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Child safety laws in Victoria protect children from harm and abuse. These laws include the Child Safe Standards and the Reportable Conduct Scheme.
We oversee these laws to make sure children and young people are protected from harm and abuse.
Why we need child safety laws in Victoria
Major investigations have revealed the terrible impacts of child abuse in trusted institutions, including:
- the Betrayal of Trust Inquiry in 2013
- the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in 2017.
The findings were devastating. These reports showed what happens when organisations aren’t set up to properly identify, prevent and respond to child abuse. Many people suffered long-term impacts from the abuse they experienced as young people.
The Child Safe Standards and the Reportable Conduct Scheme exist to improve the way we prevent and respond to child safety risks.
Sadly, we know that child abuse is still an issue today. Since 2017, we have received over 9,000 mandatory notifications of alleged harm and abuse. This shows why it’s so important to have systems in place to prevent and respond to abuse.
Read more about how the Reportable Conduct Scheme and the Child Safe Standards work below.
The Child Safe Standards
The Child Safe Standards make sure organisations take steps to prevent child abuse and harm.
There are 11 Child Safe Standards in Victoria. These Standards are mandatory for your organisation if it fits a certain category and you:
- work with children
- provide a program or service that children can access
- provide a space or location that children can attend
- employ children as workers or volunteers.
Learn more about the organisations covered by the Child Safe Standards.
The 11 Standards work together to ensure organisations take active steps to keep children safe.
Reportable Conduct Scheme
The Reportable Conduct Scheme requires certain organisations to notify us of alleged child abuse by their workers or volunteers. They must also investigate those allegations.
Allegations you must report to us include:
- sexual offences committed against, with or in the presence of a child
- sexual misconduct committed against, with or in the presence of a child
- physical violence against, with or in the presence of a child
- any behaviour that causes significant emotional or psychological harm to a child
- significant neglect of a child.
Learn more about the five types of reportable conduct.
How these laws work together
The Child Safe Standards and the Reportable Conduct Scheme complement each other.
Meeting both the Child Safe Standards and the Reportable Conduct Scheme helps you to:
- prioritise child safety
- prevent child abuse
- properly respond to allegations of child abuse.
We all have a role to play in protecting children and young people and we know that children are safer when we all work together. Applying these child safety laws in your organisation is an important step in protecting children from harm.
Learn more and get support
We have a range of resources to help you with your child safety obligations on our website.