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.
The Human Services Regulator of the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing regulates human services to minimise harm and to protect the safety and rights of children, young people and adults. The Human Services Regulator is responsible for administering the department’s regulatory role in relation to the Child Safe Standards, the reportable conduct scheme and Part 3.4 of the Children, Youth and Families Act 2005.
Child Safe Standards
The Child Safe Standards have been introduced in Victoria to keep children safe from harm and abuse. The aim of the standards is to drive cultural change in organisations, so that protecting children from abuse is embedded in the everyday thinking and practice of leaders, staff and volunteers.
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.
Victorian Carer Register
Part 3.4 of the Children Youth and Families Act 2005 establishes the regulatory framework for the registration, reporting, investigation and disqualification of out-of-home carers. This safeguarding mechanism aims to improve the safety and wellbeing of children and young people who are placed in out-of-home care.
For more information, visit Victorian Carer Register.