Children and young people have the right to feel safe and to have concerns about their safety taken seriously.
When an organisation responds properly to allegations of abuse and investigates them thoroughly, it helps to keep children and young people safe. It also encourages children and adults in the organisations to raise concerns around safety and builds trust in the organisation’s commitment to child safety and wellbeing.
If you require assistance or would like to talk to a trained professional about the issues described on this page, please contact:
- Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800 for ages 5-25 years old
- Lifeline on 13 11 14
- Orange Door
- Your Child Safe officer
If you believe a child is in immediate danger, call the police on 000.
Victoria’s Reportable Conduct Scheme was introduced to improve accountability and oversight of the way organisations respond to allegations of child abuse or misconduct. It requires organisations to notify the Commission for Children and Young People (CCYP) within three business days of becoming aware of an allegation of misconduct by their workers, volunteers, Board Members, students on placement or contractors.
Staff, volunteers, Board members, students on placement and contractors of organisations as well as children, young people, families and members of the public can notify CCYP of allegations of reportable conduct against a child or young person as well as directly to their organisation.
Members of the public can notify CCYP by making a public notification. CCYP has a range of guidance and information about the Scheme and what type of organisations it applies to and we highly recommend reading CCYP | Reportable Conduct Scheme. Members of the public can also report concerns or allegations to the organisation directly.
Mandatory reporting is the legal requirement for people working in certain professions to report known or suspected cases of child physical or sexual abuse and/or neglect to child protection and government authorities.1,2 Mandatory reporting is part of protecting children and young people.
Mandatory reporting legislation contains a list of who is mandated to report cases of suspected child abuse and neglect. For each state and territory, apart from the Northern Territory (NT) (where all adults, regardless of occupation, are mandated to report), there is a list of occupations who are mandated to report.
The list of occupations required to be mandatory reporters contains occupations who are likely to interact with children and young people in the course of their work. Youth workers are listed in the legislation but not enacted as mandatory reporters.3
While mandated reporters in Victoria are required by law to make reports in relation to physical harm and sexual abuse of children and young people, all adults and professionals are encouraged to exercise their duty of care to report concerns of any type of child abuse and neglect. YACVic recommends a zero tolerance approach to child abuse and neglect.
Even though youth workers aren’t mandated themselves to report, they will often be the person that a young person feels safest to disclose to and have a duty of care to act in this instance. Youth workers are also often embedded in teams with people who are mandatory reporters and should communicate through their supervisors to ensure that Child Safety and reporting abuse should be seen as everyone's responsibility. Youth workers should follow their organisation’s child safe policies and procedures for direction.
In addition, ALL Victorians over the age of 18 must abide by Failure to Disclose legislation. Any adult who holds a reasonable belief that a sexual offence has been committed by an adult against a child in Victoria must report that belief to police. The ‘failure to disclose’ offence helps to ensure that protecting children from sexual abuse is the responsibility of the whole community.4
If you suspect a child has experienced, or is at risk of, significant harm as a result of any form of child abuse and/or neglect you should contact child protection. You do not need to be mandated to make a report to child protection.
If you are concerned a young person is in immediate danger you should call the police on 000.
The following occupations are mandatory reporters in Victoria:2,3
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Registered medical practitioners, nurses and midwives
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Registered teachers and early childhood teachers
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School principals
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School counsellors
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Police officers
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Out of home care workers (excluding voluntary foster and kinship carers)
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Early childhood workers
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Youth justice workers
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Registered psychologists
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People in religious ministry
In Victoria, under section 184 of the Children Youth and Families Act 20055, mandated reporters must make a report to child protection, if:
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In the course of practising their profession or carrying out duties of their office, position or employment,
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They form a reasonable belief:
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That a child has suffered or is likely to suffer significant harm, as a result of physical or sexual abuse, and
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The child’s parents have not protected or are unlikely to protect the child from harm of that type.1
A report should also be made if there is significant concern before the birth of a child about their wellbeing before/after their birth.1 E.g., if the mother is using drugs or if there’s family violence in the home.
You should make a report to Child Protection as soon as possible after you become aware of your belief that a child is at risk. A new report should be made after each time you become aware of any new reasonable grounds.1
What does this mean for youth workers?
As a Youth Worker, you have a duty of care to young people. This means you have the legal and moral responsibility to protect the safety and wellbeing of the young people you work with. This includes responding to and taking appropriate action if a young person makes a disclosure. This young person has felt safe enough to confide in you, if you don’t act on the disclosure – who will?
We recommend reading the Code of Ethical Practice for the Victorian Youth Sector6 and The Department of Families, Fairness and Housing’s frequently asked questions around mandatory reporting.
If it appears that a young person is about to disclose something to you, let them know that confidentiality will always be prioritised. However, if you have concerns about safety or abuse, you will be required to let others know.
Make sure the young person feels safe and comfortable to continue to discuss with you and another worker or supervisor where possible. Clearly outline the next steps you will be taking and what the young person can expect will happen next.
Ensure the immediate safety of the young person. If they’re not safe, connect them with resources and organisations that may be able to help them. If they’re in immediate danger, call 000.
Let your line manager know about the disclosure. Ask your manager how the disclosure will be dealt with and who is appropriate to follow up with and communicate this process to the young person.
Complete any internal and external reporting requirements.
You work for a youth organisation and have been developing a new program to address how students can raise issues that are important to them and create solutions on how to address these issues. The program will be run in schools and is being piloted in a primary school.
A group of young people aged 13-15 are taking part in the program and raise that tackling child sexual abuse is an important issue for them. While talking about it, a few young people from the group disclose that the reason they’re passionate about this issue is because they’ve experienced it. As a youth worker, you feel concerned and raise it with the teacher for them to follow up with the school.
A few weeks later, you reach out to the teacher to ask how it went with the school and the disclosure and you learn that the teacher never followed up with the principal. This is an example of how disclosures can fall through the cracks.
What you could do in this situation to be sure it is followed up correctly is:
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Follow your reporting procedure and let your line manager or child safe officer know about the disclosure
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You or your manager should check in with the school and principal later that day or the next day to talk about how the disclosure is being followed up on and if the report was made. If the report has not been made or will not be made on this day then you should make a report.
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Follow the child safe policies and procedures of your organisation and the school you are visiting. In many cases this will mean that you need to report the disclosure to child protection. As you were the one to receive the disclosure you have responsibility to make sure the report was made, while others can make the report you must feel satisfied that it has happened. Make sure you have a clear understanding of your reporting lines at your organisation and the school.
By having clear expectations on who you need to tell if you learn of a disclosure, it will help ensure disclosures are appropriately followed up on.
The local council where you work runs after school drop ins for young people to come and take part in activities and programs or just relax and unwind. It’s a safe, relaxing space and you have formed trusted relationships with many of the young people who come to the drop in. One day, you ask what everyone is having for dinner and you notice one of the young people doesn’t answer. You ask them later what they’re having, and they tell you their parents haven't been around much recently and they don’t really get dinner so they have to wait for the breakfasts that the school provides for some students.
You realise this is a situation of neglect and this young person is at risk but you aren’t sure how to proceed.
What you could do in this situation to be sure it is followed up with correctly is:
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Thank the young person for telling you, make them feel safe and comfortable.
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Ask if they feel safe at home, let them know of some resources and organisations that can help them such as Kids Helpline. The council may also offer some outreach programs that can assist. Let the young person know what you are going to do from here, be transparent and clear.
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Follow your reporting procedure and let your line manager or child safe officer know about the disclosure.
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Follow the child safe policies and procedures of your organisation. In most cases this will mean that you need to report the disclosure to child protection. Ask your manager or Child Safe officer for support to report if you need it.
You are concerned about a child or young person because you have:
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Received a disclosure from a child or young person about abuse or neglect
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Observed indicators of abuse or neglect
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Been made aware of possible harm via your involvement in the community external to your professional role
At all times remember to:
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Record your observation
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Follow appropriate protocols
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Consult notes and records
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Consult with appropriate colleagues if necessary.
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Consult with other support agencies if necessary.
The Victorian Government has developed a guide to making a report to Child Protection or The Orange Door. Please note that The Orange Door has replaced Child FIRST in providing children, young people and families easier access to the services they need.2,7
We have adapted it accordingly.
Step 1: Responding to concerns
If your concerns relate to a child in need of immediate protection, or you have formed a belief that a child is at significant risk of harm, go to step 4.
If you have significant concerns that a child and their family need a referral to The Orange Door for family services, go to step 3.
In all other situations, go to step 2.
Consider the level of immediate danger to the child.
Ask yourself: Have I formed a belief that the child has suffered or is at risk of suffering significant harm? Yes/no
Am I in doubt about the child’s safety and the parent’s ability to protect the child? Yes/no
If you answered yes to ‘a’ or ‘b’, go to step 4.
If you have significant concerns that a child and their family need a referral to The Orange Door for family services, go to step 3
Child wellbeing referral
- Contact your local The Orange Door provider
- Have notes ready with your observations and child and family details
Mandatory/Protective report
- Contact your local Child Protection Intake provider immediately. For After Hours Child Protection emergency services, call 131 278
- Have notes ready with your observations and child and family details
To make a report, you should contact the child protection intake service covering the local government area (LGA) where the child normally lives.
In Victoria:
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North Division intake: 1300 664 977
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South Division intake: 1300 655 795
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East Division intake: 1300 360 391
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West Division intake - metropolitan: 1300 664 977
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West Division intake - rural and regional: 1800 075 599
After hours Child Protection Emergency Service - 13 12 78
CCYP - 1300 78 29 78 or contact@ccyp.vic.gov.au
Interstate contact numbers:
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Australian Capital Territory (ACT) - 1300 556 729
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New South Wales (NSW) - 13 21 11
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Northern Territory (NT) - 1800 700 250
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Queensland (QLD) - (07) 3235 9999
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South Australia (SA) - 13 14 78
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Tasmania (TAS) - 1300 737 639
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Western Australia (WA) - (08) 9325 1111
Remember, you should always let the young person know that confidentiality will always be prioritised unless there are concerns about their or someone else's safety and so if someone makes a disclosure of abuse you can't keep it a secret and you need to let them know that you will need to let someone know.
- Department of Families, Fairness and Housing. (2020). Frequently asked questions, mandatory reporting to child protection. https://providers.dffh.vic.gov.au/mandatory-reporting-child-protection-victoria-frequently-asked-questions
- Department of Families, Fairness and Housing. (2023). Mandatory reporting. https://providers.dffh.vic.gov.au/mandatory-reporting
- Australian Institute of Family Services. (2023). Mandatory reporting of child abuse and neglect. https://aifs.gov.au/resources/resource-sheets/mandatory-reporting-child-abuse-and-neglect
- Department of Families, Fairness and Housing. (n.d) Failure to disclose offence fact sheet (word). https://providers.dffh.vic.gov.au/failure-disclose-offence-fact-sheet-word
- Victorian Legislation. (n.d). Children, Youth and Families Act 2005 (Vic). https://www.legislation.vic.gov.au/in-force/acts/children-youth-and-families-act-2005/136
- Youth Affairs Council Victoria. (2007). The Code of Ethical Practice. https://www.yacvic.org.au/assets/Uploads/The-Code-of-Ethical-Practice.pdf
- Victorian Government. (2024). The Orange Door (replacing Child FIRST). https://services.dffh.vic.gov.au/referral-and-support-teams