somethingprettyBy SomethingPretty editorial · Published · 7 min read
The quick answer
Start here
Children’s entertainment and childcare are different services. Before promising parents a supervised wedding space, identify who provides care, what it covers and how parents remain involved. Check the provider’s actual role, relevant state requirements and verification process. This guide focuses on commissioning and communication; it does not prescribe child-to-carer ratios, medical arrangements or a universal licensing rule for every private babysitting or event-care arrangement.
Decide whether you are offering entertainment or care
An activity table, performer or games session does not automatically mean somebody has accepted responsibility for children. Describe what you want the service to do, including the period, ages and location. Ask the provider to explain whether it supervises children, entertains them while parents remain responsible or offers another arrangement.
Communicate the answer clearly to parents before they decide to attend. Avoid a phrase such as kids taken care of unless the actual service supports it. A pleasant room near the reception is not a childcare plan by itself. The first task is agreeing responsibility, not buying activities and hoping an adult will keep an eye on everybody during speeches.
Ask the provider which requirements apply
Education and care services can involve regulatory approval, while other arrangements may sit outside that framework or under different state rules. ACECQA provides national registers and contacts for state and territory regulatory authorities. Ask the provider to identify the category of service it offers and which requirements apply to this event.
Do not assume that every wedding babysitter must appear on the same register, or that being absent from one search proves illegality. Equally, do not accept a vague claim of being licensed without asking what it means. If unclear, use the relevant authority to check. The couple’s planning role is to obtain a reliable explanation, not to invent a regulatory classification based on a supplier’s package name.
Sources: ACECQA: national registers · ACECQA: state and territory regulatory authorities
Verify relevant checks through official processes
Ask about the people who will actually attend, their role and any required working-with-children screening. Requirements and verification methods differ by jurisdiction. Service NSW, for example, explains separate verification routes for organisations and parents. Follow the relevant official process rather than treating a photograph of a card as the complete check.
A screening clearance is not a guarantee of every aspect of a service. Ask about references, experience, staffing arrangements and insurance relevant to the booking. Confirm what happens if a worker is replaced and how the provider informs you. Keep sensitive worker details appropriately limited. The article does not determine whether an individual is suitable; it helps you ask the provider and appropriate authority the right questions.
Confirm the space with parents, venue and provider
Ask the provider to assess the proposed room, access and event arrangement. Confirm which spaces it uses and whether other guests or suppliers share them. Parents should understand where the children will be and how to contact the responsible person. Do not assume a room being available means it is suitable for the proposed service.
Discuss the service’s own procedures with the provider, including arrivals, departures and contact with parents. Any medical, dietary or support questions need an appropriate direct process with parents and qualified providers. This article does not provide a child-safety assessment or instructions for administering medication. Avoid collecting detailed private information in the general wedding spreadsheet when the provider has an agreed secure method for necessary information.
Define the hours and handovers
Ask when care starts and ends, who may drop off or collect, and how responsibility is acknowledged. The service period may differ from the reception hours. A provider finishing at 9 pm cannot be assumed to continue because the music runs until 11 pm.
Ask what happens if parents return late or the event timing changes. Confirm the approval route for any extension and whether it is actually available. A clear handover process is more useful than an assumption that everyone is nearby. Parents need to know when they remain responsible and when an agreed provider takes over. Keep that explanation consistent in invitations, guest information and conversations with venue staff.
Source: ACCC: understanding contracts
Compare the real service cost
Request a quote for the actual number and ages of children, hours, location and service scope. Ask about travel, equipment, additional staff, setup, minimum booking and cancellation terms. A performer’s hourly rate is not comparable with a care service simply because both involve children.
For a fictional example, a $600 service plus $100 travel and $150 for an agreed extension totals $850. Another $820 offer is $30 lower only if the confirmed scope and relevant arrangements match. These are invented prices, not typical rates. Do not reduce the budget by assuming unpaid relatives will cover gaps without agreement. If a parent books and pays directly, make that clear rather than presenting the service as fully hosted.
Give parents facts, not broad assurances
Share the provider’s genuine contact, service description, hours and practical arrangements. Tell parents how to discuss a child’s needs and whether advance registration is required. Avoid saying all children can attend before the provider assesses its scope and capacity for the actual group.
Let parents decide whether the arrangement suits their family. Some may prefer to keep children with them or arrange their own care. Do not require an explanation of that choice. If the wedding is child-free or has limited exceptions, keep that invitation decision separate from a claim about available childcare. A service cannot resolve a family conversation that has never been made clear.
Keep one owner for event coordination
Choose a contact to liaise with the venue and provider about the agreed service. That person should know the limits of the role and avoid making new care promises. Let the provider manage its professional procedures and parents handle the decisions that belong to them.
Save the scope, relevant confirmations and payment records. SomethingPretty can include confirmed childcare-related event costs in a wider comparison, but it does not verify providers or manage children. The completed plan should make responsibility understandable to parents, venue staff and the service. A well-explained arrangement supports the celebration without suggesting that a room, a background check or a friendly helper removes every practical question.
Use a parent-facing confirmation before the event
Ask the provider to review a short description of the service before you share it with parents. It should identify the hours, location, registration process and responsibility boundaries without making promises beyond the booking. Give parents the genuine contact for questions that only the provider can answer. If the service requires advance information or consent, use its agreed process rather than collecting informal replies in several chats.
Check how the arrangement changes if fewer or more children attend than expected. The provider should explain what it can accept and when numbers become final. Do not promise that an unregistered child can simply join because another child leaves early. Likewise, do not assume an entertainment booking can become childcare midway through the reception.
Keep the final confirmation with the event plan and make sure venue staff understand the arrangement relevant to their role. If the provider changes a worker or the space changes, ask what needs rechecking. A practical confirmation is valuable because parents can assess the actual service before the day. It should not be presented as a safety certification or a guarantee that every child’s needs have been assessed by the wedding hosts.
Ask who confirms that parents received the final service information. A booking can be complete between organiser and provider while guests still misunderstand the arrangement. Close that communication gap before the day rather than relying on an announcement after arrival.
FAQ: Does a children’s entertainer supervise children?
Not automatically. Ask the actual provider what responsibility it accepts and whether parents must remain present. A performance or craft activity is not necessarily childcare. Communicate the agreed scope before guests attend, and avoid promising supervision merely because the supplier works with children.
FAQ: Is a working-with-children card enough?
Use the relevant official verification process and understand which checks apply. A clearance is one part of reviewing a provider, not a guarantee of the whole service. Ask about the actual workers, scope, references and replacement arrangements. Requirements vary, so do not apply one state’s process universally.
FAQ: Must every wedding babysitter be on ACECQA’s register?
Do not assume every private or event arrangement falls under the same framework. Ask the provider to identify its service category and consult the relevant regulator if uncertain. ACECQA’s registers cover approved education and care services and providers. A different arrangement needs its own appropriate checks rather than a guessed conclusion.
FAQ: Can parents just leave children in the venue’s spare room?
A spare room does not establish an agreed care service. Clarify responsibility, provider assessment, access and parent communication before offering it. Do not create an informal supervision promise that nobody has accepted. Parents should receive accurate information and decide whether the actual arrangement meets their needs.
Bring the details into your plan.
Use confirmed figures, keep unknowns visible and record the dates agreed with your providers.
Sources and editorial notes
Sources checked 24 October 2026. Worked examples are fictional illustrations. Rules and provider terms can change; check the official source for your circumstances.
- ACECQA: national registers ↗
- ACECQA: state and territory regulatory authorities ↗
- Service NSW: verifying Working with Children Checks ↗
- ACCC: understanding contracts ↗
General information, not an individual legal, financial or contract assessment. AI-assisted drafting with source checks; independent professional review has not been completed. About our guides · Suggest a correction