The Community Governance Project funded by City of Ballarat is working to provide support to community groups in the City of Ballarat, delivered by the four Neighbourhood Houses in Ballarat through a Strategic Partnership.

Victoria's Child Safe Standards

Victoria’s Child Safe Standards are a set of mandatory requirements to protect children and young people from harm and abuse.
Operational from 1 July 2022

Do the Child Safe Standards apply to your community group or organisation?
To answer this question please go to the web site of Commission for Children and Young People
CCYP | Who do the Standards apply to?

If you are still unsure, please contact the Commission for their guidance
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or phone 1300 78 29 78.

If they do apply to your group or organisation, then you will need to take steps to comply with the standards. The CCYP website has a lot of resources and support to assist you with your compliance.
CCYP | Resources and support for the Child Safe Standards

If you are a sporting organisation then you can find information and resources here
Child Safe Sport — Vicsport

If you want to discuss any issues raised in complying with these standards, please contact Kay Miller, Community Governance Officer for the four Neighbourhood Houses in Ballarat on email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or mobile 0460 699 669.

We all want to protect children when they engage with our community organisation or group. 

Children have the right to feel safe and to be safe all the time but this requires commitment from everyone in the community.

The updated Child Safe Standards introduced into Victoria have been applicable from 1 July 2022. The standards support community organisations and groups to become child safe organisations.

The Neighbourhood Houses in Ballarat have been working through the standards, making some improvements to the way we operate to ensure children are, and feel, safe at all times when interacting with us. There are many of different ways in which community organisations already have a child safe culture – but there is always room for improvement. We are happy to talk through the steps we have taken and share ideas and resources to help your community organisation become even safer for children.

For those organisations which are required to comply, the standards are mandatory. Even if your organisation is not required to comply, we strongly suggest that you consider reviewing your policies and procedures to ensure that they put child safety and well-being first and that child safety is in every part of your operations.

Image by Artem Podrez from Pexels.