Strategic plans | Child protection

Child safe organisation commitment

Sydney Children's Hospitals Network upholds the rights of children and young people so that they feel heard, safe, and protected.

Read our commitment

Protecting children is everyone’s business

The Sydney Children’s Hospital Network is committed to promoting the health and well-being of children who may be at risk of harm due to neglect, physical, sexual and emotional abuse, and domestic violence through excellence and leadership in assessment, treatment, prevention, education, advocacy, and research.

The Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network provides a number of specialty services to respond to the safety, welfare and wellbeing needs of children and young people and to support health & other workers in fulfilling their child protection and wellbeing responsibilities.

Resources for clinicians

See the Clinical hub for more information on our services, and resources to support health workers in fulfilling their child protection and wellbeing responsibilities.

Child protection resources for clinicians

Employee responsibilities

All health workers have professional and legal responsibilities to promote the health, safety, welfare and well-being of children and young people, working collaboratively in the shared system of child protection in NSW.

It is important for all Health workers to be able to recognise child wellbeing or child protection concerns and to know what action to take, to address concerns as early as possible, before issues escalate.

Health workers should also be alert to situations where intervention is required because chronic and complex health care needs of children and young people, (or their parents / carers) are impacting on their safety, welfare and wellbeing.

 The key responsibilities of health workers in relation to child wellbeing and child protection are as follows.

  • Act on any safety, welfare or wellbeing concern you have.
  • Collaborate with other health workers and agencies and share information (16A) to promote the safety, welfare and wellbeing of children or young people. Take reasonable steps to coordinate services provided.
  • Meet reporting requirements for children or young people at suspected risk of significant harm (ROSH) to the Child Protection Helpline, or contacting the Child Wellbeing Unit.
  • Report unborn children where they may be at suspected ROSH after their birth.
  • Respond to the needs of children, young people and families after making a child protection report.
  • Respond to Community Services, the Children’s Court or Police requests to provide a health service, including medical examination & treatment, or to assist in Court proceedings.
  • Meet requirements re. Working with Children Checks and preventing & responding to ‘reportable conduct’.
  • Follow the NSW Health Policies & Procedures including: use of the Mandatory Reporter Guide, responding to High Risk Birth Alerts, escalation of child protection concerns, out of home care health assessments and assumption of care by Community Services.

Reporting concerns

If you have any concerns about child abuse, please contact the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) Child Protection Helpline at 13 22 11 to make a Risk of Significant Harm Report (ROSH Report). The helpline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

If you believe a child is in immediate danger, call Triple Zero (000).