Mandatory reporting

Who are mandated professionals?

Some professionals have a mandated obligation to report which means that if they form a belief that a child is in need of protection they must report to the child protection service. This obligation is set out in s184 CYF Act. 
Professionals who are mandated to report are:

• doctors
• nurses
• teachers
• police.

When am I mandated to report child abuse?

You are mandated to report child abuse when:

• forming a belief on reasonable grounds
• you believe that a child is in need of protection from physical injury or sexual abuse
• forming the belief in the course of practicing your mandated profession
• reporting each time you become aware of any further grounds for your belief.

What does forming a belief involve?

Forming a belief is the process of asking am I more likely to believe that there is significant harm for the child or am I less likely to believe that there is significant harm based on the information available.

Forming a belief does not mean that you have to prove that the abuse has occurred or is likely to occur.

Information sharing

Open communication and sharing information and our knowledge is vital to ensure that the best possible health outcomes are achieved:

Providing support to vulnerable children and families - An information sharing guide for registered medical practitioners and nurses, and people in charge of relevant health services in Victoria

Reporting multiple deaths

Reviewable deaths by the Victorian Coroner are those situations where there is a second or subsequent death of a child within the one family regardless of the cause of death.

The obligation to report reviewable deaths rests with the doctor present at or after the death. The doctor must report the reviewable death to the Coroner.