Contact us
There are many ways to connect with the National Office for Child Safety. You can follow @ChildSafety.gov.au on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook where we regularly share news, updates and information about our work. You can also subscribe to our mailing list for updates, and our consultation list to stay up to date on consultation opportunities.
The National Office works to keep children and young people in Australia safe from sexual abuse, and to support victims and survivors by developing and implementing national policies and initiatives to prevent and respond to child sexual abuse.
What we can help with
- Questions about national programs and initiatives to prevent and respond to child sexual abuse
- Enquiries about the information on our website and our resources
What you can contact us about
Use the form below to:
- Ask a question about our work
- Request hard copies of our resources
- Let us know about an error on our website
What we cannot help with
- Taking action regarding incidents of child sexual abuse, maltreatment or other criminal matters
- Providing child protection services
- Taking action regarding child protection or family law matters
- National Redress Scheme matters
- Investigating or responding to complaints about the decisions and actions of a child protection authority, police or other government agency
- Providing crisis, counselling or other forms of support
If you need help with any of the topics listed above, the information below can help you to find the right place to contact.
If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call Triple Zero (000).
We are not able to provide direct help or support. However, there are many dedicated services and organisations that you can reach out to.
Call Triple Zero (000) if there is an emergency and you or someone else is in immediate danger.
Contact your local police on 131 444 if you want to report a crime and there is no emergency.
Contact Crime Stoppers through their website or on 1800 333 000 if you want to report a crime anonymously.
Contact your state or territory child protection agency if are experiencing, or are at risk of, abuse or neglect at home and need protection. Contact details for each state and territory agency can be found on our Make a report page.
You can visit Report online sexual abuse and exploitation if you have experienced abuse online or are concerned about an experience you’ve had online and need to report it. This page has information about the best place to contact depending on the circumstances.
You can contact Kids Helpline through their website or on 1800 55 1800 to speak to a counsellor about your concerns. It's a free, private and confidential 24/7 service for young people aged 5 to 25.
You can also contact a different support service. You can find a list of services on our Get support page.
We are not able to provide crisis or counselling support.
You can contact the following organisations for free, 24/7 support:
- Lifeline (13 11 14) provides crisis support and suicide prevention services
- 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) provides support for all people experiencing, or at risk of experiencing domestic, family and sexual violence, their friends and family, and workers and professionals supporting them
- 13YARN (13 92 76) is an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander crisis support line offering confidential one-on-one yarning with a Lifeline-trained Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Crisis Supporter.
You can find contact details for other dedicated support services on our Get support page. You can use the filters on the left-hand side of the page to find services most relevant to you.
We are not able to investigate or take action regarding incidents of child sexual abuse or other child maltreatment.
Call Triple Zero (000) if there is an emergency and you or someone else is in immediate danger.
Contact your local police on 131 444 if you want to report a crime and there is no emergency.
Contact Crime Stoppers through their website or on 1800 333 000 if you want to report a crime anonymously.
Contact your state or territory child protection agency if you suspect that a child or young person is experiencing, or is at risk of, abuse or neglect and may need protection. Contact details for each state and territory agency can be found on our Make a report page.
We are not able to investigate or take action regarding online abuse.
Online child sexual abuse should be reported to the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation. This includes:
- suspected online grooming or inappropriate contact
- an individual having a conversation with a child online and saying and doing inappropriate things or trying to meet in person
- live streaming and viewing images and videos showing the sexual abuse of children (child abuse material)
- coercing and blackmailing children for sexual purposes, including sexual extortion.
Serious online abuse and illegal and restricted online content can be reported to the eSafety Commissioner. This includes:
- image-based abuse (sharing, or threatening to share, an intimate image or video without the consent of the person shown)
- seriously harmful material, such as images and videos showing the sexual abuse of children.
Our report online sexual abuse and exploitation page has further information.
We are not able to review or investigate decisions made by state and territory government agencies or officials, including child protection authorities or police.
You may be able to make a complaint to the Ombudsman in your state or territory. Ombudsmen are independent bodies that investigate complaints about government departments and agencies.
Search for the Ombudsman in your state or territory to find contact details and information about making a complaint.
We are not able to intervene or take action regarding court cases or family law matters.
If you don't agree with a decision of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (FCFCOA), the only way to challenge that decision is through the relevant processes of the court. Further information about appealing orders by a judge can be found on the FCFCOA website.
If you need legal assistance, you may wish to contact:
- Knowmore (1800 605 762), who provide free legal advice and support to survivors of child sexual abuse
- Youth Law Australia (1800 850 570), who provide free, confidential and trauma-informed legal and practical information, advice, help and referrals to young people under 25, their advocates, and supporters.
We are not able to assist with or provide comment about Redress Scheme matters.
The National Redress Scheme was established by the Australian Government in response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. The Scheme provides acknowledgement and support to people who experienced institutional child sexual abuse.
More information, including a list of participating institutions, can be found on the National Redress Scheme website or by calling 1800 737 377.
Our website has information and resources that may be relevant to media professionals.
The Attorney-General's Department Media Team is responsible for providing the media with information or comment relating to the work of the National Office for Child Safety.
Please use the form on the Department's website to submit a media enquiry or email media@ag.gov.au.
If you would like us to mail you hard copies of any of our resources, please use the form linked below.
We lead the development and implementation of several national priorities recommended by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, including implementing the measures under the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse, the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations, the Commonwealth Child Safe Framework.
If you have a question about our work, please use the form linked below.