New WA child abuse reporting laws come into effect

Mandatory reporting laws for child sexual abuse in Western Australia have now come into effect for youth justice workers.

Mandatory reporters are legally required to report all reasonable beliefs of child sexual abuse to the Department of Communities.  

“The safety of children and young people is the highest priority of the State Government,” said Child Protection Minister, Jessica Stojkovski.

“Expanding the number of mandatory reporter groups and equipping them with the training, tools and knowledge to detect early warning signs is just one of the ways the State Government is helping to keep more children and young people safe.”

The new laws bring the total number of mandatory reporting groups to 14 professions across Western Australia. This includes doctors, nurses, midwives, teachers (including TAFE lecturers), police officers, youth justice workers, psychologists, school counsellors, boarding supervisors, ministers of religion, out-of-home care workers, early childhood workers, departmental officers of the Department of Communities and assessors appointed under section 125A of the Children and Community Services Act 2004. 

The expansion of the mandatory reporting groups has been rolled out through a staged approach to ensure each group receives the necessary training and support to fulfil their new mandatory reporting obligations, the Government said in a statement.

This includes free online training and resources available to help detect early warning signs of child sexual abuse, such as a change in a child’s behaviour or physical signs.   

Failure to make a mandatory report is an offence with a maximum penalty of $6,000.  

For more information, visit  www.wa.gov.au/mandatoryreporting.