The Reportable Conduct Scheme

The Victorian Reportable Conduct Scheme seeks to improve organisations’ responses to allegations of child abuse and neglect by their workers and volunteers. The scheme was established by the Child Wellbeing and Safety Act 2005 (the Act).

The Commission for Children and Young People is responsible for administering the scheme. Their role includes:

• Supporting and guiding organisations that receive allegations in order to promote fair, effective, timely and appropriate responses
• Independently overseeing, monitoring and, where appropriate, making recommendations to improve the responses of those organisations

The Reportable Conduct Scheme has been designed to ensure that the Commission will be aware of every allegation of certain types of misconduct involving children in relevant organisations that exercise care, supervision and authority over children. The Commission will also be able to share information where appropriate, including with the Working with Children Check Unit, relevant regulators and Victoria Police, to better prevent and protect children from abuse. Importantly, a finding that a person has engaged in reportable conduct can trigger an assessment of whether that person is suitable to continue to work or volunteer with children. In turn, this may lead the Working with Children Check Unit to revoke a person’s Working with Children Check card.

The Reportable Conduct Scheme is focused on worker and volunteer conduct and how organisations investigate and respond to suspected child abuse. The scheme aims to improve organisational responses to suspected child abuse and to facilitate the identification of individuals who pose a risk of harm to children, but do not have a criminal record. The scheme applies to some organisations required to meet the Child Safe Standards – those with a high level of responsibility for children – and sets out specific obligations for the heads of these organisations.

The head of the organisation must ensure that there are systems in place that:

• Prevent reportable conduct from being committed
• Enable reportable allegations to the made to the head of the organisation
• Enable reportable allegations that involve the head of the organisation to reported to the Commission

Click here for Reportable Conduct Scheme information sheets

How Child Safe Standards and the Reportable Conduct Scheme work together

In 2012, the Victorian Government initiated an inquiry into the handling of child abuse allegations within religious and other non-government organisations. The Betrayal of Trust Report, which detailed the inquiry findings, was tabled in parliament in 2013.

The Betrayal of Trust Report made a range of recommendations, including the need to better protect children from child abuse when they access services provided by organisations. Child Safe Standards and the Reportable Conduct Scheme are part of the Victorian Government’s commitment to implementing these recommendations.

Child Safe Standards and the Reportable Conduct Scheme create distinct sets of responsibilities for organisations but have been designed to complement one another. Together, Child Safe Standards and the Reportable Conduct Scheme strengthen the capacity of organisations to prevent and respond properly to allegations of child abuse.