New reforms to strengthen child safety

Published:
Monday 23 February 2026 at 9:00 am
SSR logo in navy on a grey background with teal text below 'New reforms to' and navy text underneath 'strengthen child safety'

As of today, the regulatory functions of the Commission for Children and Young People (the Commission) for the Child Safe Standards and the Reportable Conduct Scheme have transferred to the Social Services Regulator (SSR) as part of reforms to strengthen child safety.

The 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. 

These schemes are now brought together under one roof with the SSR’s existing regulatory functions, including the Social Services Standards, co-regulation of the Child Safe Standards for the social services sector, the Worker and Carer Exclusion Scheme (WCES), the Working with Children Check (WWCC), and the NDIS Worker Screening Check (NDIS Check).

For the first time in Victoria, these will be overseen by a single regulator with increased powers to detect, exclude and prevent people who present a risk, from working with children and young people.

How to make a report under the Reportable Conduct Scheme

If your organisation is subject to the Reportable Conduct Scheme, this means you are now legally required to notify the SSR.

Child Safe Standards

And, if you are subject to the Child Safe Standards but do not have a sector specific co-regulator, you are now regulated by the Social Services Regulator.

There are now five co-regulators responsible for regulation of the Child Safe Standards across different sectors, including:

  • Social Services Regulator – all other Victorian organisations, including social services

Stay informed

To receive updates about the Child Safe Standards and the Reportable Conduct Scheme from the SSR, you can:

Communities

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