About the Child Safe Standards

​The Child Safe Standards are a framework for making organisations safer for children and young people. They guide organisations on how to create cultures that keep children safe from harm and put the interests of children first.

The Child Safe Standards are based on the research and consultation by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (The Royal Commission).

The Child Safe Standards:

1. ​​Child safety is embedded in organisational leadership, governance and culture
2. Children participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously
3. Families and communities are informed and involved
4. Equity is upheld and diversity is taken into account
5. People working with children are suitable and supported
6. Processes to respond to complaints of child abuse are child focused
7. Staff are equipped with the knowledge, skills and awareness to keep children safe through continual education and training
8. Physical and online environments minimise the opportunity for abuse to occur
9. Implementation of the Child Safe Standards is continuously reviewed and improved
10. Policies and procedures document how the organisation is child safe

The Office of the Children’s Guardian​

The NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian (OCG) is responsible for overseeing how we implement and comply with the Child Safe Standards.

OCG provides resources and education on implementing the scheme and has the power to take action when organisations are not complying with the Standards.

Visit the Office of the Children's Guardian​ to learn more.

The Royal Commission

​​The Royal Commission shone a spotlight on thousands of cases where organisations in Australia, including health services, failed to protect children from abuse or neglect.

The Royal Commission identified specific features of organisational settings that either enabled abuse to continue, stopped children and young people from speaking out, or prevented staff from taking action to protect children and young people.

Visit The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse​​ to learn more.

​Rights and participation of children

The Child Safe Scheme emphasises that children and young people should have a say in their care and be encouraged to tell someone if they feel unsafe. Children should be taken seriously when they speak up and organisations should respond quickly. ​​

The Office of the Children’s Guardian also has a helpful guide​​​ for encouraging the participation, empowerment and upholding of the rights of children and young people in child safe organisations.​

Visit the Rights of children and young people in healthcare page for more information.