Whitehorse City Council’s intention is to be aspirational, not just compliant, in meeting the requirements of the Victorian Child Safe Standards. 

The Victorian Child Safe Standards are a set of 11 standards that aim to create and maintain safe environments for children and young people. 

Whitehorse is committed to a child safeguarding journey that complies with all 11 Victorian Child Safe Standards. 

The Standards were established in 2016. Further changes to the Standards came into force on 1 July 2022 to make the Standards even stronger. 

The Child Safe Standards aim to:

• Promote the safety of children and young people
• Prevent child abuse
• Ensure organisations have effective processes in place to respond to and report allegations of child abuse
• Encourage children and young people to ‘have a say’, especially on issues that are important to them or about decisions that affect their lives.

Although all children are vulnerable, some children face extra vulnerabilities. Whitehorse pays particular attention to the needs of children and young people:

• with a disability
• from CALD backgrounds
• who are unable to live at home
• who are LGBTQIA+

More information about the Victorian Child Safe Standards and Reportable Conduct Scheme, including translated resources, can be found at the Commission of Children and Young People.