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- Protecting children
When does a child need protection?
All children have the right to be safe and protected. In most cases, your family and community will make sure this happens. When your family is not able to keep you safe and care for you, Child Safety Services may get involved to support you. Sometimes this might mean finding a safe place for you to stay while everyone works out the best way to help you.
Who can report concerns to Child Safety Services?
Anyone can report concerns to Child Safety Services about a child who may be in danger of being hurt or not looked after properly. Child Safety Services won’t tell anyone the name of the person who reported their concerns.
Who has to tell Child Safety Services, by law, about their concerns?
Some professional people – people who work in specific jobs and make sure children are safe – are required, by law, to make reports to Child Safety Services and tell them if they’re worried about the safety of a child. These people are called 'mandatory reporters'.
In Queensland, mandatory reporters include:
- teachers in schools
- doctors
- registered nurses
- some police officers
- care workers
- officers of the Public Guardian
- Child Safety Services
- licensed care services.
Who works for Child Safety Services?
The people who work at Child Safety Services can help you to understand what’s happening while you’re getting support. Some of these people include:
Child Safety Support Officers (CSSO) work with you and your family to find out about your needs so Child Safety Services can make sure you are safe and protected.
Child Safety Officers (CSO) work with you and your family to make sure that your safety, belonging and wellbeing needs are met. This means making sure you have a safe place to stay, people in your life who care about you, and everything you need to grow up to be the best that you can be.
Child Safety Officers find out information about the family, look at issues around your safety and make decisions based on what they know. The Child Safety Officer’s job is to help you and your family and to make sure you are safe and cared for.
Senior Team Leaders can make decisions about where you stay if you are in out-of-home care and can decide who can spend time with you, for example, siblings and parents.