What changed in 2026
- New regulator. The Social Services Regulator now administers the Child Safe Standards and the Reportable Conduct Scheme. Responsibility moved from the Commission for Children and Young People in February 2026.
- One home for child safety. Working with Children Checks sit within the same regulator, and allegations and findings under the Reportable Conduct Scheme are shared with the Working with Children Check scheme.
- Update your documents. If your Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy, induction or posters still name the Commission as the body to contact for these schemes, update them.
Who must comply
Organisations in a category listed in Schedule 1 of the Child Wellbeing and Safety Act 2005 usually must comply if they do one or more of the following:
- provide services specifically for children
- provide facilities specifically for children under their supervision
- engage a child as an employee, contractor or volunteer.
Specifically for children does not mean only for children: one children's program can be enough. A child is anyone under 18. Listed categories include organisations providing disability services, early therapeutic intervention for children with disability, counselling and support services for children, youth services, housing and homelessness services, and many more. Every organisation covered by the Reportable Conduct Scheme must comply with the Standards regardless.
The 11 Standards, in plain language
- Cultural safety for Aboriginal children: their identities and experiences are respected and valued, and racism is confronted.
- Leadership and culture: child safety is embedded in leadership, governance and culture, with a public commitment and a Code of Conduct.
- Children empowered: children know their rights, take part in decisions and are taken seriously.
- Families and communities: informed and involved in decisions and policies.
- Equity and diversity: particular attention to children with disability, culturally diverse children, children unable to live at home, Aboriginal children and LGBTIQ young people.
- Suitable and supported people: child safe recruitment, current Working with Children Checks, induction and supervision.
- Child focused complaints: accessible processes, prompt responses and reporting to authorities whether or not the law requires it.
- Education and training: including recognising harm caused by other children and building cultural safety.
- Safe physical and online environments: risks reduced without compromising children's rights, and safe procurement of contracted services.
- Review and improvement: complaints and incidents analysed for systemic causes, and findings reported back.
- Policies and procedures: documented, easy to understand and applied by staff and volunteers.
Each Standard has numbered minimum requirements. The SSR also publishes compliance indicators: the documents and actions that will generally show a Standard is met. Organisations must meet all 11 Standards at all times.
Evidence checklist
- Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy covering all 11 Standards, with an accessible version
- A displayed public commitment to child safety and to the cultural safety of Aboriginal children
- Code of Conduct acknowledged by every worker and volunteer, including zero tolerance of racism
- Board or management minutes showing child safety is reported and discussed
- Risk register covering physical and online environments, with owners and review dates
- Recruitment records: child safety in advertising, referee checks and Working with Children Check verification
- Induction and training records, including recognising harm caused by other children
- Child focused complaints policy, complaint records and outcomes
- Evidence of children's and families' input, and the changes it led to
- A completed self-assessment and an improvement action plan with owners and timeframes
Free download: Victorian Child Safe Standards evidence checklist
A three page PDF covering all 11 Standards, with tick boxes and space to note where your evidence is. Enter your details and we will email it to you.
We use your details to send the download and, only if you tick the box, occasional updates. See our privacy policy.Use the regulator's free tools
For social services, the SSR publishes an all-in-one self-assessment tool (Excel, with a Word version), a self-assessment evidence guide, an evidence mapping guide and an improvement action plan, along with a Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy template, risk assessment templates, a Code of Conduct guide and an easy read information sheet. Find them on the SSR resources page.
NDIS providers: two systems, both apply
If you are a registered NDIS provider supporting children in Victoria, the NDIS Practice Standards and the Victorian Child Safe Standards both apply. An incident can be a reportable incident to the NDIS Commission and also a reportable allegation under the Victorian Reportable Conduct Scheme. The schemes are separate, so one notification does not replace the other.
Train your team
Our Victorian child safety courses cover this in depth, for frontline workers and for the leaders accountable for the 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.
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.
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.
Frequently asked questions
Who regulates the Child Safe Standards in Victoria?
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.
Do the Child Safe Standards apply to NDIS providers?
Organisations providing disability services are a listed category. If your organisation provides services or facilities specifically for children, including some programs for under 18s, it is likely required to comply. Check the SSR's guidance on who the Standards apply to.
How many Child Safe Standards are there in Victoria?
There are 11. Each is an outcome with minimum requirements, and organisations must meet all of them at all times.
Is there a free self-assessment tool?
Yes. The SSR publishes an all-in-one self-assessment tool, an evidence guide, an evidence mapping guide and an improvement action plan for social services on its resources page.
Source: Social Services Regulator, Victoria. Checked 10/11/2026. Provider Compliance is not affiliated with the Victorian Government.