review Office (ERO) – for all incidents reported to Police, WorkSafe, or Public Health, plus any other incident involving care, supervision, health, safety, or regulatory breaches
Even if the service says it has reported the incident, you should still make your own written complaint to ERO - Office of Early Childhood Education (OECE) – confidentially inform OECE; it independently monitors the ECE system and can push for regulatory and practice improvements. Let OECE know – OECE contact form.
3. Gather evidence straight away
Evidence is crucial. It motivates agencies to take your concerns seriously and protects you if the service later tries to minimise, deny, or rewrite what happened. Records also matter because some services avoid admitting fault and some services may create paperwork after an incident that does not reflect what actually occurred.
Collect:
- your own written timeline (what happened, when, who was involved)
- photos of injuries, environment, hazards, or anything relevant
- medical notes from your doctor, dentist, psychologist, or hospital
- keep notes of any conversations you have about the incident – with the service owner or manager, staff, other parents, or anyone else involved
- ask to view CCTV and also request a copy
- ask ERO for all information about the case, including communications with the service and a copy of the service’s incident report
- police record of facts (if Police were involved)
4. What to include when reporting the incident
When you report the incident include as much detail as possible:
- what happened
- when the incident occurred
- who was affected
- when you were told – or if you were not told and discovered the issue at pick‑up or later
- actions taken by the service
- any ongoing risks or concerns
- any medical assessments or treatment (doctor, dentist, psychologist, hospital admission)
Clear, factual detail helps agencies understand the seriousness of the situation.
5. Harm isn’t only physical
Harm can be psychological, emotional, or long‑term. A child who is abducted from the service by an unknown person but not physically hurt may still experience trauma and ongoing anxiety. A child who becomes fearful of attending because the service is not protecting them from repeated biting experiences both physical and emotional harm, which impacts on their wellbeing and learning. You have the right to have all forms of harm taken seriously.
6. Your rights
You have the right to:
- request an investigation
- ask for an unannounced visit to observe actual practice
- ask for copies of all records held by the service, Police, or ERO
- have your identity protected (or escalate to the Privacy Commissioner if it is not)
- involve a lawyer to represent your interests
- take a private prosecution if you believe the matter warrants it
You do not have to navigate this alone.
Further information
Legal requirement for an ECE service to have a complaints procedure
Regulations on first aid and injury management
Regulations on hazards and health and safety management
