COMPLIANCE
Childcare Evacuation Diagrams in NSW: What Regulation 97 Requires
What regulation 97 requires for childcare and early learning evacuation diagrams in NSW — a floor plan near every exit, AS 3745 content, 3-monthly rehearsals and 5-year reviews — with a checklist for approved providers.
Published 15 November 2026
Last updated 15 November 2026
Reviewed by Fadi Raslan, licensed technician (TTT69067)
Every childcare and early learning service in NSW must have an emergency and evacuation floor plan — an evacuation diagram — and must display a copy, with the emergency instructions, in a prominent position near each exit. That's regulation 97 of the Education and Care Services National Regulations, and the NSW Regulatory Authority treats the regulation's "emergency and evacuation floor plan" as the same thing as an AS 3745 "evacuation diagram".
So in practice: a correctly oriented AS 3745 evacuation diagram at every exit, reviewed at least every five years, with procedures rehearsed every three months. Here's exactly what that means for an approved provider.
What does regulation 97 require?
| Regulation | Requirement |
|---|---|
| 97(1)(a) | Instructions for what must be done in an emergency |
| 97(1)(b) | An emergency and evacuation floor plan |
| 97(2) | A risk assessment to identify potential emergencies relevant to the service |
| 97(3)(a) | Emergency and evacuation procedures rehearsed every 3 months by staff, volunteers and the children present |
| 97(4) | A copy of the floor plan and instructions displayed in a prominent position near each exit |
| 168 | Emergency and evacuation policies and procedures in place |
The approved provider is responsible for making sure correctly labelled, accurate floor plans are displayed — and, in the words of NSW Education's guidance, you remain accountable for how effective they are.
Services located in multi-storey buildings have additional emergency and evacuation requirements under regulation 97, introduced from 1 October 2023 — check these with your regulatory authority.
What counts as "each exit"?
More doors than most services expect. NSW Education's guidance includes every door used to exit and enter the service premises, including doors out to outdoor learning environments. ACECQA also points to exits that form part of the evacuation route. If children can leave a room through a door during an evacuation, that door needs a diagram nearby, drawn for that location.
This is stricter than many workplaces, and deliberately so: evacuating babies and toddlers is slower and harder, so every exit point needs the information on hand.
What must a childcare evacuation diagram show?
Regulation 97 doesn't list the content itself — AS 3745-2010 does, and NSW Education points services to clause 3.5 of AS 3745. Every diagram should show:
- ✓the title "Evacuation Diagram" and a "You Are Here" marker at that exit
- ✓designated exits and the paths of travel to reach them
- ✓fire equipment — extinguishers, fire blankets, hose reels
- ✓communication equipment, such as manual call points, where present
- ✓the assembly area — including where children are gathered and accounted for
- ✓a legend, the service's address and a validity date
- ✓correct orientation — what the reader faces is at the top
Useful optional elements for childcare include first aid kits, evacuation cot locations, lockdown points and the door opening direction. For the full element list and sizes, see what is an evacuation diagram.
How often must childcare evacuation diagrams be updated?
NSW Education's guidance: review your evacuation diagrams at least once every five years, or whenever you change the layout of your premises — a new room, a moved door, a reconfigured outdoor area. After every review, update the validity date on the diagram, even if nothing changed.
The diagrams also get a practical test every three months: during each regulation 97 rehearsal, check that every diagram still matches the building and that the route and assembly area on the wall are the ones you actually use.
Childcare evacuation diagram checklist
| Check | Yes / No |
|---|---|
| A diagram near every exit, including doors to outdoor areas | |
| Each diagram drawn for its own location ("You Are Here" + orientation) | |
| Exits, paths of travel, fire equipment and assembly area shown | |
| Service address and a current validity date on every diagram | |
| Emergency instructions displayed with each diagram | |
| Diagrams reviewed within the last 5 years, and after any layout change | |
| Validity date renewed after the latest review | |
| Diagrams checked during each 3-monthly rehearsal | |
| Not mounted on fire or smoke doors |
Common problems we see in childcare centres
- ✓Diagrams only at the main entrance — but not at room or outdoor-play exits.
- ✓One diagram copied to every room, so the "You Are Here" and orientation are wrong everywhere except one spot.
- ✓Expired or missing validity dates, especially after a renovation or room change.
- ✓Assembly area not shown, or shown somewhere the service no longer uses.
How we help childcare services
We prepare evacuation diagrams in line with AS 3745-2010 for childcare, preschool and OSHC services:
- ✓On-site across Sydney and NSW — we identify every exit, draw a correctly oriented diagram for each one, and print, frame and install them. Our technicians hold a NSW Working With Children Check, and we can work outside operating hours.
- ✓Remote, Australia-wide — send your existing diagrams or floor plan and we return updated print-ready diagrams with new validity dates in about 2 business days, from $70 + GST per diagram. Because we work from the information you supply, please confirm it reflects your current site before mounting.
We can also check your fire extinguishers, fire blankets and exit lighting — and test and tag your appliances — in the same visit. See our evacuation diagram service and test and tag for schools and childcare.
Need evacuation diagrams for a childcare service? See our evacuation diagram service — on-site across Sydney and NSW, or remote Australia-wide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do childcare centres need evacuation diagrams?
Where must evacuation diagrams be displayed in a childcare centre?
What is an emergency and evacuation floor plan?
How often do childcare evacuation diagrams need to be reviewed?
How often must childcare evacuation procedures be rehearsed?
Who is responsible for childcare evacuation diagrams?
Can you update our existing evacuation diagrams?
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