Role of the Commission

We use these regulatory powers in a variety of ways, focussing on working cooperatively with organisations to help them comply with their obligations, particularly in the early stages of implementation. This includes:

• Raising awareness – through public campaigns and producing guidance material and tools for organisations
• Building capability – working with organisations to embed good practice, offering training and evidence of what works

Visit our Training hub and Resources webpage for more information.

If organisations are not meeting their obligations under the Child Safe Standards

• we can direct them to conduct self-assessments of their child safe practices
• we can issue compliance notices, which require organisations to take corrective action within a specific timeframe in order to meet the standards
• we can accept enforceable undertakings, which are legally binding written agreements from an organisation committing to take corrective action within a specific timeframe to meet the standards
• we can publish the details of organisations who are in breach of a compliance notice or enforceable undertaking – see the registers below
• we can ask a court to issue a fine to an organisation who has not complied with an enforceable undertaking or a compliance notice.

If organisations are not meeting their obligations under the Reportable Conduct Scheme

• we can request information from an organisation about the systems it has in place to deal with reportable conduct, including reporting and investigations
• we can prosecute the head of an organisation for failing to notify us of reportable allegations or conduct
• we can monitor how an organisation is carrying out a reportable conduct investigation
• we can take over and lead a reportable conduct investigation where  an organisation has failed to or is unable to investigate, or where the head of the organisation is the subject of the investigation and where we believe it is in the public interest
• we can report an organisation to their sector regulator for the regulator to investigate.

We can also share information proactively with Blue Card services, Queensland and Australian Federal Police, and other regulators, to help protect children from risk of harm.

• we cannot investigate or resolve individual complaints or personal disputes about harm, misconduct or service quality – see below  for who to report these to
• we cannot intervene directly in individual cases involving children, families or workers
• we do not replace police, child safety, sector regulators or other complaint mechanisms – those bodies remain responsible for responding to individual matters and they will work with us to share information to help identify and monitor areas of higher risk.

Our role is to empower and equip sectors to implement the Act and to look at how organisations are handling these issues. We will enable organisations to build a culture where children’s safety and wellbeing is at the core of everything they do. For example, if there is an allegation of reportable conduct about a staff member in an organisation, we oversee whether the organisation investigates it properly, follows the law and reports it to us.

The Child Safe Organisations system isn’t retrospective, which means we can’t use any of our powers in relation to historical conduct or allegations, or situations which arose before the commencement of an organisation’s legal requirements under the system. Start dates for compliance with the Child Safe Standards and the Reportable Conduct Scheme is available on our Who needs to comply and when webpage.

We are not the department responsible for child protection and cannot investigate concerns of harm. 

If you suspect a child in Queensland is experiencing harm or neglect, you need to report it to the Department of Families, Seniors, Disability Services and Child Safety – contact options are on the Department’s website including an after-hours phone line. Serious concerns about child sexual abuse can be reported to Policelink on 131 444. If you believe a child is in immediate danger, call 000.

If you have concerns about an organisation not meeting the Child Safe Standards:

1. Raise it with the organisation first.
2. If you don’t get a response, or you’re not satisfied by the response you get, contact the peak body or regulator for that sector if possible. These include:
   1. For health services or health care providers: the Office of the Health Ombudsman or Queensland Health
   2. For Queensland Government departments or agencies: the Queensland Ombudsman
   3. For disability services or disability care providers: the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission or the Department of Families, Seniors, Disability Services and Child Safety
   4. For schools: state schools via the Department of Education, and non-state schools via the Non-State Schools Accreditation Board and the Queensland College of Teachers
   5. For early childhood care and education: the Queensland Early Childhood Regulatory Authority.
3. Contact us with your concerns via enquiries@qfcc.qld.gov.au or by calling (07) 3900 6000. We can’t investigate or issue compliance notices in every circumstance, but every piece of information helps us build a picture of where risk is highest and intervention may be required.  

It is important to note that the starting date for compliance with the Child Safe Standards differs by sector – you can find out more information on our Who needs to comply and when webpage. 

The Reportable Conduct Scheme commences from 1 July 2026. Information on how to report concerns about an organisation not meeting their requirements under this scheme will be made available in the coming months. 

Oversight body:

• be a Child Safe Organisation
• raise awareness in Queensland of Child Safe Organisations System
• collaborate with sector leads on implementation
• equip and empower the sector to create child safe cultures
• quality assure resources
• connect organisations with their relevant sector lead
• oversee information sharing, monitoring and reporting mechanisms.

 Regulators and Governing and Funding bodies:

• be a Child Safe Organisation (where relevant)
• align child safe legislative requirements within existing governance and quality frameworks
• prepare and provide resources appropriate for their sector and consult with the Commission
• ensure their sector is implementing requirements
• work with peak and representative bodies and child safe entities to implement requirements
• report implementation progress to the Commission as oversight body
• work with the Commission on establishing information sharing, monitoring and reporting mechanisms
• engage children and families in their work.

Peak and representative bodies:

• be a Child Safe Organisation (where relevant)
• prepare and provide resources appropriate for their sector and consult with sector leads
• consult with organisations on needs and seek support from sector leads and the Commission
• contribute to collaboration on insights, lessons learned and child safe practices from child safe implementation
• enable organisations to implement requirements
• engage children and families in their work.

*Representative bodies cover groups such as committees, reference groups, networks, associations, memberships and such, that aren’t considered ‘peak’ but hold significant influence. 

Queensland organisations:

• be a Child Safe Organisation
• build a culture of safety and wellbeing for all children
• provide input to development of sector specific resources through existing governance, peak and representative bodies
• work with sector leads and enablers to implement requirements
• contribute to collaboration on insights, lessons learned and child safe practices from child safe implementation
• seek support from sector leads and enablers where needed
• engage children and families in their work.

An enforceable undertaking is a legally binding agreement between the Commission and a Child Safe Organisation.

Through the undertaking, the organisation agrees in writing to take specific actions to meet the Child Safe Standards and Universal Principle.

If the organisation does not follow the terms of the undertaking, the Commission may take the matter to court. The court can order the organisation to comply with the agreement and may also issue a penalty.

The table below lists all current enforceable undertakings issued by the Commission.
 

The Commission uses a graduated model of regulatory action. You can read more in our Regulatory Approach.

We will take action where there is evidence of ongoing non-compliance, disregard for the safety of children or serious breaches.

Actions may include, issuing a compliance notice that requires an organisation to take corrective action, accepting an enforceable undertaking from an organisation or publishing details of an organisation that has failed to comply with a compliance notice or enforceable undertaking.

This table consists of all current non-compliances.