The practical answer
Review how content is captured, authorised, stored, accessed and published. Check the current official guidance and your service’s procedures before recording or sharing images; a marketing checklist alone does not establish compliance.
What changed in February 2026?
ACECQA’s centre-based service information sheet explains the digital-device restrictions that commenced on 27 February 2026, including restrictions on personal devices when working directly with children and requirements for devices used for images. It also sets out exceptions and authorisation requirements.
Family day care has its own official information sheet. Do not assume that wording for one setting can be applied unchanged to another. Read the source for your service and consult the relevant regulatory authority about uncertain situations.
Permission is one part of the workflow
A family’s permission does not, by itself, resolve every question about a device, storage arrangement or publication. Check the service’s policies and the current applicable requirements before capturing material.
For marketing planning, make the intended use explicit. A photograph collected for one purpose should not automatically be treated as approved for every future channel. The provider needs a process for recording, checking and acting on the permissions and restrictions that apply.
Map the route an image takes
- Purpose: Why is the image needed, and is there a less intrusive way to communicate the point?
- Capture: Who is authorised to capture it, using what device and process?
- Transfer: How does it reach the approved storage location?
- Access: Who can view, edit, download or share it?
- Review: Who checks permissions, content and the intended channel?
- Publication: Where will it appear and who is responsible for it?
- Retention: How are removal requests, expiry and deletion handled?
This is a workflow-review tool, not a substitute for the legal requirements or the provider’s policies. Assign responsibility for each step so a practical process exists beyond a written document.
“No faces” does not mean “no identifying information”
When reviewing a shot, look beyond faces. Names on artwork, voice recordings, uniforms, medical notes, attendance displays and other background details can reveal information. A frame that looks harmless at first glance may still need to be excluded.
Plan educator-led explanations, materials and empty-space examples where they serve the message. This can reduce the need to involve children in marketing, but it does not remove the need to review the scene and follow the service’s requirements.
A practical content brief
Illustrative planning brief
Message: Explain how the team prepares a learning experience.
Visual: An educator discussing the materials in an empty, prepared space.
Checks: Appropriate device and timing, authorised staff participation, background free of personal records, agreed storage and review.
Approval: A named person checks the final video and caption before publication.
The briefing should also identify what will not be filmed, how accidental capture is handled and what the production team should do if the planned conditions are not available.
Keep the process current
Revisit the workflow when rules, systems, staff responsibilities or channels change. Check that actual practice matches the written process, including external editors or marketing providers who receive material.
Use the official guidance for legal interpretation. Funlion’s content workflow support can help organise the marketing process but does not certify compliance. For content ideas that focus on the service’s practice, see the practical content guide.
Choose a useful next step for your centre.
Discuss your current process, the outcome you need and the work involved before committing to a campaign.
Discuss centre supportParth runs AUS ECT Funlion, providing educator career support and centre marketing services. Examples in this guide are illustrative unless otherwise stated.