Why do we have the Standards?

In April 2012, the Victorian government initiated an inquiry into the handling of child abuse allegations within religious and other non-government organisations. The inquiry’s final report, Betrayal of Trust, made a number of recommendations that have been acted on by the Victorian Government. The creation of Child Safe Standards (the Standards) was one of the key recommendations.

The eleven (11) new Standards will replace Victoria’s original seven standards and three principles. 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.

Who Do They Apply To

The Standards apply to organisations that operate for and provide services to children within Victoria, regardless of how many children are involved. Victorian sporting organisations (including National Sporting Organisations based in Victoria) must comply with the Standards if they provide a service to children under the age of 18.

The Standards apply to organisations as a whole, not just the areas/departments that work with children and young people. This means the Standards apply to all personnel in your organisation including, but not limited to:

• 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

What Are The Standards?

It takes many components to build an organisation with a culture of child safety. The Standards should act as a starting point from which your organisation can take action.  The Stardards applicable from 1 July 2022 have been included on the following pages.

A video overview of the standards can be also found here.