- The new Victorian Child Safe Standards became law on 1 January 2016. They represent a radical shift in how schools, and other organisations providing services for children, are required to manage their child protection obligations.
- From 1 January 2016 organisations that provide services for children, and are currently funded or regulated by the Victorian Government (Category 1 organisations), are required to work towards compliance with the Child Safe Standards.
- Category 1 organisations include schools (both government and non-government), early childhood providers, kindergartens and after hours care services, school exchange organisations, hospitals, community health services, disability service providers and local councils.
- From 1 August 2016, compliance with the Child Safe Standards will become a registration requirement for all non-government schools in Victoria. The Education Minister has issued Ministerial Order 870 that prescribes exactly what schools must do in order to comply.
- From 1 January 2017, the Child Safe Standards shall apply to organisations in Victoria providing services to children with limited or no funding or regulatory arrangements in place with the Victorian Government (Category 2 organisations).
- Category 2 organisations include charities and not-for-profit organisations, coaching and tuition services, transport providers, counselling services, sports and recreation clubs, children’s entertainment and party services, gyms and play facilities, overnight camps, babysitting services and youth services such as Scouts and Girl Guides.
- The purpose of the Child Safe Standards is to improve the way that organisations, which provide services to children, prevent and respond to child abuse. The focus of the Standards is to help organisations to drive cultural change so that protecting children from abuse is embedded in everyday thinking and practice.
- There are 7 Standards and 3 Principles that make up the Child Safe Standards. To provide guidance as to what the Victorian Government expects organisations to do to comply with the Child Safe Standards, it has published a 31-page document titled “An overview of the Victorian child safe standards”.