Reporting child sexual abuse

Making a report

» Mandatory reports of child sexual abuse must be lodged with the Department for Child Protection.

The Operational Directive Mandatory reporting of sexual abuse of children under 18 years provides advice to Department of Health staff of the procedures to follow in order to comply with mandatory reporting requirements for child sexual abuse.

This directive includes:

• the scope of mandatory reporting of sexual abuse of children
• your mandatory reporting responsibilities
• forming reasonable grounds for a belief
• patient confidentiality and liability
• flow chart of WA Health process for reporting available A4 size (PDF 700KB) or A3 poster size (PDF 730KB)

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs)

Mandatory reporting forms must be lodged for STIs diagnosed:

• in children under 14 years
• in children aged 14–17 years where sexual abuse is suspected

Current operational guidelines still apply for interagency management of children under 14 who are diagnosed with an STI, and children aged 14–16 (now 14–17 years) diagnosed with an STI where there is suspicion of sexual abuse.

More information:

» Reporting other forms of child abuse and neglect

» Contact us if you need advice or more information