Reporting Laws and Requirements - VIC
Section 183 of the Children, Youth and Families Act 2005 allows anyone to make a confidential child protection report. The section states that any person who believes on reasonable grounds that a child is in need of protection, can report their belief and the grounds for it to a protective intervener (a Department of Families, Fairness and Housing officer or a police officer).
Section 184 outlines mandatory reporting responsibilities.
Next up the scale is a voluntary child protection report. Section 183 of the Children, Youth and Families Act 2005 allows any person who believes on reasonable grounds that a child is in need of protection, to confidentially report their belief and the grounds for their belief to a protective intervener. The Act states that a protective intervener is either the Secretary (DFFH Department of Families, Fairness and Housing) or the Police.
When they talk about the Secretary throughout the Act, they are referring to the Secretary for Human Services in Victoria – but you don’t actually report to the Secretary you report to someone in their department that they have delegated authority to. So when you call Child Protection and report suspected abuse, the intake officer is said to be representing the Secretary.
We’ve already looked at the definition of a “child in need of protection” – so Section 183 is saying that if you have a reasonable belief that a child has been abandoned, or sexually, or physically or emotionally abused, or is being denied medical treatment – then you are able to make a confidential report voluntarily to the Secretary or the Police and provide them with the reasons for your belief.
Section 184 outlines the reporting duties of mandated reporters. It states that if a mandatory reporter, in the course of their work, forms a belief based on reasonable grounds that a child has suffered or is likely to suffer physical or sexual abuse, AND their parents have not protected them or are unlikely to protect them from that type of harm – then they must report their belief and the reasons for it to the Secretary.
