Reportable Conduct SchemeAustralia
Victoria
VICTransferred to SSR on 23 Feb 2026

Victoria

Framework & Regulation

RegulatorSocial Services Regulator (SSR)
LegislationChild Wellbeing and Safety Act 2005

Notification Timeframes

Initial Notification 3 days via the SSR secure webform; Final Report must provide a detailed statement of findings and action taken as soon as practicable.

Initial
3 days via SSR secure webform
Final
As soon as practicable

Training Requirements

Sector-specific. For schools, the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) audits compliance via Ministerial Order 1359, which mandates systematic, recorded child safety training for all school staff at least annually.

Child Safe Standards Induction

All new staff, volunteers and contractors before commencing child-related workOn induction (once), prior to any unsupervised contact

Foundational induction covering the organisation’s child-safe policy, code of conduct, professional boundaries, and how to raise a concern. Completion must be recorded against each worker.

Reportable Conduct & Threshold Recognition

All staff and volunteers; intensive for managers and the entity headAnnual refresher

Teaches the difference between a performance/HR matter and reportable conduct (sexual offences/misconduct, physical violence, significant emotional or psychological harm, and significant neglect of a child), and the legal duty to notify the regulator.

Mandatory Reporting & Identifying Harm

All workers in child-related rolesAnnual refresher

Recognising indicators of abuse and neglect and the separate obligation to report risk of significant harm to child protection or police, which runs alongside (not instead of) reportable conduct notification.

Code of Conduct & Professional Boundaries

All staff, volunteers and contractorsAnnual acknowledgement and refresher

Re-affirms acceptable and prohibited behaviours, online/communication boundaries, gift and physical-contact rules, and the consequences of breaches.

Cultural Safety & Inclusion

All staff and volunteersAnnual

Culturally safe practice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, children with disability, and children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, aligned to the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations.

Respect at Work

All staff, managers and leadersAnnual

Reportable Conduct Scheme program on preventing and responding to workplace sexual harassment and discrimination, and meeting the positive duty under the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth) introduced by the Respect@Work reforms.

Psychological Safety at Work

All staff, managers and leadersAnnual

Reportable Conduct Scheme program on building a psychologically safe workplace and identifying and managing psychosocial hazards in line with WHS psychosocial regulations and codes of practice.

Psychosocial Hazards in the Workplace

All staff, managers and leadersAnnual

Reportable Conduct Scheme program on identifying, assessing and controlling psychosocial hazards at work in line with the model WHS Regulations and the Managing psychosocial hazards at work Code of Practice.

Child Safe Standards (Victorian 11 Standards)

All staff; intensive for leadersAt least annually (recorded)

Systematic, recorded child safety training aligned to the 11 Victorian Child Safe Standards. For schools this is mandated by Ministerial Order 1359 and audited by the VRQA.

Expanded "Employee" Scope & Procedural Fairness

HR, safeguarding leads, investigatorsAnnual

Covers the expanded definition capturing labour-hire workers, secondees and directors/owners, and the SSR’s strong emphasis on natural justice in every investigation.

Whistleblowing & Public Interest Disclosure

All staff, managers and board; designated eligible recipients and whistleblower protection officersAnnual

Handling protected disclosures under the Public Interest Disclosures Act 2012 (Vic), administered by IBAC, for the public sector, including confidentiality, protection from detriment and reprisal, and the role of eligible recipients. It also covers the Commonwealth whistleblower protections in Part 9.4AAA of the Corporations Act 2001 (strengthened by the Treasury Laws Amendment (Enhancing Whistleblower Protections) Act 2019) for companies and not-for-profits, and the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013 (Cth) for the Australian Government public sector.

Investigations

Under Victorian law, independent workplace investigators must be licensed as Private Agents. The SSR actively reviews whether internal or external investigators followed lawful, fair, and child-safe processes, heavily emphasising procedural fairness (natural justice).

Audits & Processes

  • Child Safe Standards compliance reviewAnnual (schools: VRQA cycle)

    Evidence compliance with all 11 Standards; schools demonstrate Ministerial Order 1359 training records to the VRQA.

  • Procedural-fairness audit of investigationsPer matter

    Confirm notice of allegations, right to respond, unbiased decision-maker, and Briginshaw-standard findings, lodged via the SSR webform within 3 days.

  • Worker-cohort mappingAnnual

    Map all directly and indirectly engaged workers (labour-hire, secondees, contractors) now captured by the scheme.