Shannon leslie Byrne
Mandatory Reporting and how it works
Mandatory reporters are people who deliver the following services, wholly or partly, to children as part of their professional work or other paid employment, and those in management positions in these services:
Health care — registered medical practitioners, specialists, enrolled and registered nurses, registered midwives, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, psychologists, dentists and other allied health professionals working in sole practice or in public or private health practices.
Welfare — registered psychologists, social workers, caseworkers and youth workers.
Education — teachers, counsellors, principals.
Children's services — child care workers, family day carers and home-based carers.
Residential services — refuge workers, community housing providers.
Law enforcement — police.
Disability services - disability support workers and personal care workers.
On the 1st of March 2020, mandatory reporter groups in NSW expanded to also include:
A person in religious ministry or a person providing religion based activities to children (e.g. minister of religion, priest, deacon, pastor, rabbi, Salvation Army officer, church elder, religious brother or sister)
Registered psychologists providing a professional service as a psychologist to adults.
Mandatory reporters are required by law to report suspected child abuse and neglect to government authorities. In NSW, mandatory reporting is regulated by the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998 (the Care Act).
Professional judgement should be used in deciding whether concerns about the safety, welfare or wellbeing of an unborn child or a young person warrant a report to the Child Protection Helpline or the CWU