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Guide to making a child protection report

What to do when children and young people are at risk of significant harm

This guide to Making a Child Protection Report - What to do when children and young people are at risk of significant harm, is for mandatory and non mandatory reporters who need to make reports of child abuse or neglect to the Child Protection Helpline.

This is part of the NSW Keep Them Safe reforms for child wellbeing, which aim to provide:

• a streamlined statutory child protection system
• effective referral systems
• coordinated services and shared information
• a new model for the intake and referral of child protection concerns, including the establishment of Child Wellbeing Units and Family Referral Services.

Mandatory Reporter Guide

The interactive, online Mandatory Reporter Guide is now available for mandatory reporters who are encouraged to use the Mandatory Reporter Guide, to guide their decision making, such as whether or not to report to the Child Protection Helpline under the new risk of significant harm reporting threshold.

A PDF version of the Mandatory Reporter Guide is also available.

Fact sheets and related documents

• Making a child protection report fact sheet - PDF
• Mandatory reporter guide - PDF
• printable version of whole section - Guide to making a child protection report - PDF
• How do I know if a child or young person is being abused or neglected?

• Introduction
• Keep Them Safe and interagency collaboration
• Legislation governing child protection and child wellbeing services
• Roles and responsibilities
• Exchanging information
• Making a child protection report
  • Understanding the reporting framework
  • Making a report
  • Mandatory Reporter Guide
  • Practice guidance
• Responding to a child wellbeing concern or child protection report
• Engaging children, young people and families
• Prevention and early intervention strategies
• Guide to court processes involving children and young people
• Case management