Queensland’s new Child Safe Standards & Reportable Conduct Scheme
Published on 15 June 2026
Article by Jaaden Morrall, Senior Workforce Advisor/Consultant – Legal and Workforce
Queensland is introducing a strengthened child safety framework under the Child Safe Organisations Act 2024 (Qld). These reforms establish 10 Child Safe Standards and a Reportable Conduct Scheme designed to prevent harm to children and ensure organisations respond appropriately when concerns arise.
What’s changing?
1. Child Safe Standards
A set of 10 interrelated standards that organisations must implement to embed child safety and wellbeing into their culture, governance, policies, and daily operations. These include areas such as leadership, inclusive environments, staff stability and training, complaints handling, and regular review.
A universal Principle of Cultural Safety sits alongside the standards, emphasising environments where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children feel respected and culturally safe.
2. Reporting Conduct Scheme
From 1 July 2026, organisations must have systems to report, investigate and respond to allegations or convictions involving children and workers (including employees, volunteers, contractors and others).
Reportable conduct includes serious issues like child sexual offences, physical violence, significant neglect, ill-treatment, sexual misconduct, and emotional harm.
These two elements work together: the Child Safe Standards help prevent harm, while the Reportable Conduct Scheme ensures appropriate action is taken when concerns arise.
Key dates
| Sector |
You need to comply with Child Safe Standards from |
You need to introduce a Reportable Conduct Scheme by |
| Accommodation or residential services |
1 January 2026 |
1 July 2026** |
| Child protection services |
10 October 2025 |
1 July 2026 |
| Commercial services for children |
1 April 2026 |
n/a |
| Community services |
1 January 2026 |
n/a |
| Early childhood education, childcare and childminding services* |
1 January 2026 |
1 July 2026** |
| Education services |
1 January 2026 |
1 July 2026** |
| Government entities |
1 October 2025 |
1 July 2026 |
| Health services |
1 January 2026 |
1 July 2026** |
| Justice or detention services |
1 October 2025 |
1 July 2026 |
| Religious bodies |
1 April 2026 |
1 July 2026** |
| Services for children with disability |
1 October 2025 |
1 July 2026 |
| Services or activities provided primarily for children |
1 April 2026 |
n/a |
| Transport or transport-related services |
1 April 2026 |
n/a |
* Child-minding services, such as baby-sitting, nanny or in-home care services are not subject to the Reportable Conduct Scheme.
** Changes to the Child Safe Organisations Act mean the Reportable Conduct Scheme has been brought forward and will now commence for all sectors on 1 July 2026. |
Why these reforms matter
These reforms help to:
- Strengthen protections for children in organisational settings
- Ensure consistent responses to allegations of harmful behaviour
- Enhance public confidence in services that interact with children
- Support early identification of risk and prevent recurrence of harm
- For councils, this means embedding a culture of child safety across services such as libraries, community hubs, sporting programs, events, youth services, and facility rentals.
What councils need to do now
Councils must
1. Embed the Child Safe Standards
- Embedding child safety into governance, planning, and leadership decisions.
- Engaging with children, families, and communities.
- Ensuring equitable and inclusive service delivery.
- Providing ongoing training and awareness for staff and volunteers.
2. Implement a Reportable Conduct Scheme (From 1 July 2026)
Councils must:
- Establish reporting pathways for concerns raised about workers and volunteers.
- Investigate concerns or arrange appropriate investigations.
- Notify the Queensland Family and Child Commission (QFCC) within 3 business days of a report.
- Provide an interim report within 30 business days and a final report as soon as practicable.
Failure to report can attract financial penalties (e.g. 100 penalty units currently equivalent to approximately $16,690).
The QFCC has created guidelines and a self-assessment tool to support preparation, available on the QFCC Child Safe Organisations hub.
How it affects current council operations
Governance and Culture
Child safety must become a standing consideration in policy, strategy, and decision-making. Council leadership and executive teams will need to regularly monitor child safety compliance, integrate metrics into reporting, and ensure transparency.
Services and Programs
Programs involving youth (e.g., sport, arts, education, events) must reflect safety practices, including how risks are identified and mitigated.
HR and Training
Screening, recruitment, training, and ongoing support for staff and volunteers must align with standards.
Documents councils will need to develop and maintain
Councils should ensure they develop, review, and maintain:
- Child Safety Policy / Statement – Outline council’s commitment to safety, zero tolerance for harm, and how safety is prioritised.
- Child Safe Standards Implementation Plan – Document actions taken to embed each of the 10 standards and the Universal Principle.
- Reportable Conduct Procedure - Detail:
- How reports are received, recorded and investigated.
- Roles and responsibilities.
- Timeframes for reporting to QFCC.
- Training and Awareness Records – Document who has completed training and schedules for refresher sessions.
- Risk Assessment and Management Records - Document child safety risk identification and mitigation.
- Monitoring and Review Records - Show how council measures effectiveness, including incident reviews, surveys, and improvement actions.
Risk assessments and work health and safety
While the Child Safe Standards replace many specific child risk strategies from other frameworks, councils must continue meeting their WHS obligations under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld), which requires:
- Identifying hazards that could affect children and others in council environments.
- Assessing risks in terms of likelihood and consequence.
- Implementing controls “so far as reasonably practicable.”
- Reviewing and monitoring control measures.
This means risk assessments must consider safety issues unique to children, such as physical environment dangers, supervision gaps, or program-specific hazards.
Key steps for compliance
- Understand your obligations under the Act and QFCC guidance.
- Map all council services and programs involving children.
- Develop or update policies and procedures to align with Child Safe Standards.
- Establish a Reportable Conduct reporting and investigation framework (by July 2026).
- Train staff and volunteers, maintain records and set refresh schedules.
- Conduct risk assessments and implement effective controls (WHS + child safety lenses).
- Monitor, review, and continuously improve your practices and documentation.
By proactively embedding child safety into council operations and governance, local governments can strengthen community confidence and ensure Queensland children are protected and empowered across all services and activities.
If you have any questions about these obligations, please don’t hesitate to contact the Peak Legal and Workforce Team on 07 3000 2148 or at peaklegal@peakservices.com.au.