Protecting children

• About child protection
  • Child protection legislation
  • Mandatory notifiers and reporting
  • Children and young people's rights
  • Parent's rights
  • Roles and responsibilities
  • National approach to child protection
  • National framework for Protecting Australia's Children
• What is child abuse?
  • Types and signs of harm
  • Factors contributing to harm
  • Effects of harm
  • Child sexual abuse
• How to prevent abuse
  • Protecting children from harm
  • Prevention and early intervention
  • Referral for Active Intervention
• Reporting child abuse
  • If you suspect harm
  • What happens when we are contacted?
  • What happens when a report is made?
  • When child safety officers visit your home
  • Cape York Welfare Reform trial
  • Reporting child abuse in other states
• Responding to child abuse
  • Moving a child to a safe place
  • Investigation and assessment
    • Unborn children
    • Assessment orders
  • Care agreements
  • What you can expect
• Ongoing intervention
  • Support Service Case
  • Intervention with Parental Agreement
  • Child protection Order
  • Family group meetings
  • Court processes
    • Childrens Court
    • Family Court
    • Appeals
    • Glossary of court terms
  • Youth justice
• Contacts
  • Child safety service centres
  • Feedback and complaints
• Library
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Mandatory notifiers and reporting

In Queensland the following four groups of people are required by law to report child protection concerns (mandatory notifiers):

• an authorised officer, employee of the department or a person employed in a departmental care service or licensed care service is required to report harm or suspected harm to a child in the care of a departmental care service or a licensee (Child Protection Act 1999, section 148)
• staff of the Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian (Commission for Children and Young People and Child Guardian Act 2000, section 20)
• a doctor or registered nurse who becomes aware, or reasonably suspects during the practice of his or her profession that a child has been, is being or is likely to be harmed (Public Health Act 2005, section 191 and 192)
• family court personnel and counsellors (Family Law Act 1975, section 67ZA).

The department must provide notifiers from government or non-government agencies, which includes these mandatory notifiers, with information about the departmental response to child protection concerns reported (Child Protection Act 1999, section 159M). The notifier is to be asked whether they require feedback at the time of the initial contact with the department. If the notifier requests feedback the department must:

• provide information about the departmental response, the rationale for the decision and the likely timeframes for any departmental contact with the child or family.
• provide the feedback either at the time of the initial contact by the notifier, if the departmental response is apparent, or by a follow up phone call, facsimile, email or letter, once the information has been screened and the departmental response has been determined.

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Last updated

19 December 2008