The five types of reportable conduct
- Sexual offences
- Sexual misconduct
- Physical violence
- Behaviour that causes significant emotional or psychological harm
- Significant neglect
The scheme covers the conduct of people aged 18 or over where the conduct is against, with or in the presence of a child under 18. Allegations can be about conduct inside or outside the workplace, and must be reported even if the worker has no direct contact with children in their role.
Who is covered
The scheme applies to organisations that exercise care, supervision or authority over children, including early childhood services, schools, religious bodies, out of home care and child protection services, health services, some housing and residential services, camps and youth organisations, and disability service providers: organisations providing residential services for children with disability, registered disability service providers and non-registered disability services.
It covers the conduct of employees, volunteers, contractors, office holders, ministers of religion, officers of religious bodies, formal foster and kinship carers, labour hire and agency workers, secondees, individual business owners who engage staff, and directors who perform work for the organisation.
Who is the head of the organisation
Usually the Chief Executive Officer, or for Victorian Government departments the Secretary. Where there is no CEO, it is the Principal Officer. If there is no equivalent, the organisation should nominate a head using the SSR's nomination webform and declaration. Others can help, but the head keeps legal responsibility.
Systems every head must have
- Systems to prevent reportable conduct, which implementing the Child Safe Standards helps achieve
- A way for anyone to notify the head of a reportable allegation
- A way for anyone to notify the SSR of an allegation involving the head
- A process to investigate and respond to allegations against workers and volunteers
The notification timeline
| When | What the head must do |
|---|---|
| Immediately | Report possible criminal conduct to Victoria Police (000 if anyone is in immediate danger). Contact Child Protection if a child needs protection. |
| Within 3 business days of becoming aware | Notify the SSR of the reportable allegation, including how risks to children are being managed. |
| When decided | Advise the SSR who will conduct the investigation, internal or external. |
| Within 30 calendar days of becoming aware | Give the SSR detailed information about the allegation and the proposed response, with an investigation update. |
| When the investigation ends | Notify the SSR of the findings and outcomes, and provide the investigation report and evidence. |
Reports and updates are made through the SSR's secure webform. Failing to comply with the three business day and 30 day obligations without a reasonable excuse is a criminal offence.
Managing risk and investigating
- If police are involved, do not start your own investigation until police give clearance.
- Assess risks to all children, not just the child involved. Options include standing the worker down, changing duties, removing unsupervised contact and restricting access to systems and files.
- Plan a fair, timely investigation. An external investigator can help with capacity or conflicts of interest.
- Children should be interviewed unless there is a good reason not to. The SSR publishes a guide, developed with Griffith University, on a trauma informed child interview method.
- If the worker's Working with Children Check is suspended, the head must still investigate under the scheme.
NDIS providers
A registered NDIS provider in Victoria may need to notify both the NDIS Commission, if the event is an NDIS reportable incident, and the SSR under the Reportable Conduct Scheme. The schemes are separate.
Train your leaders and team
Our leadership course covers the head of organisation's duties in detail, alongside all 11 Child Safe Standards. Working in another state? See child safe training by state.
90 minLeading a Child Safe Organisation: Victoria
A practical course for managers, boards and heads of organisations responsible for meeting Victoria's 11 Child Safe Standards. It explains the 2026 move to the Social Services Regulator, who must comply, and how the regulator assesses compliance through minimum requirements and compliance indicators. You will learn how to lead a child safe culture, write a Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy and Code of Conduct, manage risks in physical and online environments, recruit and supervise safe people, handle child focused complaints, and meet the head of organisation's duties under the Reportable Conduct Scheme, including the three business day and 30 day notifications. It finishes with self-assessment, evidence and an improvement plan, and a disability service case study. Duration: 90 minutes.
60 minChild Safe Standards: Victoria
Every child and young person we support has the right to be safe, heard and respected. This course explains the 11 Victorian Child Safe Standards in plain language and what each one means for your daily work as a support worker, including cultural safety for Aboriginal children and young people. You will learn how to recognise signs of harm and grooming, how to respond calmly when a child tells you something, and how reporting works in Victoria: reports to Child Protection, mandatory reporting, failure to disclose and failure to protect, the Reportable Conduct Scheme, calling 000 in an emergency, and our own internal process and records. Duration: 60 minutes.
50 minIncident Reporting
Incidents happen in every support setting, and how we respond in the first minutes and hours makes a real difference to the people involved. This course explains what an incident is, the different types you may come across, and the immediate steps to take to keep everyone safe. You will learn how to report and document incidents through our internal system, what makes a good incident report, and which incidents are reportable incidents that registered NDIS providers must notify to the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, including the 24 hour and 5 business day timeframes. Case studies about a fall at home and an unreported restrictive practice show how it all fits together. Duration: 50 minutes.
55 minChild Safe Organisations: The National Principles
Children and young people with disability, and children who visit the older people we support, must be safe in every service we provide. This course introduces the ten National Principles for Child Safe Organisations, which all Australian governments endorsed in 2019, and explains in plain language what each one means for our work. You will learn to recognise the signs of harm and grooming, why children with disability face a higher risk, how to respond calmly to a disclosure, and which safe behaviours we expect of every worker, including rules about one to one time and online contact. Three case studies put this into practice. Each state has its own standards and reporting laws, so also complete the course for your state. Duration: 55 minutes.
Frequently asked questions
How long does the head of an organisation have to notify a reportable allegation in Victoria?
Three business days from becoming aware of the allegation, followed by detailed information within 30 calendar days and the findings when the investigation ends.
Who receives Reportable Conduct Scheme notifications now?
The Social Services Regulator, which took over from the Commission for Children and Young People in February 2026.
Are NDIS and disability providers covered by the Reportable Conduct Scheme?
Yes. Organisations providing residential services for children with disability, registered disability service providers and non-registered disability services are covered.
Does the scheme cover harm by one child to another?
No. It covers the conduct of workers and volunteers aged 18 or over. Harm between children is still covered by the Child Safe Standards and other reporting obligations.
Is it an offence to miss the deadlines?
Yes. Failing to comply with the three business day and 30 day notification obligations without a reasonable excuse is a criminal offence for the head of the organisation.
Source: Social Services Regulator, Victoria. Checked 10/11/2026. Provider Compliance is not affiliated with the Victorian Government.