Child Safe Standards: Victoria

Children and young people with disability face a higher risk of abuse and neglect than other children, and support workers are often the adults who see them most. This lesson explains the reasons for that higher risk, including reliance on personal care, communication differences, many adults in their lives and distress being put down to disability. Key points: child safety is every worker's responsibility, a child safe organisation is built on culture as well as rules, and you do not need proof to raise a concern.

Victoria's 11 Child Safe Standards commenced on 1 July 2022 and set out what organisations working with children must do to keep them safe. This lesson gives you an overview of all 11 standards, from cultural safety for Aboriginal children and child safety in leadership and culture, through to complaints, training, safe environments, review and written policies. Key points: the standards are about everyday practice, not paperwork, and every one of them has something to say about how you work with a child or young person on each shift.

Several bodies play a part in keeping Victorian children safe. From 23 February 2026 the Social Services Regulator administers the Child Safe Standards and the Reportable Conduct Scheme, a role previously held by the Commission for Children and Young People, and Working with Children Checks are also consolidated within it. Child Protection receives reports about children at risk, and Victoria Police responds to crimes and emergencies. Key points: you notice, act, report and record, and we support you. You never investigate, keep secrets or promise confidentiality to a child.

Standard 1 requires a culturally safe environment in which the diverse and unique identities and experiences of Aboriginal children and young people are respected and valued. This lesson explains what cultural safety means from the child's point of view and how you can support it. Key points: the child and their community decide whether a space feels safe, connection to family, community and culture protects wellbeing, racism must be challenged and reported, and you should ask, listen and include Aboriginal family and community voices rather than make assumptions.

Standards 2 and 3 are about building child safety into leadership and culture, and about empowering children and young people to know their rights, take part in decisions and be taken seriously. This lesson shows how a strong child safe culture depends on the behaviour of every worker, and how to involve children with disability in decisions using their own communication methods. Key points: follow our code of conduct, speak up about poor practice, explain rights in ways the child understands, and give real weight to what the child tells you.

Standard 4 asks us to keep families and communities informed and involved in keeping children safe. Standard 5 asks us to uphold equity and respect the diverse needs of every child, including children with disability, children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and children who identify as LGBTIQA+. This lesson gives practical examples of both. Key points: share information about our child safe approach, use interpreters and accessible formats, adapt supports to the individual child, and never let a child's background or disability reduce the protection they receive.

Standard 6 requires the people who work with children to be suitable and supported, and Standard 8 requires staff and volunteers to be equipped with knowledge, skills and awareness through ongoing education and training. This lesson explains how screening, induction, supervision and training work together, and what we expect from you. Key points: keep your screening checks current, tell us if anything changes, use supervision to talk through worries, complete your training, and ask for help when you are unsure about the right thing to do.

Standard 7 requires complaints and concerns processes that are child focused, and Standard 9 requires physical and online environments that promote safety and minimise the opportunity for harm. This lesson covers how children with disability can raise concerns in their own way, and how to reduce risk in homes, vehicles, community settings and online. Key points: treat every concern seriously, help children speak up, avoid unnecessary one to one isolation, keep doors and plans visible, and never contact a child through personal phones or social media.

Standard 10 requires organisations to regularly review and improve how they implement the Child Safe Standards, and Standard 11 requires policies and procedures that document how the organisation is safe for children. This lesson explains how your feedback, incident reports and near misses help us improve, and why knowing our child safe policies matters. Key points: report near misses as well as incidents, share ideas for improvement, read and follow our child safety policy and code of conduct, and know where to find them when you need them.

Harm to children can take many forms, and it often happens in more than one way at once. This lesson describes physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional or psychological harm, neglect, exposure to family violence and online harm, with examples relevant to children with disability. Key points: harm can come from family members, other children, workers or strangers; neglect includes failing to meet a child's disability related needs such as medication, equipment or therapy; and cumulative harm from many smaller events can be as damaging as one serious incident.

Children with disability may not be able to tell you in words that they are being harmed, so the signs you notice matter even more. This lesson covers physical signs, changes in behaviour and changes in communication or routine, and explains why you should never put a change down to disability without asking why. Key points: know the child's usual baseline, look for changes and patterns, pay attention to fear of a particular person or place, and record exactly what you see and hear without guessing at causes.

Grooming is when a person deliberately builds trust with a child, and often with the family and other workers, to create opportunities for abuse and to stop the child from telling. This lesson explains common grooming behaviours, how they can look like kindness at first, and how clear professional boundaries protect children and workers. Key points: watch for special attention, gifts, secrets and time alone, keep contact with children open and within your role, and report boundary breaches by anyone, including trusted colleagues.

A disclosure is when a child tells or shows someone that they have been harmed or are at risk. Children with disability may disclose through words, signs, drawings, a communication device or behaviour, and often only in part. This lesson explains how to respond calmly and supportively. Key points: stay calm, listen and believe, let the child use their own words, ask only open questions if you need to, do not promise secrecy, reassure the child that telling was right, make them safe, and report and record straight away.

Victoria has several reporting pathways, and more than one can apply at the same time. This lesson explains that anyone can and should report concerns to Child Protection, that mandatory reporting applies to specified professions, that every adult has a duty to report to police a reasonable belief of a sexual offence against a child under 16, and that people in authority must act on a substantial risk of child sexual abuse. Key points: call 000 for immediate danger, and use the current Child Protection number on the official website.

The Reportable Conduct Scheme covers allegations of harmful conduct towards children by workers and volunteers in covered organisations, and from 23 February 2026 it is run by the Social Services Regulator. The head of a covered organisation must notify the regulator within 3 business days and give detailed information within 30 calendar days. This lesson covers the five types of reportable conduct, our internal process for raising any concern, and how to keep good records. Key points: report concerns about colleagues straight away, never investigate yourself, and record facts accurately.