Reporting child abuse
Mandatory reporting, failure to report, & reporting to Integrity & Safeguarding
Mandatory reporting:
Under the Children and Young People (Safety) Act 2017, all clergy, religious, employees, and volunteers of the Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide are mandated notifiers.
This means that if you suspect that a child or young person is at risk of harm, or has been harmed, and you form that suspicion in the course of work or volunteer role within the archdiocese, you must make a report to the Department for Child Protection's Child Abuse Report Line (CARL).
To make a report to the Child Abuse Report Line (CARL): Ph 13 14 78
Failure to report to police:
Under Section 64A of the Criminal Law and Consolidation Act 1935, it is also a legal requirement for all employees, clergy, and volunteers of the archdiocese to report to SA police if they have suspicions or knowledge regarding the sexual abuse of a child by clergy, religious, or an employee of the archdiocese.
Failure to report under this legislation incurs criminal penalties.
To make a report regarding the alleged sexual abuse of a child by clergy, religious, or an employee of the archdiocese, you must contact SA Police: Ph 131 444
Reporting to the Integrity & Professional Standards Team:
All suspicions, concerns, allegations, and reports of child abuse must also be reported to the Integrity and Professional Standards Team: Ph 8210 8150.
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If you are worried about the immediate safety of a child or young person Ph: 000
If you need assistance in making a report to CARL or to the police, or if you have any queries, please contact the Integrity and Professional Standards Team for professional support and advice: Ph 8210 8150
Mandatory Reporting
Forming a suspicion
Suspicion regarding the abuse of a child may arise because:
- a child/young person tells you he or she has been abused or neglected
- your own observations of a particular child or young person’s behaviour and/or injuries, or your knowledge of children and young people generally, leads you to suspect that abuse is occurring
- a child or young person tells you he or she knows someone who has been harmed or abused (a child or young person could possibly be referring to himself or herself), or
- someone else (perhaps a relative, friend, neighbour, or sibling of the child or young person) who is in a position to provide reliable information, tells you.