A regulator is an organisation that enforces the Child Safe Standards (the Standards) and helps you to know and follow the rules.
Regulators provide information and guidance to organisations to help them comply with the Standards. They also have legal powers to hold organisations to account if they are not complying with the Standards.
There are five regulators of the Standards. We refer to these as co-regulators.
Who is my regulator?
The five regulators are responsible for the following sectors:
- health services: Department of Health is the regulator for hospitals, community health services, mental health services, drug and alcohol treatment services, and maternal and child health services.
- schools and education providers: Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) is the regulator for registered schools, school boarding premises, school-sector organisations providing courses to overseas students, student exchange organisations, non-school senior secondary providers and some registered training organisations.
- early childhood education and care: the Victorian Early Childhood Regulatory Authority (VECRA) is the regulator for early childhood services. This includes long day care, family day care, outside school hours care and vacation care services, as well as limited hours and occasional care services.
- employers of children: Workforce Inspectorate Victoria is the Victorian regulator for organisations that employ children and hold a licence under the Child Employment Act 2003 (Vic).
- other Victorian organisations including social services: the Social Services Regulator is the regulator of the Standards for all other types of organisations required to comply with the Victorian Standards, including social services like disability services, housing services, family violence and sexual assault services, support services for parents and families, and out of home care services
View the full list of the different regulators and the categories of organisations they regulate.