Council governance & administration

Our child safe reporting process

This process outlines how we respond to child safety concerns raised by children, parents, community members or employees.

Published
Decorative

Call 000 (triple zero) if a child is in immediate danger.

Who can report child safety concerns

  • Parent or carer
  • Child
  • Community member
  • City of Sydney employees including volunteers and councillors

What you can report

Any child safety concerns, including:

  • disclosure of abuse or harm
  • allegation, suspicion or observation
  • breach of the child safe code of conduct
  • general safety or environmental concerns.

How to report any child safety concerns

Parents, carers, children and community members can make a verbal report face-to-face, by letter, email, phone call or meeting.

If you’re not satisfied with how the City of Sydney has responded to a reportable allegation, you can make a complaint to:

What happens next?

Incident involves a child

Concerns about or disclosures from anyone about a child must be reported immediately by City of Sydney employees to their direct supervisor.

All instances of suspected or known child abuse must be reported to the NSW Police Force.

Where a report concerns a risk of significant harm, a report will be made to the Child Protection Helpline on 132 111.

Support will be offered to the child, parent/carer, or the person who made the report and any involved/affected City of Sydney employees.

Incident also involves inappropriate behaviour or poses a serious risk by a City of Sydney employee

Any concerns about or disclosures relating to inappropriate behaviour, or serious risk of abuse must be reported immediately by City of Sydney employees to their direct supervisor, or to the supervisor’s manager if the concerns relate to the employee’s direct supervisor.

  • Where the incident involves a serious risk of abuse of a child by a City of Sydney employee, protective measures will be put in place by the relevant manager, in consultation with corporate human resources.
  • Corporate human resources will initiate internal processes to clarify the nature of the complaint and disciplinary processes will be commenced, if required.
  • Where the incident concerned occurred while a child was under the duty and care of Child and Family Services, the unit will assess if the incident warrants reporting to the Department of Education, and will make the report where required.
  • Corporate human resources in consultation with relevant managers will decide, under legal requirements and duty of care provisions, if the matter should or must be reported to the NSW Police Force and/or the Child Protection Helpline and will make a report as soon as possible, if required.
  • Corporate human resources will assess if the behaviour is reportable conduct, and where appropriate will notify the Office of the Children’s Guardian within 7 days.
  • Corporate human resources or an independent third party investigator conducts a full investigation.

Outcome

Investigation completed and outcome decided

  • Relevant City of Sydney employees, parent/child or community member will be notified of the investigation’s outcome.
  • Disciplinary action taken (where required) and City of Sydney policies, procedures and risk management plans will be reviewed and updated.