Child Safety and Wellbeing

All children and young people have the right to be safe and feel safe. Keeping children and young people safe is everyone’s responsibility.

The Department is committed to strengthening how we provide services to children and young people. 

The Child Safety and Wellbeing Framework

In late 2022, the Department of Health released its Child Safety and Wellbeing Framework.

The Framework outlines our approach to improving safeguarding children and young people accessing the Department’s services and facilities. 

The Framework has been endorsed by the Department’s Health Executive. 

View the signed ‘Statement of Commitment’

The Framework also contributes to the Department’s implementation of the:

• Ten National Principles for Child Safe Organisations, established by the Australian Human Rights Commission; and
• Recommendations of the Governance Advisory Panel; and
• Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government’s Responses to Child Sexual Abuse; and
• Child and Youth Safe Organisations Framework, including the Child and Youth Safe Standard.

The Child Safety and Wellbeing Service

The Child Safety and Wellbeing Service (CSW Service) was established in late 2022 to lead the Department’s implementation of the Framework. Its focus areas include:

• supporting the Department’s monitoring and response of child safeguarding issues;
• supporting work areas to foster a child safe organisation culture by providing the Department’s workers (including employees, students, volunteers and contractors) with education and training in child safeguarding;
• providing advice to work areas to strengthen policies and protocols around child safeguarding; and
• engaging with young Tasmanians 

The Department’s efforts to strengthen child safeguarding through the Framework is supported by an independent panel of national experts. 

Find out more about the Child Safety and Wellbeing Panel 

Raising a concern about child safeguarding in Department of Health services

Information about how to raise a child safeguarding concern is available.

Further information

• See our ‘Resources and publications’ page for more information

• Please contact the CSW Service via [email protected] for more information about the implementation of the Framework and related activities.