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Queensland's new child safeguarding law introducing Child Safe Standards commenced from 1 October 2025. Find out when you need to comply.
Changes to the Child Safe Organisations Act mean the Reportable Conduct Scheme has been brought forward and will now commence for all reporting entities on 1 July 2026.
- Find out more about the scheme
- Check if your business or organisation needs to comply.
The Child Safe Organisations system was recommended by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (Royal Commission) in 2017 and is underpinned by a child rights, strengths-based approach.
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse heard from thousands of Australians about their experiences as victim-survivors of abuse. The stories they shared about the abuse they were subjected to within a wide range of institutions, from religious and educational settings to the military, led to significant changes in how we understand child sexual abuse, who perpetrates it, and how.
The Royal Commission emphasised that members of the public, children, young people, parents, carers, families and communities should be confident that organisations working with children provide safe environments where children’s rights, needs and interests are met. It identified specific elements that institutions should adopt to be child safe, and its final report proposed 10 National Principles to provide guidance to organisations about how to achieve effective safeguarding.
The 10 National Principles were endorsed by all states and territories in 2019 and since then have been, or are in the process of being, adopted into state-based child safeguarding legislation. Queensland’s Child Safe Organisations Act, and the accompanying system which commenced from 1 October 2025, is a direct result of this.
The Child Safe Standards and the Universal Principle under Queensland’s law aim to make prevention a collective institutional responsibility. They align Queensland with national and international child protection standards, ensuring we are a leader in safeguarding children.
You can read more about the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse on their website, including their recommendations and final report.
On 12 June 2024, the Queensland Government introduced the Child Safe Organisations Bill 2024 (the Bill) to Parliament. The Bill establishes an integrated child safe organisations system in Queensland that includes:
- mandatory child safe standards by in-scope organisations
- a nationally consistent reportable conduct scheme for certain organisations.
The Bill passed Parliament on 11 September 2024 and received assent on 19 September 2024.
The Child Safe Organisations Act 2024 came into effect on 1 October 2025 and will be implemented in stages. Visit our Who needs to comply and when webpage for more information.
Changes to the Act were passed by Parliament on 16 October 2025 and brought forward the Reportable Conduct Scheme commencement date for all sectors to 1 July 2026.
The Queensland Family and Child Commission is responsible for monitoring implementation of the system.
Organisations that take active steps to prevent harm to children will be on their way to being considered child safe. Every organisation in Queensland will be at a different stage of its journey. Some sectors will have Child Safe Standards already underway, and some will have work to do. Implementation will require a unique approach for each organisation.
A child safe organisation is a place that:
- creates an environment that prioritises children’s safety and wellbeing
- has systems in place to identify harm
- recognises, and responds to, any concerns, disclosures, allegations or suspicions of harm
- upholds children’s rights and human rights
- places emphasis on genuine engagement with and valuing of children
- engages in a dynamic process of continuous improvement to analyse performance, identify opportunities, learn and make changes to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children is paramount.
Visit our Frequently asked questions webpage for more information.
Last updated
17 October 2025
