Agency Help – Reporting Abuse

If you need to report a crime, contact your local police on 131 444 or call Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000.

To report online child sexual abuse, including child sexual abuse material, please contact the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation using the Report Abuse button in the top right corner of their website.

You can also report illegal and harmful online content to the eSafety Commissioner.

Protecting Australia’s children is everybody’s business. If you suspect a child or young person is at risk of harm, abuse or neglect, you can contact your relevant state or territory child protection agency.

ACT Child & Youth Protection Services

• Make a Child Concern Report: 1300 556 729
• Report Child Abuse or Neglect

NSW Communities & Justice

• Child Protection Helpline: 132 111
• Reporting a Child at Risk

NT Families

• Child Abuse Hotline: 1800 700 250
• Report Child Abuse

QLD Child Safety, Youth & Women

• Call the relevant Regional Intake Services
• After hours: 1800 177 135
• Reporting Child Abuse

SA Child Protection

• Child Abuse Report Line: 131 478
• Reporting Child Abuse

TAS Child Safety Service

• Advice and Referral Line: 1800 000 123
• Child Protection Notification Form

VIC Children, Youth & Families

• Call the relevant Child Protection Contact
• After hours: 13 12 78
• Reporting Child Abuse

WA Department for Child Protection

• Central Intake: 1800 273 889
• Reporting Your Concern

Please refer to state/territory child protection authorities:

• New South Wales – Department of Family and Community Services
• Victoria – Department of Families, Fairness and Housing
• Queensland – Department of Child Safety, Youth and Women
• Western Australia – Department of Communities, Child Protection and Family Support
• South Australia – Department for Child Protection
• Tasmania – Department of Communities
• Australian Capital Territory – Community Services Directorate
• Northern Territory – Territory Families

1800Respect

1800Respect – 1800 737 732 (24/7)

• • 1800Respect provides support for all people experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, sexual assault, domestic or family violence, including the friends and family, and workers or professionals supporting them.
  • This includes providing support to people with a disability, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, those that identify as LGBTQIA+, and culturally and linguistically diverse people.

National Redress Scheme

National Redress Scheme – 1800 737 377 (8am-5pm, Monday-Friday)

• • The National Redress Scheme provides support to people who experienced institutional child sexual abuse.

Bravehearts

Bravehearts – 1800 272 831 (8:30am-4:30pm, Monday-Friday)

• • Bravehearts provides specialist child sexual assault and exploitation counselling and support services.

Blue Knot Foundation

Blue Knot Foundation – 1300 657 380 (9am-5pm, Monday-Sunday)

• • The Blue Knot Foundation empowers recovery and builds resilience for adults impacted by complex trauma.

PartnerSPEAK

PartnerSPEAK – 1300 590 589 (opening hours vary)

• • PartnerSPEAK provides advocacy and support for the non-offending partner and family of a perpetrator of child sexual abuse and child exploitation material.

Lifeline

Lifeline – 13 11 14  (24/7)

• • Lifeline provides 24 /7 crisis support and suicide prevention services.

Beyond Blue

Beyond Blue – 1300 22 4636 (24/7)

• • Beyond Blue provides support via the phone or online to people of all ages in Australia to equip individuals with the skills they need to look after their own mental health and wellbeing, and to create confidence in their ability to support those around them.

Care Leavers Australasia Network

Care Leavers Australasia Network – 1800 008 774 (9am-5pm, Monday – Friday)

• • Care Leavers Australasia Network offers support to people who have grown up in Orphanages, Children’s Homes, Missions and Foster Care in Australia and New Zealand, or whose parents or other family members had this experience.

In Good Faith Foundation

In Good Faith Foundation — 1300 12 4433 (Monday – Thursday)

• • In Good Faith Foundation provides case management and advocacy services to survivors, families and communities impacted by institutional abuses.

Alliance for Forgotten Australians

Alliance for Forgotten Australians — 0488 460 646 and 0419 854 980

• • Alliance for Forgotten Australians promotes the interests of the people known as Forgotten Australians, who experienced abuse during their institutional or other out-of-home care as children and young people in the last century in Australia.

QLife

QLife – 1800 184 527 (3pm-midnight everyday)

• • QLife provides Australia-wide, anonymous LGBTI peer support, and referral for people wanting to talk about a range of issues including sexuality, identity, gender, bodies, feelings or relationships.

knowmore

knowmore – 1800 605 762 (9am-5pm, Monday-Friday)

• • knowmore provides free legal advice and support to survivors of child sexual abuse.
  • This includes people who have experienced child sexual abuse in non‑institutional settings, and people who were sexually abused in an institution or any organisation that was involved with children. knowmore also works with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people including Stolen Generation survivors, and with young people who are leaving care.
  • knowmore’s services include legal advice and assistance, support services, financial counselling, and culturally safe supports for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Find and Connect Support Service

Find and Connect Support Service – 1800 161 109 (9am-5pm Monday- Friday)

• • Find and Connect Support Services provide specialist trauma-informed counselling, referral services, peer support, education and social support programs.
  • Services also provide assistance to locate and access records and reconnect with family members (where possible) for Forgotten Australians and Former Child Migrants.

Kids Helpline

Kids Helpline – 1800 55 1800 (24/7)

• • Kids Helpline provides free, private/confidential phone and online counselling service for young people aged 5 to 25.

Headspace

• • Headspace provide mental health support for 12 to 25 year olds through 110+ national headspace centres, over the phone or online. With a focus on early intervention, Headspace work with young people to provide support at a crucial time in their lives, to help get them back on track and strengthen their ability to manage their mental health in the future.

eSafety

• • The eSafety website provides information and advice for kids and young people about how to keep safe online, what to do if something goes wrong, and how to complain about online bullying or abuse.

ReachOut

• • ReachOut offers a range of online supports for young people aged 12 to 25, with a focus on supporting their mental health and wellbeing through everyday issues and tough times.

Youth Law Australia

Youth Law Australia – 1800 950 570 (9:30am-5pm, Monday-Friday AEST if you live in SA, NSW, TAS, QLD, NT or ACT), or
(02) 9067 6510 (9:30am-5pm, Monday-Friday AEST for other states)

• • Youth Law Australia provides free, confidential legal information, help and referrals to young people under 25 and their advocates.
  • You can also submit a form on Youth Law Australia’s website or email advice@lawmail.org.au.

Survivors & Mates Support Network – 1800 472 676 (9am-5pm, Monday -Friday)

• • Survivors & Mates Support Network employs qualified staff who have experience working with male survivors of child sexual abuse, to provide ongoing support services and facilitate support groups and workshops for men, their families, and supporters.

MensLine Australia – 1300 78 99 78 (24/7)

• • MensLine Australia is a telephone and online counselling service for men with emotional health and relationship concerns.

Blue Knot Foundation –1800 421 468 (9am-6pm Monday-Friday and 9am-5pm on weekends).

• • The Blue Knot Foundation also provides support and referrals for people with disability, their families and carers, and anyone affected by the Disability Royal Commission.

More children and young people in Australia are using online technologies regularly for education, recreation and socialising. Many organisations are also using online technologies to interact with children and young people and deliver services to them.

While online technologies are usually used in a positive way, there is still a risk that children and young people will be exposed to cyberbullying, inappropriate or harmful content, and unwanted contact from strangers. It is important that children and young people, their carers, and organisations that interact with children online, are equipped to manage and respond to these risks and prevent harm to children online.

Keeping children safe, both offline and online, requires joint effort across government agencies. Our office works with many partners, including the eSafety Commissioner and Australian Federal Police, on national plans to prevent harm to children and young people online.

The eSafety Commissioner has a wide range of educational and practical online safety resources for all age groups, including specific material for children and young people. These resources include, but are not limited to, tips to stay safe online, how to respond to cyberbullying, identifying and responding to unwanted contact, and sharing personal information online. The eSafety Commissioner also provides resources for organisations, such as the Toolkit for Schools, to support them in creating safer online spaces. These resources can be applied across all organisations that engage with children and young people.

The eSafety Commissioner can also help take action against cyberbullying and online abuse against children, image-based abuse, and illegal and harmful online content. More information about what you can report to the eSafety Commissioner is available on the eSafety Commissioner website.

The Australian Federal Police leads the ThinkUKnow program – a national program delivering online child safety information in schools and organisations to parents and carers, teachers and students from the first year of school through to Year 12. You can book a presentation online through their Book a Presentation page. The ThinkUKnow website also has useful resources and information about staying safe online for children, young people, parents, and carers.