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Caring for Children home
Caring for Children
Owned and managed by Department of Communities & Justice

Household safety and supervision

All kids should grow up in a home environment that is safe and comfortable. Alongside all the love and emotional support you offer, you’ll be looking after a child or young person’s physical health and security too.

Safety in cars

Child restraints

All children must be sitting safely in an approved and age-appropriate child restraint or booster. These laws apply nationally. A child who is properly secured in an approved seat for their age and size is less likely to be injured or killed in a crash. Talk to your caseworker if you’re financially unable to purchase additional car restraints for children in your care.

Age

Guidelines

0–6 months

  • must be secured in a rearward-facing restraint

6 months – 4 years

  • must be secured in a rearward or forward-facing restraint with an inbuilt harness

4–7 years

  • must   either be secured in a child restraint with an inbuilt harness; or
  • secured in a booster seat, restrained by an approved lap-and-sash type seatbelt or child safety harness that is properly adjusted and fastened
  • cannot travel in the front seat of a vehicle with two or more rows (unless all other back seats are occupied by children younger than seven years in an approved child restraint or booster seat)

7–16 years

  • should use an approved booster seat if they are too small to be safely restrained by a normal seatbelt that has been properly adjusted and fastened

Kids in cars

Leaving children alone in cars even for short periods puts them at risk of heat stress, dehydration, emotional distress, car thieves and accidents caused by playing with car controls. It is never safe to leave babies or children alone in cars, even for a short time.

  • If you have a quick job to do, always take the child with you.
  • Make sure you keep the car locked at home, with the keys out of reach of children, to prevent children playing inside the car.
  • On hot days, the temperature inside a parked car can be 30-40C higher than the outside temperature.
  • Remember that 50% of the temperature increase happens in the first 8 minutes
  • Windows left open by 4.5cm only reduce the internal temperature by around 10C.
  • As the temperature increases, children can suffer dehydration and heat stress, and even death.

Playing it safe

In NSW, it’s illegal to smoke in a car (including e-cigarettes) with a child or young person present, or to leave a child unattended in a car.