Report a crime: respond to child abuse in the family
Guidance on how to report child abuse when you believe a crime has been committed. Report is one of the 4 Critical Actions.
Schools
As soon as you believe a student has been or is at risk of being abused by someone in the family, you must act.
4 CRITICAL ACTIONS
⬣ Identify ▲ Report ● Support ■ Refer
Also see
On this page
Report abuse to the authorities
If you believe a crime against a child has been committed, but it is not a mandatory report, you must make a report to Victoria Police.
- Emergency situations that require urgent police attendance must be reported to police via 000.
- At any time, you can:
- call Victoria Police on 131 444 (non-emergency situations only)
- contact your local police station.
- Share any completed family violence tools as part of your report.
Common crimes against children include:
- physical and sexual assault or abuse
- grooming
- stalking
- harassment
- threatening behaviour
- abduction
- property damage
- breaching family violence orders.
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- Examples of crimes that are not mandatory reports
- Sexual abuse by someone in the family who is not the parent or carer and there is a protective parent.
- A student physically assaulting another student with whom they are in an intimate partner relationship.
- When to report wellbeing concerns to Victoria Police
In addition to reporting to appropriate authorities, you must contact Victoria Police:
- if a student’s (or anyone else involved) immediate safety is compromised
- if a student is involved in any risk-taking activity that is illegal, extreme in nature or poses a high risk to the student or any other person.
- Criminal responsibility of children and young people in Victoria
Victoria has laws about the minimum age of criminal responsibility.
Under these laws:
- A child or young person aged 12 years or over can commit an offence.
- There is a presumption that a child who is 12 or 13 years of age cannot commit an offence.
- A child or young person who is under the age of 12 cannot commit an offence.
- What Victoria Police can do
Victoria Police can:
- investigate the situation
- assess risk
- interview and take statements from key people
- collect evidence
- enforce intervention orders
- make arrests and issue warnings.
- When to report
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 related to sexual abuse. Victoria Police will accept and assess all reports, no matter when the alleged crime occurred.
- Make additional reports
Government Schools
After you make a report to Victoria Police, you must also report the incident.
You can report by:
- logging an incident in eduSafe Plus, or
- by calling the department’s Incident Support and Operations Centre (ISOC) on 1800 126 126. The Managing and Reporting School Incidents (Including Emergencies) Policy provides guidance to schools on reporting timeframes for incidents. Consider who in your school receives eduSafe Plus alerts.
The incident report will notify relevant regional or centralised services. These services will help your school arrange support for impacted students and staff. See support for further details.
Catholic Schools
You must report abuse to your relevant governing body consistent with your school’s PROTECT reporting policy and procedures. See a list of school governing bodies.
Your relevant governing body will advise you of the next actions consistent with your school’s reporting policy.
Independent Schools
Independent schools should follow the procedures outlined in their school policy.
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 Victoria Police.
- Call 03 9825 7200
- Email enquiries@is.vic.edu.au.
- Preserve evidence
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.
If a student is abused at school, your school must preserve any items that may be of potential forensic value that may later be seized by police. This may include:
- laptops
- other devices
- CCTV footage
- other objects and materials. For more information, see preserving evidence.
After you report
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- Engage the student and their parents or carers
Before engaging with parents and carers, you need clearance from Victoria Police in situations involving a police response.
Once you have clearance, you must inform the student’s parents or carers of the matter. This is a critical step. It helps parents or carers support their child in partnership with the school, authorities and support services. You must contact the parents or carers as soon as possible. Ideally, this should happen on the same day.
Victoria Police will:
-
guide you on speaking to parents or carers
-
tell you what information you can share with all impacted students and the wider school community. Your primary responsibility is to ensure the safety of the student. Before engaging with parents and carers consider whether it is safe to do so. Do not engage with the student or their family if:
-
it is unsafe. For example, if
- it is likely to jeopardise a child’s wellbeing or safety or place another person at risk of harm
- if it could adversely affect an investigation
- timeliness is an issue, such as when there is an immediate risk
- you are assessing or managing risk to another person
- it is unreasonable. For example, if you are unable to contact them
- it is inappropriate. For example, if:
- a young person is living independently and their family members no longer have access to their personal information. If you need help engaging with parents and carers in these situations, you can contact internal sector support, see support and advisory services for school staff.
- Facilitate interviews with students at school
If Victoria Police want to interview a student about abuse, see interviews with students at school.
- Document your actions
Record all steps your school has taken in report. You can use the identify and respond to child abuse template to do this.
For more information, see document your actions.
- If Victoria Police ends their involvement
If Victoria Police finalises their involvement, you must still act by continuing the 4 Critical Actions. This includes support and refer.
You may need to take both actions at the same time.
Next steps
Continue the 4 Critical Actions
After you report, continue to support the student and refer them to community services.
Check with Victoria Police on when to take these actions.
⬣ Identify ▲ Report ● Support ■ Refer
If you need support, see wellbeing support for school staff.
Updated 7 April 2026
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