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Report: respond to child abuse by an adult engaged by an independent school

Guidance on how to report child abuse to authorities. Report is one of the 4 Critical Actions.

Schools

Any allegation, complaint, disclosure or concern of abuse by an adult engaged by a school may be reportable conduct under Victoria’s Reportable Conduct Scheme.

All reportable allegations must be reported.

4 CRITICAL ACTIONS

⬣ Identify ▲ Report ● Support ■ Refer

On this page

Report crime to Victoria Police

If you believe a crime against a child has been committed, you must make a report to Victoria Police.

Common crimes against children include:

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Victoria Police can:

Reports should be made as soon as reasonably practicable from when a report is received, as some crimes have a limitation period that may apply.

There is no time limit to report a crime of sexual abuse. Victoria Police will accept and assess all reports, no matter when the alleged crime occurred.

You can contact Independent Schools Victoria for support and advice on child safety related matters, including if you are unsure of whether a crime has been committed and need advice on reporting to police.

Report to Social Services Regulator (SSR)

The Head of an Organisation must:

It is a criminal offence if the Head of an Organisation does not comply with the 3 day and 30 day reporting requirements without a valid reason.

This process does not replace the need to report any allegations of child abuse, criminal conduct, or family violence to Victoria Police.

You can contact SSR directly for support and further information.

For further information, refer to advice from the SSR:

Report to the relevant authorities

Disclaimer: This is not legal advice. Your school should seek independent advice to ensure compliance with your reporting obligations.

Your school may have to make several reports, depending on the nature of the allegation.

Authorities your school may report to include:

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The above authorities work with each other as co-regulators in child safety.

There may be circumstances where your report needs to be shared with another agency. If this happens, the agency you submit your report to may ask to share the report with another agency.

Co-regulators are able to notify each other of certain conduct issues, if required. This is done in line with the Child Information Sharing Scheme.

If there is a significant child safety incident, independent schools are encouraged to report this to VRQA for support.

VIT receives notifications about registered teachers from Victoria Police(opens in a new window), SSR, and employers.

Victoria Police will notify VIT if a teacher has been charged with, convicted, or found guilty of a Category A or B offence.

SSR must notify VIT if a registered teacher is the subject of a reportable allegation or a finding of reportable conduct under the Child Wellbeing and Safety Act 2005.

Employers, including schools, must tell the VIT if they take any disciplinary actions against a teacher in response to:

You can contact Independent Schools Victoria for support and advice on mandatory reporting.

You can contact VIT directly during business hours (9 am to 4 pm, Monday to Friday), for support and further information:

Do not stop here

Make sure you complete all 4 Critical Actions.

Follow the rest of the steps on this page, then continue to support and refer the student.

After you report

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Before engaging with parents and carers, you need clearance from:

Victoria Police will:

Do not engage with the student or their family if:

If Victoria Police want to interview a student about abuse, schools can follow the guidance at interviews with students at school.

Leave the area where the incident occurred as you found it, until Victoria Police can attend and provide you with further instructions. Victoria Police will tell you what steps you need to take.

Your school must preserve any items that may be of potential forensic value that may later be seized by police. This may include:

Record all steps your school has taken in report. You can use the responding to child abuse template to do this.

See document your actions.

Next steps

Continue the 4 Critical Actions

After completing these steps to report, you must continue to support and refer.

⬣ Identify ▲ Report ● Support ■ Refer

Check with Victoria Police on when to take these steps.

Education & training

Updated 31 March 2026

At all times

Throughout the 4 Critical Actions, you must:

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