Child Safe Standards
The Victorian Child Safe Standards have come into effect to better protect children and young people from abuse. From 1 July 2022, the Victorian Government brought in eleven new Standards that replaced Victoria’s original seven standards and principles.
Key changes include new requirements:
- To involve families and communities in organisations’ efforts to keep children and young people safe
- For a greater focus on safety for Aboriginal children and young people
- To manage the risk of child abuse in online environments
- For greater clarity on the governance, systems and processes to keep children and young people safe.
Changes have been made to support greater national consistency, reflecting the National Principles for a Child Safe Organisation developed following the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Please note, the Victorian standards have some differences to the National Standards. This page focuses on the Victorian Standards.
The following resources from the Commission for Children and Young People (CCYP) provide further information and details about the Victorian Child Safe Standards:
- What’s New? – An overview of the Child Safe Standards
- What’s Changing? – A comparison of current and new Child Safe Standards
- Further information from CCYP
Vicsport has also compiled a Change Management Guidance resource to assist organisations implementing a change process, utilising a combination of elements from various theoretical change models.
From 1 July 2022, there are eleven Standards which apply to all organisations who provide a service to children. This includes sporting organisations, leagues, clubs and associations. The Standards detail how your organisation will protect children from all forms of abuse through policies and procedures, and develop a culture of child safety and wellbeing, including the safety of children with a disability, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, children with diverse genders and sexualities, and children from calturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds.
Click the button below to review each of the eleven Child Safe Standards and what they mean for your organisation:
In 2012-2013, a Victorian Government inquiry investigated the handling of child abuse by religious and non-government organisations. The inquiry’s final report, Betrayal of Trust, made several recommendations that have been acted on by the Victorian Government. The creation of Child Safe Standards (the Standards) was one of the key recommendations.
Child abuse is a current issue in Victoria, affecting 1 in 5 children across a range of locations and settings, including sport and recreation. Across the state, in 2019-20 there were 122,179 reports made to child protection authorities, and in 15% of these cases the allegations of abuse were substantiated.
The Standards apply to all personnel in your organisation, regardless of the number of children involved in your organisation. This includes:
- Board of Management / Committee Members.
- All paid staff (CEO, Executive, Employees).
- All Volunteers (Coaches, officials, administrators, scorers etc).
- All students on placement.
- Any contractors you engage.
It also includes (but is not limited to):
- Clubs, associations and leagues.
- Regional sport assemblies.
- State sporting organisations.
- National sporting organisations based in Victoria.
- Other sporting organisations delivering services to children.
Child abuse is defined as:
- Sexual abuse (including grooming, with the intent to sexually harm a child).
- Physical abuse or violence.
- Serious psychological or emotional abuse.
- Serious neglect.
The Standards are implemented by the Commission for Children and Young People (CCYP). They are an independent statutory body that promotes improvement in policies and practices affecting the safety and wellbeing of Victorian children and young people, with a particular focus on vulnerable children and young people.
Yes, the Standards are mandated in the Child, Wellbeing and Safety Act 2005. Since 1 January 2017, the Standards have applied to sporting organisations that operate and provide sporting services to children (defined as persons under 18) within Victoria.
This includes (but is not limited to):
- Clubs, associations and leagues.
- Regional sport assemblies.
- State sporting organisations.
- National sporting organisations based in Victoria.
- Other sporting organisations delivering services to children.
The Standards apply to the safety and wellbeing of all children who are involved in your sport. Research shows that children from some population groups are at a higher risk of abuse than others.
As such, each of the Standards must also be understood and applied in the context of:
- The cultural safety of Aboriginal children.
- The cultural safety of children from a culturally and/or linguistically diverse.
- The cultural safety of children with diverse genders, sexualities and sex characteristics.
- The safety of children with a disability and/or impairment.
If you have a child safety matter to report:
- If the situation is life threatening or dangerous, call police on 000.
- If you have concerns that a child is at risk of significant harm as a result of abuse or neglect, contact the relevant Department of Health and Human Services child protection contact.
- You can also speak to your relevant state or national sport organisation contacts and follow any reporting policies or procedure your organisation has adopted.
If you believe a child is at immediate risk of harm, call 000.
The Vicsport main line (03) 9698 8100. Our child safe contacts are:
| Michaela Cook (she/her) | Vicsport Office |
| Participation & Inclusion Manager michaelac@vicsport.com.au |
03 9698 8100 admin@vicsport.com.au |
Sports Clubs, Leagues and Associations are also encouraged to contact the following organisations for assistance:
- State Sport Association
- Regional Sport Assembly
- Local Government Authority
- Commission for Children and Young People
- Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (Child Protection)
- Sport Integrity Australia (if you are a National Integrity Framework (NIF) sport)
The resources developed by Vicsport and complied on this webpage are supported by the State Government of Victoria.
DISCLAIMER: While all care has been taken in the preparation of this information, none of the author(s) or Vicsport including its officers, employees and agents, make any representation or warranty as to, or take any responsibility for, the accuracy, reliability, completeness or currency of any information or recommendations contained in this information, nor its usefulness in achieving any purpose. Vicsport is not liable to users of this information for any loss or damage however caused resulting from the use of this information, and accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of the information or your reliance upon it. Vicsport recommends users seek independent legal advice to ensure compliance with the Child Wellbeing and Safety Act and the Child Safe Standards. Vicsport reserves all of its rights.