Survivors called for change.
Victoria’s Working with Children Check will now require it.

Melbourne, 19 October 2026 – Today marks a significant milestone for survivors of child sexual abuse. Their advocacy has helped drive the introduction of mandatory child safety training for Working with Children Check holders in Victoria. Developed by Australian Childhood Foundation in partnership with survivors, the training starting today, transforms years of survivor-led calls for reform into practical action designed to better protect children from abuse.

Victoria’s new mandatory child safety training will ensure Working with Children Check holders are equipped with practical knowledge to support children’s rights and autonomy, recognise inappropriate adult behaviour, identify grooming and other early warning signs, respond with confidence when something feels wrong, and take action to help keep children safe before harm occurs.

For many years, the Foundation has been a vocal and committed advocate for including mandatory, evidence-based child safety training as part of Working with Children Checks (WWCCs). This sustained advocacy was led by the Foundation’s Our Collective Experience Project, which surveyed hundreds of survivors of child sexual abuse when a consistent picture emerged: the adults around them had failed to notice the signs of grooming and abuse. This evidence underpinned the Foundation’s recommendation that the WWCC needs to be more than a background check. It needs mandatory, evidence-based training.

“We are excited and proud to have been appointed to develop the mandatory child safety WWCC training in Victoria. I first drafted what I thought this training could look like back in 2021. For years, I and other survivors of child sexual abuse have worked towards this moment. We called on governments to ensure that a Working with Children Check really means something. It used to be easier to be trusted with children than to pour a pint at the pub, with training only required for the latter. Now, because of our advocacy and the commitment of the government to hear the wisdom we obtained through survival, that will no longer be the case. I was abused by a Working with a Children Check holder, and I truly believe this training will help to mean fewer children suffer like I did,” stated Emma Håkansson, Chair of Australian Childhood Foundation’s Lived Experience Advisory Committee, and co-author of the report which first recommended this training several years ago. Emma has played a central role in shaping the training she helped make possible.

“For a long time, the Working with Children Check was a background check that was not properly equipped to stop abuse before it started or help the adults around children recognise when something was wrong,” said Janise Mitchell, CEO of Australian Childhood Foundation. “The survivors of Our Collective Experience Project have been telling us for years what they needed the adults around them to know. There is real momentum for change, and this training is a direct response to that call, shaped by their insights and built with their leadership.”

Media enquiries:

Gina Dafalia
PR and Communications
Phone: 0447558195
Email: gdafalia@childhood.org.au