Creating child safe organisations

We are committed to driving cultural change in organisations across the state to make Victoria safer for all children.

Creating child safe organisations is an important part of the Victorian Government’s response to the reports of the 2013 Parliamentary Inquiry into the Handling of Child Abuse by Religious and Other Non-Government Organisations (Betrayal of Trust Inquiry), and the 2017 Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. This work is focused on strengthening organisations’ approaches to preventing and responding to child abuse.

Child Safe Standards

All organisations in Victoria that provide services or facilities for children or young people are required to comply with Child Safe Standards. These Standards guide organisations in promoting the safety of children, preventing child abuse and properly responding to any allegations of child abuse.

For more information, visit Child Safe Standards.

Reportable Conduct Scheme

To improve oversight of how organisations respond to allegations of child abuse and child-related misconduct, the Reportable Conduct Scheme commenced in phases from 1 July 2017.

For more information, visit Reportable Conduct Scheme.

See also, Criminal offences to improve responses to child sexual abuse and Client incident management system.

Worker and Carer Exclusion Scheme

The Worker and Carer Exclusion Scheme commenced on 1 July 2024. It is designed to address risks to children and young people in out-of-home care posed by individual workers and carers that require additional interventions. The scheme replaces the Victorian Carer Register.

For more information, visit the Social Services Regulator website.