Friday, September 4, 2026

10:45 AM - 11:15 AM

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Overview

Professional love is increasingly recognised as essential to safe, inclusive, and relational early learning environments. This session explores the strong alignment between professional love and child safety within the Australian ECEC context. Through theory and practice, participants will examine how decentring adult perspectives and centring children’s rights, voices and wellbeing supports authentic relational safety—particularly for children who are marginalised or vulnerable. The session will unpack the non-negotiables of safe practice, show how relational pedagogy strengthens professional accountability, and invite reflection on building cultures of trust and care. Educators will be challenged to reimagine child safety through a lens of connection, reciprocity, and professional responsibility.

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Speaker