The Social Services Regulator (SSR) is an independent statutory authority that exists to safeguard the rights of children and young people as well as people who use social services in Victoria.
The SSR regulates the Social Services Standards and the Child Safe Standards across a range of settings. It also administers the Worker and Carer Exclusion Scheme (WCES), Reportable Conduct Scheme (RCS), the Working with Children Check (WWCC) scheme and the NDIS check.
The SSR takes an integrated and intelligence-driven approach to identifying, preventing and excluding unsafe people from working with children and young people, as well as ensuring organisations that work with children and young people keep children safe from abuse and harm by meeting the Child Safe Standards.
As a co-regulator of the Child Safe Standards, the SSR works with other co-regulators of the Child Safe Standards including the Department of Health, Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA), Victorian Early Childhood Regulation Authority (VECRA), and Workforce Inspectorate Victoria to keep children safe from harm and abuse.
Reforms to strengthen child safety
As part of reforms to strengthen child safety, the regulatory functions of the Commission for Children and Young People (CCYP) for the Child Safe Standards and the Reportable Conduct Scheme transferred to the SSR, along with the Working with Children Check (WWCC), in February 2026.
These schemes are now all under one roof with the SSR’s existing regulatory functions –the Social Services Standards and the Worker and Carer Exclusion Scheme (WCES) – to create a single regulator to safeguard the rights of children, young people and people who use social services.
For the first time in Victoria, the Working with Children Check (WWCC), Reportable Conduct Scheme (RCS) and the Worker and Carer Exclusion Scheme (WCES) will be overseen by a single regulator with increased powers.
Regulating Social Services
The Social Services Regulator is an independent statutory authority established under the Social Services Regulation Act 2021 (Vic) (SSR Act).
The initiatives in the SSR Act:
- support the safe delivery of social services, including for children and young people
- ensure social service providers understand their role in protecting the rights of social service users
- define roles and responsibilities of social service providers
- give the SSR monitoring and enforcement powers, so it can respond to risks of harm
- improve information sharing between regulators so they can identify and respond to any risks of harm to service users.
About the Regulator
Jonathan Kaplan was appointed the inaugural Social Services Regulator of Victoria on 1 February 2024. He is responsible for protecting the rights of service users, minimising risks of avoidable harm, as well as promoting and supporting the delivery of safe and effective social services. Prior to his appointment as the Social Services Regulator, Jonathan was the CEO of the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority, which regulates education and training in schools and vocational education and training providers.
Jonathan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree (with Honours) in Law and History, a Post Graduate Certificate in Management and a Diploma in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy and Counselling. He is also a Graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD), an Executive Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG), and was selected as a 2025 Victorian Fellow by the Institute of Public Administration Australia (IPAA) Victoria.
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