Childcare – Report an incident, concern or complaint

Incidents that must be reported include: 

• an emergency evacuation that might impact child safety (for example, fire or flood)
• an unexpected program closure where children are sent home (for example, a sudden power outage or staff illness)
• an intruder on the premises
• an accident, injury or serious illness
• an error in the administration of medication by a program staff or volunteer
• an unexpected absence of a child from the program 
• a child being removed from the program without permission

Critical incidents that must be reported include:

• allegations of a criminal nature (physical, sexual, emotional abuse and/or neglect of a child)
• a serious injury requiring emergency medical response or an overnight hospital stay
• the death of a child
• a missing or lost child
• incidents involving police (relating to children, staff or program educators)
• an unexpected program closure while children are in care

• All reports of incidents, critical incidents, concerns and complaints are taken seriously and reviewed by a licensing officer.
• Your information is confidential and will not be shared with the provider.
• Anonymous reports are accepted, but licensing officers may need to contact you for further information during an investigation, so callers will be asked for their first and last name and contact information.

• If your report of an incident, critical incident, concern or complaint falls under the Early Learning and Child Care Act and Regulation, or the Family Day Home Standards, a licensing officer will conduct an inspection at the childcare program premises.
• Some reported issues may be referred to other authorities, such as police, fire services, public health, Child Intervention, or municipal government.
• Your identity will be protected unless disclosure is required by law (for example, criminal charges or civil litigation).
• If you have already reported an incident, critical incident, concern or complaint and want to follow up, contact Childcare Connect to learn about the escalation process, including which steps are being taken.

Immediately contact any necessary emergency services and contact parents or guardians of any child who may have been impacted.

Facility-based programs and family day home agencies must immediately report critical incidents to Childcare Connect by phone 1-844-644-5165.

All incidents and critical incidents must be reported through an incident report form in the Childcare Licensing Portal as quickly as possible. Critical incidents must be reported as soon as possible, no later than 24 hours after the critical incident occurs. All other incidents must be reported at most within 2 business days of the incident.

Incident reports can be created from the Notes & Activities tab in the Licensing service of the portal.

Need help? See the step-by-step guides for facility-based programs or for family day home agencies, or contact the portal support team at [email protected]. 

Once an incident report is submitted on the Childcare Licensing Portal, Childcare Connect will be notified and will contact you if further action is required.

Follow-up may be conducted by licensing officers, your agency and/or other law enforcement agencies, as required.

You may be requested to complete a safety plan form (available soon) to outline measures to support children’s safety while an incident or critical incident is being addressed. 

• When a critical incident is reported, the childcare program will immediately develop a safety plan and contact parents of children who may have been impacted.
• A safety plan outlines temporary measures to support the health, safety and well-being of children while a reported incident is addressed.
• The safety plan must be approved by a licensing officer.

• A licensing officer will visit the childcare program within one business day, where possible, to ensure that safety measures are put in place, and complete a visit summary that will be posted at the program. The safety plan may also be posted.
• The visit summary and safety plan do not include detailed information about the reported incident. No personal information of individual educators or children is included, and no specific details pertaining to the nature of a complaint or allegation is provided. This protects the privacy of any staff, educators or children who may have been involved.
• A public notice may also be posted on alberta.ca to notify parents of a reported critical incident.

• For critical incidents that require police involvement, Childcare Licensing will cooperate with the appropriate authorities and may need to delay their own inspection of the incident if there is a police investigation.
• Childcare Licensing will pause their inspection so as not to impede a criminal investigation. Information about the critical incident may be withheld to maintain privacy and confidentiality, and to avoid interfering with a police investigation or impacting witnesses. 
• Expect limited information from Childcare Licensing about critical incidents when police are involved. This protects the privacy of children who may be involved in a critical incident, ensures that educators and licence holders are treated fairly and given due process, and supports the integrity of police investigations.
• Parents may contact the childcare program directly with questions.
• Critical incidents may also be referred to other authorities, if needed, such as but not limited to Children and Family Services and public health services (previously Alberta Health Services).