Commonwealth Child Safe Framework policy document

In 2013, the Australian Government appointed a Royal Commission to inquire into institutional responses to child sexual abuse. Over the course of its five-year inquiry, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (the Royal Commission) considered a range of related matters, including what institutions and governments should do to better protect children against child sexual abuse in institutional contexts in the future.

In its consideration of this issue, the Royal Commission examined what makes an organisation child safe, and how to embed child safety in an organisation’s culture. This includes adequate recruitment and screening practices to assist in the selection of appropriate people to work with children, establishing and implementing child safe policies, and developing complaint handling procedures that are child safe.

As part of its response to the Royal Commission, in August 2017 the Australian Government committed to the development and implementation of a new Commonwealth‑wide framework to protect children and young people who may have contact with Commonwealth entities: the Commonwealth Child Safe Framework (the Framework).

The Framework sets minimum standards for Commonwealth entities to create and maintain behaviours and practices that are safe for children. The Framework includes four key requirements and guidance for implementation