Child Safe Standards

What are the Child Safe Standards?

Victoria’s Child Safe Standards are a set of mandatory requirements to protect children and young people from harm and abuse.

The Child Safe Standards (the Standards) commenced in Victoria in January 2016. After six years, we have seen how the Standards improve safety for children and young people.

Changes have been made to make our Standards even stronger. The new Child Safe Standards came into force on 1 July 2022 and organisations now need to comply with these new Standards.

Standard 3 

Children know about their rights, are taken seriously, and take part in decisions that affect them. 

Your organisation must:

• tell children about their rights to: – safety – information – take part in decisions about them
• understand and encourage the importance of friendships. This helps children to feel safe
• offer programs and information to children about how to prevent sexual abuse
• make sure that staff and volunteers can: – identify signs of child abuse and harm in children – help children to talk openly and to talk about things that worry them
• help children to be involved in your organisation
• act on what children tell you so that they feel safe and want to stay involved in your organisation.