If you believe your child is in immediate danger or a life-threatening situation, call emergency services on triple zero – 000.
Under our legislation, we don’t investigate individual children’s and families’ circumstances. If you suspect a child in Queensland is experiencing harm or neglect, please contact the Department of Child Safety, Seniors and Disability Services.

Child Safe Standards

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Child Safe Standards

Child Safe Organisations

We’re raising the standards to keep Queensland children and young people safe.

Every child has the right to be safe, no matter where they are.

That’s why Queensland has a new child safeguarding law—the Child Safe Organisations Act—to strengthen our state’s culture of safety and wellbeing for all Queensland children.

Businesses and organisations that work with children in Queensland, or provide services and spaces for specifically for them, will need to be demonstrate they are child safe. This involves implementing 10 Child Safe Standards.

Around 40,000 organisations will need to show they are child safe. This includes small volunteer and community groups and sole traders, through to large and well-established organisations, such as hospitals, schools and churches.

The new law takes effect from 1 October 2025 in a phased approach. Find out when your sector needs to be compliant on our Implementation webpage.

Thank you for taking steps towards strengthening Queensland’s culture of safety and wellbeing for all Queensland children. Read on for information about how you can progress on your journey towards becoming child safe.

The 10 Child Safe Standards

1. Leadership and culture

Child safety and wellbeing is embedded in the entity’s organisational leadership, governance and culture.

2. Voice of children

Children are informed about their rights, participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously.

3. Family and community

Families and communities are informed and involved in promoting child safety and wellbeing.

4. Equity and diversity

Equity is upheld and diverse needs respected in policy and practice.

5. People

People working with children are suitable and supported to reflect child safety and wellbeing values in practice.

6. Complaints management

Processes to respond to complaints and concerns are child focused.

7. Knowledge and skills

Staff and volunteers of the entity are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and awareness to keep children safe through ongoing education and training.

8. Physical and online environments

Physical and online environments promote safety and wellbeing and minimise the opportunity for children to be harmed.

9. Continuous improvement

Implementation of the Child Safe Standards is regularly reviewed and improved.

10. Policy and procedures

Policies and procedures document how the entity is safe for children.

For resources associated with these standards, visit our Resources webpage.

Universal Principle for cultural safety

When organisations implement the Child Safe Standards they must also provide an environment that ensures the cultural safety of Aboriginal children and Torres Strait Islander children. This is known as the Universal Principle.

The Universal Principle needs to be embedded in each of the 10 Child Safe Standards. It has the same importance as each of the Standards and the same enforcement powers can be used to address non-compliance.

If an organisation isn’t culturally safe, it isn’t child safe.

Read more about cultural safety in our Unpacking the Universal Principle news article.

Preparing your business or organisation

Every business and organisation will be at a different stage of its journey to becoming child safe. Use these resources to help you prepare:

For more tools to prepare your business or organisation visit our Resources webpage.

Reportable Conduct Scheme

The Child Safe Organisations system features two parts:

  • the 10 Child Safe Standards
  • Reportable Conduct Scheme.

The Child Safe Standards will come into effect from 1 October 2025 through a staged approach.

Starting from 1 July 2026, some entities will also need to introduce a Reportable Conduct Scheme. For more details about the scheme visit our Reportable Conduct Scheme webpage.

Last updated
2 June 2025

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