New Obligations under the Queensland Child Safe Organisations Act 2024

If your business or organisation works with children or even operates in spaces where children may be present, there are new legal obligations in Queensland you should be aware of. 

Queensland’s Child Safe Organisations Act 2024 introduced a mandatory framework to help protect children from harm. It is overseen by the Queensland Family and Child Commission (QFCC) and currently covers around 40,000 organisations across the state. 

As your insurance and risk adviser, we are not here to interpret the law for you, that is best left to the QFCC and your legal advisers. What we can do is help you understand the broader picture, point you toward the right resources, and make sure your insurance is keeping pace with your obligations. 

Who Does This Apply To? 

A common question we hear is: “Does this apply to us? Children aren’t really our main focus.” 

The short answer is it might. The laws are broader than many organisations expect. You should check whether the Child Safe Standards apply to your organisation if you:

  • Provide services directly to children or young people
  • Run spaces or facilities that children use
  • Work at sites where children may be present, even if only sometimes
  • Operate online platforms or apps used by children
  • Collect, store or handle information or images of children
  • Engage subcontractors, volunteers or labour hire workers in child-accessible environments

This covers a wide range of businesses; tutoring centres, gyms, play centres, sports clubs, religious organisations, allied health providers, community groups, and more.

If children come through your doors or interact with your services in any way, it is worth checking your obligations.

The QFCC has a straightforward guide to help you work out whether the Standards apply to you: qfcc.qld.gov.au/childsafe

Gavel and legal books

What Has Changed and When?

The new Standards have been rolling out in stages since October 2025.

Sector Required to comply by
Child protection. Disability, government services 1 October 2025
Schools, early learning, health and youth services 1 January 2026
Gyms, tutoring, play centres, sport, religious organisations 1 April 2026
Reportable conduct scheme 1 July 2026

 

If your organisation falls into Phase 3, gyms, tutoring centres, sport clubs, recreation groups and similar, you have been required to comply since 1 April 2026.

The Reportable Conduct Scheme, which requires organisations to report and investigate allegations of worker misconduct involving children, commenced on 1 July 2026. Not every organisation subject to the Child Safe Standards will automatically be subject to this scheme, so it is worth checking the QFCC guidance to understand where you sit.

Blue Cards Still Matter

The Blue Card (Queensland’s Working with Children Check) remains a separate but related requirement. From September 2025, the blue card system was expanded to cover additional categories of workers and businesses. If your staff or volunteers work with children, make sure their screening is current.

Queensland does not recognise interstate working with children checks, so anyone moving from interstate may need to apply for a Queensland blue card regardless of what they hold elsewhere.

What Are the Child Safe Standards?

There are 10 Child Safe Standards in total, and they cover things like:

  • How your organisation’s leadership champions child safety
  • How you screen and support the people who work with children
  • How you handle complaints and concerns in a way that puts children first
  • How your physical and online spaces are set up to reduce risk
  • How you keep your policies and practices up to date

Running across all 10 Standards is a Universal Principle: organisations must actively provide culturally safe environments for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. This is not a separate box to tick; it is embedded in how you approach every standard.

The QFCC has practical resources, self-assessment tools, and free training available to help organisations work through what the Standards mean for them in practice: qfcc.qld.gov.au/childsafe/standards

Children playing arcade games in a child safe environment

What Does This Mean for Your Insurance?

This is where we can genuinely help. The new laws have real implications for how your insurance programme is structured, and there are some important things to be aware of.

Standard policies may not cover what you think

Many organisations assume their public liability insurance will respond if something goes wrong involving a child in their care. In practice, child abuse and molestation claims are often excluded from standard public liability wordings, sometimes explicitly, sometimes because the policy is simply silent on the matter.

If your organisation works with children, it is worth reviewing your current policies to understand exactly what is and is not covered. This is not about assuming the worst, it is just good risk management.

Specialist cover exists for this risk

There is a specialist type of insurance designed specifically to respond to child abuse and molestation claims, covering both legal defence costs and civil damages. It is a niche product with a limited number of insurers offering it, which is why having a professional insurance adviser in your corner matters.

A real-world example

Consider an after-school tutoring centre facing an allegation involving a staff member. The centre has a standard public liability policy but no specialist cover. The insurer declines the claim because abuse is excluded from the wording.

The legal defence costs, potential civil settlement, and investigation costs in a situation like this can run well into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, and that is before considering the impact on the organisation’s reputation. Specialist cover exists precisely to protect against this.

A few things to check

If you work with children and are reviewing your insurance, here are some useful questions to raise with us:

  • Does your current policy explicitly cover abuse or molestation claims, or is it silent on the matter?
  • If you have a claims-made policy and have changed insurers recently, is your historical cover protected?
  • Does your policy cover legal defence costs as well as any civil damages?
  • Are your directors and officers adequately protected for their governance responsibilities under the new laws?

We can help you work through these questions and review your current coverage.

Five Practical Steps to Take Now

Regardless of your insurance position, here are five things worth doing now if the Child Safe Standards apply to your organisation:

  1. Check whether the Standards apply to you. Use the QFCC’s online guidance to confirm your obligations and which phase applies to your sector.
  2. Review your policies and procedures. Do you have a child safety policy, a code of conduct, and a complaints process? These are core requirements under the Standards.
  3. Make sure your people are screened and trained. Check that blue cards are current for anyone who needs one, and that staff and volunteers have received appropriate training.
  4. Review your insurance. Ask us to check whether your current policies respond to child-related claims. It is a straightforward conversation that is worth having.
  5. Know how to report. Make sure your team understands what to do if a concern is raised, including notifying your insurer promptly if an incident occurs. Delays can affect how your insurer responds.

Not Sure Where Your Insurance Stands?

If your organisation may be affected by the new child safe standards, we can help you assess your risks and review your insurance program. We explain any gaps in coverage. Ask about our no-obligation risk and insurance review.

Contact Clear Insurance or call us on 1300 721 132.

Useful Resources

The QFCC is the primary source of information and support for organisations navigating these obligations.

 

General Advice Warning:  This article has been prepared by Clear Insurance Pty Ltd (ABN 41 601 916 689, AFSL No. 548953), a Steadfast Network Broker. The information provided is of a general nature only and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. It does not constitute personal advice. You should consider whether the information is appropriate for your circumstances before making any decisions, and we strongly recommend you obtain appropriate professional advice, including legal advice, before taking action on any matters discussed. Before acquiring any insurance product, you should obtain and read the relevant Product Disclosure Statement. For guidance on your legal obligations under the Child Safe Organisations Act 2024, refer to the QFCC at qfcc.qld.gov.au.