National Child-Safe Principles – What’s the Deal?

Heard of the National Child-Safe Principles but not sure what the deal is? Let’s talk through it!

In 2017, a Royal Commission found that organisations that work with children and young people (including those who volunteer):

failed to prioritise the best interests of children

lacked adequate child protection policies and procedures

had poor practices, inadequate governance and complaints processes

did not provide adequate child safe education and training for staff

From these findings, there was a recommendation that all institutions in Australia that engage in child-related work be required to implement the ten child safe standards, which have been incorporated into the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations. 

The National Principles for Child Safe Organisations aim to provide a nationally consistent approach to creating organisational cultures that foster child safety and wellbeing. These principles collectively show that a Child Safe Organisation is one that creates a culture, adopts strategies and takes action to promote child wellbeing and prevent harm to children and young people. They are intended to guide what institutions need to do to be child safe by setting best practice to drive and guide performance.

Organisations committed to being child safe organisations will have a range of policies, procedures, and resources available to staff and the organisation as a whole to ensure they keep children safe and to support them when needed. 

The National Principles reflect ten child safe standards that cover many forms of potential harm to children and young people in both a physical and virtual (online) environment. 

Child safety and wellbeing is embedded in organisational leadership, governance and culture.
Children and young people are informed about their rights, participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously.
Families and communities are informed and involved in promoting child safety and wellbeing.
Equity is upheld and diverse needs respected in policy and practice.
People working with children and young people are suitable and supported to reflect child safety and wellbeing values in practice.
Processes to respond to complaints and concerns are child focused.
Staff and volunteers are equipped with the knowledge, skills and awareness to keep children and young people safe through ongoing education and training.
Physical and online environments promote safety and wellbeing while minimising the opportunity for children and young people to be harmed.
Implementation of the national child safe principles is regularly reviewed and improved.
Policies and procedures document how the organisation is safe for children and young people.

The National child safe standards are being embedded in regulated services which cater to children and young people around Australia.

Part of the 2017 Royal Commission also recommended that states/territories implement Reportable Conduct Schemes that require organisations to notify their state-based statutory authority when allegations or convictions relating to an employee or volunteer of the organisation constitute reportable conduct. It also requires entities to investigate concerns about the conduct of staff and volunteers in relation to their work with children, and report back to state-based statutory authority. This applies to certain organisations with a high degree of responsibility for children, or where there is a heightened risk to children due to the type of institution, type of activities undertaken or the vulnerability of the children.

Reporting suspected child abuse, neglect, or misconduct is a fundamental strategy in advocating for the welfare of children and young people. Ensuring all staff and volunteers in organisations know how to detect the signs and indicators of abuse and neglect and how to report this is a great way to ensure we can better protect children and young people.

Make sure you and your organisation are aware of the regulations in your state and how best implement strategies to create a child-safe organisation.

Click on the links below to learn more about child protection in each state.

Victoria

In addition to the details we outlined in the original post, Victoria has an 11th Principle. This Principle is focused on creating a culturally safe environment for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people.

Victoria’s Reportable Conduct Scheme requires organisations to notify the Commission for Children and Young People (CCYP) of alleged abuse by workers or volunteers also requires all allegations of suspected criminal conduct to be reported to Victoria Police as the first priority.

CCYP | Recognising, respecting and defending the rights of children and young people

New South Wales

In February 2022, laws were introduced to create the NSW Child Safe Scheme. These laws aim to make sure that organisations in NSW are doing everything they can to keep children safe.

The Office of the Children’s Guardian is responsible for overseeing the Scheme.  

All child-related organisations will benefit from implementing the Child Safe Standards. However, there are many organisations in NSW that must implement the Child Safe Standards under the Child Safe Scheme.

Entities required to implement the Child Safe Standards through their systems, policies and procedures are:

clubs or other bodies providing programs or services of a sport and recreation nature, and in which workers are required to hold a WWCC

religious bodies that provide services to children, or in which adults have contact with children

local councils

government and non-government schools, and the Department of Education

approved education and care services

the TAFE Commission

the Ministry of Health, local health districts, statutory health corporations, and affiliated health organisations

the Ambulance Service of NSW

designated agencies and adoption service providers

parts of Youth Justice

parts of the Department of Communities and Justice

agencies providing substitute residential care for children

entities providing specialised substitute residential care.

General information | About the Child Safe Scheme | Office of the Children’s Guardian

Complete CHCPRT025 – Identify & Report Children & Young People at Risk to learn more about child protection or complete refresher training to stay on top of your obligations around mandatory reporting. Clear to Work also offers Child Protection Training specific to Sporting Clubs around Australia.

Queensland

Queensland is taking a staggered approach to the roll out of Child Safe Standards compliance. There are three phases in this staggered approach.

Phase 1: commences 1 October 2025.

Phase 2: commences 1 January 2026.

Phase 3: commences 1 April 2026.

Reportable conduct reported to – Home Page | Queensland Family and Child Commission

More information on QLD: Implementation in Queensland | Queensland Family and Child Commission

Tasmania

While all Tasmanian organisations can and should work to be child safe organisations, the law establishing the Framework lists specific types of organisations that must comply with it.

Broadly speaking, this includes schools, sporting clubs for kids, hospitals, dance groups — to name just a few.

The below table summarises the types of organisations that will be required to follow the Framework, and when their compliance must start.

This online tool provides more information about each of these organisational types and their compliance obligations.

The Child and Youth Safe Organisations Act 2023 cites specific laws relevant to the types of organisations required to comply with the Framework.

Type of organisation	Child and Youth Safe Standards	Reportable Conduct Scheme	Date must start to comply
Accommodation and residential services for children, including housing services and overnight camps	Yes	Yes	1 January 2024
Activities or services of any kind, under the auspices of a particular religious denomination or faith through which adults have contact with children	Yes	Yes	1 January 2024
Child care and commercial babysitting services	Yes	Yes	1 January 2024
Child protection services and out-of-home care, including contact services	Yes	Yes	1 January 2024
Health services for children, including organisations that provide counselling services	Yes	Yes	1 January 2024
An organisation that provides early intervention or disability support services	Yes	Yes	1 January 2024
Justice and detention services for children	Yes	Yes	1 January 2024
Education services for children	Yes	Yes	1 January 2024
Tasmanian Government and Local Government	Yes	Yes	1 January 2024
Tasmanian Parliament	Yes	Yes	1 January 2024
Government House	Yes	Yes	1 January 2024
A club, association or cadet organisation that has a significant membership of, or involvement by, children	Yes	Yes	1 July 2024
An entity that provides a coaching or tuition service to children	Yes	Yes	1 July 2024
An entity that provides commercial services to children	Yes		1 July 2024
A transport service specifically for children	Yes		1 July 2024
Neighbourhood Houses	Yes		1 July 2024

The Tasmanian Department of Justice has a lot of information about the framework as it applies to organisations in Tasmania – Child and Youth Safe Organisations Framework | CARCRU

Concerns can be reported to the Office of the Independent Regulator – Child Focused Oversight – Office of the Independent Regulator

Western Australia

The Western Australian Department of Communities is responsible for child safe organisations oversite.

The WA Government is committed to supporting the development of safe organisations for children and young people and is working to develop an independent oversight system that includes monitoring and enforcement of the National Principles. 

In the meantime, the WA Government encourages organisations across the state that engage with children and young people to implement the National Principles. WA Government departments that engage with children and young people, including the Department of Communities, are also taking steps to be child safe organisations.

Department of Communities – Child safe organisations

Northern Territory

Mandatory reporting in NT is currently not informed by specific careers, job roles, or working in particular organisations; instead, it is the responsibility of all residents over 18 who believe a child may be at risk of harm. The NT has endorsed the Principles of Child Safe Organisations but has not specifically implemented enforcement plans.

Reports of child abuse or neglect can be made at: Report child abuse | NT.GOV.AU

Australian Capital Territory

From August 2024, all providers of services for children and young people will need to start implementing the Child Safe Standards. This is part of the ACT Government’s ongoing commitment to improving the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people and increase their protection from harm and abuse.

All staff and volunteers providing services for children and young people will need to understand their role in helping their organisation put the standards into action. This includes those staff and volunteers who do not need to have a Working with Vulnerable People registration for their job.

While there is no set timeframe for meeting all the Standards, all organisations should start thinking about how the Standards will change the way they do things in their service and start actioning these changes.

The agency overseeing the Implementation of the Child Safe Standards is the ACT Human Rights Commission – Implementing the Child Safe Standards – HRC

South Australia

In South Australia, organisations providing services to children and young people must, by law, provide child safe environments.

Organisations (including sole traders) providing services to children and young people must:

have child safe environments policy(ies) in place and at a minimum, review their policy(ies) once every 5 years

meet Working with Children Check obligations, and

lodge a child safe environments compliance statement with the Department of Human Services and lodge a new statement each time policy(ies) are reviewed and updated.

All organisations providing services to children and young people must lodge a compliance statement. This includes (but is not limited to):

allied health practitioners

accommodation or residential services for children (including school camp providers)

services provided by religious organisations

childcare or child-minding services

coaching or tuition services

disability services for children

commercial services provided directly to children (including face painters, photographers)

sports

transport services for children

any other service or activity declared by section 7 of the Child Safety (Prohibited Persons) Act 2016.

This includes State authorities, non-government organisations, sole traders and people working in partnerships.

A penalty of up to $10,000 may apply if your organisation does not lodge a compliance statement.

The South Australian Government Department of Human Services is overseeing the implementation of the Child Safe Principles – Child Safe Environments Program | DHS

National Child-Safe Principles – What’s the Deal?

National Child-Safe Principles – What’s the Deal?

Recent Posts

National Child-Safe Principles – What’s the Deal?

Calling all Early Childhood Education & Care Professionals in QLD – are you prepared for 1 April 2025?

Food Safety Training in NSW – What’s the Deal?

Categories