OSHC forms: before school, after school and vacation care
Outside school hours care — OSHC, also called OOSH — runs on the same National Regulations as long day care, but the paperwork falls differently. Children are older, they move between school and the service on their own, and vacation care is mostly off-site.
These are the forms before school care, after school care and vacation care services use most. Each one is a template you can change, send as a link, and get back signed on a parent’s phone.
All 17 forms below are free. Create an account to add any of them to your service.
Enrolment and bookings
An OSHC enrolment record covers the same Regulation 160–162 details as long day care, plus the school, the sessions a child attends, and how they travel. Bookings change term by term, so keep them on a separate form rather than re-enrolling.
Enrolment record for before school care, after school care and vacation care, including session bookings and travel authorisations.
Parent form to request permanent or casual bookings at the childcare service.
Getting to and from school
A child who leaves the service without being given into someone’s care — walking home, for example — must do so in accordance with the written authorisation of a parent or authorised nominee (Regulation 99(4)(b)). A child can also be collected by a person authorised by a parent or authorised nominee (Regulation 99(4)(a)(iii)). If the service transports children, for example from school, Regulation 102D requires written authorisation, and for regular transportation Regulations 102E and 102F require a staff member who is not driving to account for each child getting on and off at the service premises and to record it.
Parent authorisation for a child to walk to the childcare service unaccompanied.
Parent authorisation for a child to walk home from the childcare service unaccompanied.
Parent authorisation for a person under 18 to sign a child in and out of the childcare service.
Parent authorisation for a child to attend extra-curricular activities during care hours.
Parent authorisation for regular transportation of a child by the childcare service.
Staff checklist to ensure all children are safely accounted for when boarding a vehicle.
Staff checklist to ensure all children are safely accounted for when disembarking a vehicle.
Vacation care excursions
Every vacation care excursion needs its own written authorisation under Regulation 102, and that authorisation covers getting there: it must state the means of transport and any seatbelt or restraint requirements. Set up the first excursion, duplicate it for each trip, and send families one link per excursion. A regular outing — a destination the service visits regularly as part of its educational program, with substantially the same risks each time — only needs authorisation once in a 12 month period (Regulation 102(5)).
Parent permission for a child to attend an excursion — for long day care, OSHC and vacation care. Share one link and get every family's consent back signed.
Parent authorisation for a child to attend recurring outings organised by the childcare service.
Medication and health
Medication needs a written authorisation before it is given (Regulation 93), except in an anaphylaxis or asthma emergency (Regulation 94), and the medication record must include the details in Regulation 92.
Parent authorisation for the childcare service to administer prescribed medication to their child.
Record medication administered to a child including dosage, witness details, and required signatures.
Parent authorisation for the childcare service to apply sunscreen to their child.
Also worth having
Not part of this job, but they come up. Add them separately if you need them.
Record and track incidents, injuries, trauma and illness involving children as required by Australian childcare regulations.
Record anaphylaxis emergencies including symptoms, adrenaline autoinjector administration, and emergency response.
Staff form to record emergency and evacuation drill details, outcomes, and improvements.
Also called
- OSHC forms
- OOSH forms
- Out of school hours care forms
- Before and after school care forms
- After school care forms
- School age care forms
Common questions
Is OSHC the same as OOSH?
Yes. Both mean outside school hours care — before school care, after school care and vacation care. Services use either name.
Do OSHC services need the same forms as long day care?
Mostly. OSHC services approved under the National Quality Framework follow the same Education and Care Services National Regulations, so they need enrolment records, excursion authorisations and medication records. What differs is the detail: school-age children travel on their own, and vacation care is built around excursions.
How do I handle permission for a whole vacation care program?
One authorisation per excursion. Add the excursion permission form, fill in the first trip, then duplicate it for each of the others and send families one link per excursion. A regular outing only needs authorisation once in a 12 month period (Regulation 102(5)).
Written as general guidance for Australian education and care services. It is not legal advice, and it may not reflect the latest amendments — check the Education and Care Services National Regulations and your regulatory authority for the current position.
Other guides
Vacation care forms: excursion permission and regular outings
What a school holiday program actually runs on — a written authorisation for each excursion, and a once-a-year authorisation for regular outings.
Enrolling a child: the forms you need
The enrolment record itself, plus the booking, emergency contacts, medical conditions and standing authorisations that go with it.
Daily records: what educators fill in as things happen
The records your staff complete during the day — incidents, illness, medication given, and observations of children’s learning.
Forms parents and guardians fill in
Every form you send out to families — enrolment, permissions, collection arrangements, medication authority and feedback.
Forms your educators fill in
The records staff complete — incidents and illness, medication given, observations, safety checks and transport.