education.vic.gov.au

Child Link

Policy last updated

12 February 2024

Scope

  • Schools

Date:
February 2024

On this page:

Policy

All Victorian government schools are progressively gaining access to Child LinkExternal Link through a phased, area-based approach through to July 2024.

School principals will be contacted when it is time for their school to start using Child Link. Schools can opt-in early by contacting the Child Link team (phone 1800 549 646 or email childlink@education.vic.gov.au).

Only those schools using CASES21 for student enrolments will be able to access Child Link in the school User category, as the individual student information (on each child entry) that is accessible to a school on Child Link is based on the school’s enrolment data on CASES21.

Specialism schools that have different enrolment or attendance processes (such as hospital schools and outdoor education schools) can contact Child Link for a further discussion about eligibility for access to Child Link.

Policy

The purpose of this policy is to support Victorian government schools to access and use Child Link safely and appropriately and to promote student wellbeing and safety, in line with the Child Information Sharing Scheme (CISS).

Summary

  • Child Link is a key enabler of the Child Information Sharing Scheme (CISS) with the complementary aim of improving wellbeing and safety outcomes for children and young people.
  • Child Link is a digital tool that displays information about a child to authorised key professionals who have responsibility for child wellbeing and safety. In a school, this is for the children enrolled in that school.
  • Child Link takes information from existing systems across Victorian Government and combines them to create a single entry of information about a child or young person’s:
    • participation in key early childhood and education services
    • key family relationships
    • any Child Protection Order history.
  • This information enables authorised staff in schools to better support student wellbeing and safety.
  • Child Link is updated regularly to ensure that information displayed is based on the most recent information received. It is read-only and is not a case management system.
  • Principals and nominated school staff have specific requirements and responsibilities they must meet to access Child Link. This includes the completion of mandatory training, and following the requirements in this policy and guidelines (refer to the Guidance tab).

Details

By providing a snapshot of information about a student, Child Link helps authorised school professionals to:

  • collaborate with other services and professionals working with the child and their family
  • identify as early as possible any needs, issues and vulnerabilities that may be present and make more informed decisions about the wellbeing, safety and support needs of a child in their school.

An entry is created in Child Link for every child (from birth to 18 years of age), who was born in Victoria, based on receipt of a copy of a birth notice for the child.
If the department has not received a copy of a birth notice for the child, including those who were born in Victoria or move to Victoria after birth, an entry for the child is created in Child Link when the earliest of the following occurs:

  • when the child has first contact with a relevant service, including a:
    • Maternal and Child Health Service
    • supported playgroup
    • funded kindergarten (at enrolment)
    • registered school (at enrolment)
    • school nurse program
    • Student Support Service provided by the Department of Education
  • the child is allocated a Victorian student number
  • the child is registered for home schooling by the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA)
  • when a Child Protection Order (CPO) is made in respect of the child.

Child Link will show limited information about a child and their family, including:

  • the child’s name(s), date and place of birth, and sex
  • the name(s) of the child’s siblings
  • the name(s) and relationship to the child of persons who have parental responsibility and/or day-to-day care of the child
  • whether the child is identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
  • the child’s participation and engagement in government-funded childhood services from birth to the age of 18, and the contact details of those services
  • if the child or their sibling has a past or current Child Protection Order and is, or has been, in out of home care.

Child Link does not display a child’s address information or contact details for the child or the child’s family. Child Link is not a case management system and does not contain any case notes, professional opinions, or detailed health records. The information on Child Link cannot be directly edited or amended by professionals who use Child Link (refer to the section below on 'Missing or incorrect information in Child Link').

Sharing within the department

Users may share information displayed on Child Link with other staff in their school for the purpose of providing education and care and related services to children enrolled at the school and monitoring and planning services provided to those children. Staff may also share information displayed on Child Link in accordance with the Child Information Sharing Scheme, which may include sharing information with other Victorian government school staff and with department staff who may need to know in order to support the wellbeing or safety of a child or group of children.

For example, a student wellbeing coordinator may share relevant information about a student’s service engagement history and current care arrangements to better equip the student’s teachers to implement a new behaviour management plan for the student.

Sharing outside the department

Schools, as information sharing entities, can request and share information displayed on Child Link with other prescribed organisations under the Child Information Sharing Scheme to promote a child’s wellbeing or safety. For example, a Student Transitions Coordinator uses Child Link to gather further information about their new year 7 students and notices that 2 students have a previous Child Protection Order. The school contacts Child Protection to request more information about the orders that were in place to ensure the students are well supported at school.

Schools must respond to all requests for information under the Child Information Sharing Scheme and share all relevant information that meets the requirements for sharing.

For example, a teacher is concerned about a sudden change in the attendance and behaviour of one of their students. The teacher notices on Child Link that the child has a sibling enrolled in a local kindergarten program and uses the service contact information on Child Link to telephone the kindergarten and request information about the sibling’s attendance and behaviour to inform their decision making and understanding of the child and family’s circumstances.

The Child Information Sharing Scheme and Child Link complement existing obligations and frameworks. They do not replace current requirements (such as Child Safe Standards, mandatory reporting, and reportable conduct) to share information. In many cases, existing obligations work together with the Child Information Sharing Scheme and Child Link and will enhance collaboration between services.

Schools should continue to share information as appropriate in accordance with other relevant laws, such as when making a mandatory report or when sharing information with external services under existing arrangements and mechanisms. The Child Information Sharing Scheme and Child Link do not limit these existing permissions and obligations.

Security and privacy are core to the design of Child Link and strict safeguards are in place to protect information. Information recorded on Child Link is only accessible by authorised professionals as per the relevant legislation. No consent from the child or the child’s family members is required for information to be displayed on Child Link. Please refer to Using the information on Child Link to promote student wellbeing and safety for information regarding the appropriate use and disclosure of information displayed.

Authorised professionals who have responsibility for child wellbeing and safety must complete training before being permitted to access Child Link. Authorised professionals include key staff in the department’s regions supporting child wellbeing and safety, government and non-government schools, early childhood teachers, Maternal and Child Health nurses and Child Protection practitioners.

Nominated school Users must enrol in appropriate training on the Information Sharing and MARAM Online Learning SystemExternal Link , and are required to complete both Information Sharing training and Child Link training. If Users have already completed Information Sharing training, they can enrol in 'Child Link User Training – All workforces'. However, if they have not completed this training they need to enrol in the combined training: 'Info Sharing + Child Link – Education'.

Most Users of Child Link will only have access to information about children within their school or service, and those children’s siblings.

When a student enrols in a Victorian government school, including international students, that student’s information will become available on Child Link to the school’s nominated Child Link Users. Child Link will not display information about whether a student is an international student. However, an international student may have less information on Child Link as they will not have engaged in services like local government Maternal and Child Health centres or an early learning centre.

The Guidance tab provides detailed guidance for Victorian government schools on using Child Link including:

  • roles and responsibilities of school principals as Child Link Authorisers
  • roles and responsibilities of school staff as Child Link Users
  • using the information on Child Link to promote student wellbeing and safety
  • complaints handling for Child Link
  • information management and security for Child Link
  • definitions.

Relevant legislation

Guidance

Guidance

This guidance contains the following chapters:

  • Roles and responsibilities of school principals as Child Link Authorisers
  • Roles and responsibilities of school staff as Child Link Users
  • Using the information on Child Link to promote student wellbeing and safety
  • Complaints handling for Child Link
  • Information management and security for Child Link
  • Definitions

Roles and responsibilities of school principals as Child Link Authorisers

Child Link Authorisers are responsible for the creation and management of Child Link Users. The Authoriser for a Victorian government school is the principal (this can include a co-principal or acting principal, but only one person at a time). The Authoriser in this context does not include a deputy, or assistant principal, and the role of Authoriser cannot be delegated in a school (unless acting arrangements are in place).

The principal manages Child Link access for their nominated Child Link Users. Users in a school can be made up of registered teachers, education support staff, and student wellbeing professionals within that school.

Authorisers are provided with access to Child Link to perform Authoriser functions. However, they do not have access to the confidential information it contains about children and their families, unless they are also authorised as a Child Link User. For example, principals can also be a Child Link User if authorised by the region’s Principal Employment Co-ordinator (PEC).

Roles and responsibilities

School principals as Authorisers must:

  • nominate up to 7 appropriate Child Link Users within their school. When selecting Users, the principal must consider:
    • the relevance of the school professional’s role and purpose for accessing the information on Child Link
    • the capability of the school staff/professionals to effectively use Child Link, and appropriately manage confidential information
    • the school staff/professional’s level of understanding of the Child Information Sharing Scheme, which is a prerequisite for Child Link access. Examples of roles a principal can nominate include, but are not limited to: assistant and campus principals, year-level coordinators, student wellbeing coordinators, teachers, and school-based mental health practitioners. It is expected that Users will be those who work directly with children to support their wellbeing and safety. It is up to principals to determine the suitability of any role based on their specific school setting. Principals can also become Users through the region’s Principal Employment Co-ordinator (PEC)
  • remind school staff who are Child Link Users to comply with the Child Link Secretary's Guidelines (PDF)External Link , the Terms of Use of Child Link and Child Link User Practice Guidance
  • manage Child Link access in their school, including the removal of school staff who are Child Link Users where required, such as staff leaving their role
  • notify the Child Link team when the Authoriser has formed a view that a Child Link User in their school should have their access investigated (phone 1800 549 646 or email childlink@education.vic.gov.au)
  • review and confirm the accuracy of school staff who are Child Link Users under their authorisation every 4 months in the 'User Access Review':
    • principals will receive a system email to complete the User Access Review. If the review is not completed within the timeframe communicated, all staff who are Child Link Users will no longer be able to access child information on Child Link until the review is completed on the system
  • ensure their authorisation functions are temporarily transferred to another person in their school who has the appropriate authority to be an Authoriser when they are unable to perform their functions for up to 1 school term (90 calendar days):
    • principals must only transfer their authorisation to an acting or co-principal. Upon return to the school, the principal’s access to the Authoriser platform will be reinstated
  • contact the Child Link team when they are leaving their school permanently or will be on leave or secondment for more than 1 term (greater than 90 days), at least 4 weeks prior to leaving the school (if possible)
  • this email must include: the date the principal needs to be removed as the school’s Authoriser
  • the name and Department of Education email address of the new substantive or acting principal (if known).

Once the principal has identified staff to become Child Link Users, the principal logs into Child Link and issues the User an invitation.

For detailed instructions how to invite nominated Users to Child Link, please refer to the Child Link Guide for School Principals as Authorisers (available on the Resources tab).

School principals as Authorisers have a responsibility to remove Child Link Users’ access at any time when it is inappropriate for access to continue. Examples of this may include when school staff who are Child Link Users:

  • change roles within the organisation (such as a secondment) for a period greater than 90 days
  • take extended leave, such as long-service leave, parental leave, or a sabbatical for a period greater than 90 days
  • change roles and require authorisation to access Child Link for another purpose or under a different Authoriser – for example, moving into a role in the department’s regions that is eligible to access and use Child Link
  • no longer hold a valid WWC Clearance (due to exclusion, interim exclusion, suspension, revocation, or expiry) or VIT Registration (due to suspension, cancellation, or expiry)
  • leave their school
  • change roles in their school into a role that does not require Child Link access
  • do not meet the pre-requisites to be a Child Link User
  • are no longer in circumstances where it is appropriate to have access to Child Link (for example, a conflict of interest or misconduct has been evidenced)
  • by accessing Child Link, pose an unacceptable risk of harm to any person.

Please refer to the Child Link Guide for School Principals as Authorisers (available in the Resources tab) for practical instructions for how to remove a User’s access.

Adding a new campus to an existing Authoriser’s profile

If Child Link receives details of a new campus for a school the following actions will occur:

  1. the Child Link team will contact the school principal (as the school’s Authoriser) to confirm the new campus
  2. the school principal will confirm within 5 business days (during school term) whether the campus needs to be added to their school profile on Child Link
  3. following confirmation from the school principal, the Child Link team will add the new campus to Child Link within the principal’s list of available campuses (services)
  4. the principal will receive an email from Child Link with an invitation to accept the new school campus/service within 7 days
  5. the principal will add the new campus to existing Users.

Refer to the Child Link Guide for School Principals as Authorisers (available on the Resources tab) for practical instructions for how to add the new campus to their User/s profile.

Removal process for school principals as Authorisers

Where Authorisers are unable to perform their authorisation functions for more than 90 days (if less than 90 days, please refer to the information below on the Temporary Transfer of Authoriser responsibilityExternal Link ), they must be removed from Child Link. This includes the following circumstances:

  • they are leaving the role or the service, and will no longer have relevant Child Link responsibilities
  • they are taking extended leave, such as long service leave or sabbatical for more than 90 days.

To be removed as the school’s Authoriser, school principals must contact childlink@education.vic.gov.au at least 4 weeks prior to their departure, and confirm:

  • the date they need to be removed as the school’s Authoriser
  • the name and @education.vic.gov.au email address (if known) of the incoming principal (can be an acting principal) who needs to be invited to Child Link. This person can already have an Authoriser Child Link profile, for example at another school, or may be a new Authoriser
  • names of Child Link Users who need to be transitioned to the new principal taking responsibility for the Child Link Users.

Child Link User Access Review

The User Access Review occurs every 4 months. Principals will receive an email informing them when it is time to perform the review. The principal (as the school’s Authoriser) must review and determine whether their Users should have their Child Link access maintained or removed. Instructions for how to complete the User Access review can be found in the Child Link Guide for School Principals as Authorisers (available in the Resources tab).

Principals will be asked to review the Users who have been added as Child Link Users more than one month prior to the review start date. Principals will have 2 weeks to complete the review of Users. The review can take place over multiple sessions within this 2-week window until all the Users have been reviewed.

If a principal does not undertake the review within the required period, the User/s under their authorisation will have their Child Link accounts locked, and they will not be able to access Child Link until the review is completed. The principal can still log in to the Child Link platform to perform the review at any time.
Refer to the Child Link Guide for School Principals as Authorisers (available in the Resources tab) for further instructions on performing the User Access Review.

Principals may temporarily transfer their authorisation power to another person for a limited period (up to 90 calendar days).

The circumstances in which a principal must consider temporarily transferring their authorisation power include, when they are on short-term leave, including recreational and personal leave, or a short-term secondment or backfill equivalent to 90 calendar days or less.

The person nominated to be the Temporary Authoriser must have the appropriate authority to perform the authorisation functions – principal, acting principal or co-principal.

Instructions on how to perform a temporary transfer can be found on the Child Link Authoriser Temporary Transfer webpageExternal Link and in the Child Link Guide for School Principals as Authorisers (available in the Resources tab).

When the Temporary Transfer has been actioned, Child Link will send an email to the person nominated as the Temporary Authoriser as well as impacted school staff who are Child Link Users. The email will include the name of the Temporary Authoriser and the dates of authorisation.

Roles and responsibilities of school staff as Child Link Users

Users have access to confidential child information relevant to their school or service. School principals nominate eligible professionals within their school to become Child Link Users. Schools are permitted to have a maximum of 7 school staff as Child Link Users (in addition to the principal). School Users are entitled to 'service-level' access, which means they will only be able to view information about children enrolled in their school and limited entries for the students’ siblings.

Schools with multiple campuses are encouraged to take advantage of the maximum User capacity to enable the benefits of Child Link for all students.

All school-based Child Link Users have obligations to:

  • complete mandatory training before gaining access to Child Link
  • hold a valid Working with Children Clearance (WWCC) or Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT) Registration
  • only access Child Link for the purpose of providing education and care and related services to children enrolled at their school, or to monitor and plan services for children enrolled at their school
  • comply with the Child Link Secretary’s Guidelines (PDF)External Link , the Child Link terms of useExternal Link , Child Link User Practice Guide.

Schools can request and share information with other prescribed organisations under the Child Information Sharing Scheme in relation to information they have accessed on Child Link to support student wellbeing and safety. Professionals will also continue to assess or manage family violence risk to a child, in line with the Child and Family Violence Information Sharing Schemes and in accordance with the department’s related policies.

Schools must continue to:

  • share information as appropriate in accordance with other applicable laws, such as when making a mandatory report or when sharing information with external services under existing arrangements and mechanisms. Child Link does not limit these existing permissions and obligations
  • follow departmental polices concerning information management, privacy and security.

A Child Link User in a government school must:

  • be employed by the school as either:
    • a registered teacher employed or engaged to provide instruction or other education services to students at the school
    • a person employed or engaged to provide health or welfare services for students at the school (that is, education support staff or health and wellbeing professional)
  • hold either a valid WWCC under the Worker Screening Act 2020 or VIT Registration under the Education and Training Reform Act 2006
  • have completed the following pre-requisite training (and received a training receipt number):
  • accept the Child Link terms of useExternal Link
  • only access Child Link for the purpose of providing education and care and related services to children enrolled at their school; and to monitor and plan services for children enrolled at their school.

Child Link Users agree to the terms of useExternal Link to access and use Child Link. The terms of use cover:

  • obligations as a Child Link User
  • the collection, use and disclosure of your User information, including User name, role, organisation and WWCC or VIT Registration number to specific third parties, for the purpose of enabling and managing User access. This is to ensure that only appropriate people are permitted to access and use Child Link, thereby safeguarding the confidential information in Child Link.

School staff who are Child Link Users must:

  • perform Child Link functions, in accordance with the Child Link User Practice Guidance, including:
    • provide a unique and secure Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) code to login to Child Link
    • have a current and valid WWCC/VIT (the number and expiry of this will be checked for validity by Child Link each time the User logs in, and if it is not current, the User will not be granted access)
    • update passwords at least every 90 days (as prompted by the system)
    • inform their principal (as the school’s Authoriser), if their circumstances change and access to Child Link is no longer required – for example, when they change roles within the organisation (such as a secondment) for a period greater than 90 days, take extended leave, such as long-service leave, parental leave, or a sabbatical for a period greater than 90 days. * For Users who have been removed from Child Link for a period of longer than 12 months, it is recommended that they complete training again before being reinvited to Child Link
    • inform their principal if they no longer hold a valid WWCC (due to exclusion, interim exclusion, suspension, revocation, or expiry) or VIT Registration (due to suspension, cancellation, or expiry)
    • inform their principal if they plan to leave their school
    • inform their principal if they change roles in their school into a role that does not require Child Link access
    • inform their principal if they do not or no longer meet the pre-requisites to be a Child Link User
    • inform their principal if they are no longer in circumstances where it is appropriate to have access to Child Link (for example, a conflict of interest or misconduct has been evidenced)
    • inform their principal if they, by accessing Child Link, pose an unacceptable risk of harm to any person
    • inform their principal if they meet the pre-requisites for restriction of access, as outlined below (a principal as the school’s Authoriser may also remove a Child Link User from Child Link for these reasons)
  • only access Child Link for the purpose of providing education and care and related services to children enrolled at their school, and to monitor and plan services for children enrolled in their school
  • only disclose Child Link information to persons employed or engaged by the same organisation as the Child Link User for a purpose as described in the previous dot-point, or as in accordance with the Child Information Sharing Scheme
  • not take screen shots or photos of information on Child Link or copy information directly from Child Link into other documents or platforms. However, schools can update a student’s record on CASES21 as a result of information they have obtained from accessing Child Link in accordance with existing departmental policies.

Child Link Users’ access can be:

  • locked as part of the User Access Review process
  • removed by their principal as the school’s Authoriser
  • restricted by the department.

User access locked as part of a User Access Review

The User Access Review (UAR) occurs every 4 months where the school principal (as the Authoriser), reviews and determines whether their Child Link Users should have their Child Link access maintained or removed. If the UAR closes and no action has been taken by the principal, the User will see the following message when they attempt to log into Child Link: 'The Child Link User Access Review has not been completed by your authoriser. Your account has been locked, please contact your authoriser to request access.' The User must contact their principal in the first instance to have their account unlocked.

Removed by the principal

Principals are responsible for removing User access to Child Link in instances where the User no longer requires access, for example, when the User moves roles, leaves the school, or goes on extended leave.

Restricted by the department

The department may remove a Child Link User’s access to Child Link, to a child entry, or part of an entry, if continued access would pose an unacceptable risk of harm to a person or in all the circumstances would be otherwise inappropriate.

For more information on users’ access including where access is locked, restricted or removed, please refer to the Child Link Guide for School Principals as Authorisers (available in the Resources tab).

Using the information on Child Link to promote student wellbeing and safety

Child Link Users in schools will only have access to information on Child Link about the children enrolled in their school.

Child Link Users must only access Child Link for the purpose of providing education and care and related services to children enrolled at their school, and monitoring and planning services for children enrolled at their school.

In practice, this might include accessing Child Link to:

  • support smooth transitions by gaining a more informed understanding of a new student’s circumstances and identify any additional supports that may be needed
  • gather information to better support learning and development by forming a more accurate assessment of a student and their family’s circumstances
  • inform responses to observed behaviour or specialist needs by accessing information about a student’s previous enrolment history and engagement with services. This will help schools better assess a student’s needs and enable a principal, school teacher, or health and welfare professional to be better informed and equipped to support the students at their school
  • better enable the school to contact other services involved with the child’s family to request information (where appropriate) in exercising their duty of care.

Schools may determine that no further action is required after accessing information about a student on Child Link.

The information on Child Link comes from existing government source systems and is securely transmitted to the Child Link system. Child Link matches the information for that child and combines the information into a single entry. These existing source information systems are from across the Department of Education and its associated authorities, the Department of Health, and the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing Child Protection program.

Child Link is updated daily to ensure the information on Child Link is based on the most recent information received from the various source systems.

Information displayed on a child entry

The information on a child’s entry will be displayed on one page in the following sections:

  1. Current child information
  2. Engagement Timeline and Summary Cards
  3. Relationships Timeline and Sibling Summary Cards

Child Link Users in schools will have access to a child entry for children in their school for the period that the child is enrolled, and for an additional 3 months after the enrolment ends, to assist in the child’s transition between services.

The transitioning between learning environments is a big milestone for children and their families. As moving from early years to primary school or from primary to secondary school can be emotionally challenging and sensitive in nature, schools must be mindful of their legal obligation to only share information for the purposes of promoting student engagement and wellbeing. Schools are encouraged to access the Child and Family Violence Information Sharing Schemes policy and Child Information Sharing Scheme Ministerial GuidelinesExternal Link for further information.

An example of a school User appropriately accessing Child Link to support key transitions could include a student wellbeing coordinator looking at a student’s entry on Child Link one month post the enrolment end-date to check whether the student has enrolled in another school and to take appropriate actions when required. This may include making a referral to a School Attendance Officer who may send a School Attendance Notice to the student’s parents if the student cannot be located at another school.

1. Current child information

The following identifying information may be available on Child Link.

Child name(s): full name and any other names by which the child is or has been previously known (provided by source systems).

Note: Child Link Users should be aware that names of children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds may appear in many different forms in a child’s entry. This may be due to how a child’s name is captured across different source systems. It is important to note that the order of names may be culturally based. For example, given names come before family names in English-speaking countries. In some cultures, family names come first.

Date of birth and age.

Place of birth: where this information is available, the place of birth will be displayed as it has been captured in the source system which is the suburb or the hospital in which the child was born, or country if born overseas.

Sex: Child Link will include the child's sex or, if it has not been disclosed, a record to that effect. Under the legislation a child’s identified gender may not be displayed. Some source systems include the child’s sex and/or the child’s gender. Child Link will display sex, or if sex is not disclosed or cannot be confirmed through the data (including an instance where the child’s sex and the child’s identified gender do not match in source systems) a record stating ‘not disclosed’.

Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander: displays either ‘yes’, ‘no’, or ‘not disclosed’ (where a person has declined to provide this information in a source system, or it is not currently captured).

Note: a child’s identification as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander is based on the most recent information received from the source systems. It is important to note that the process or decision in which a person self-identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, or what the User knows of the child based on their own source system or interactions with the child takes precedence over what is in Child Link.

2. Engagement Timeline and Summary Cards

Enrolment and participation information in specified services and programs may also be visible on Child Link.

The service engagement information in Child Link includes:

  • the name and contact details of the service
  • whether the service is active or inactive
  • the dates of the child’s participation in the service, such as the date of an appointment, or the date range of participation
  • the age the child first attended the service
  • any other relevant service type or program details.

Services and programs that may be displayed in the engagement timeline include:

Maternal and Child Health (MCH) services: consultations delivered as part of the Universal MCH program and the Enhanced MCH programs including dates and appointment information.

Supported playgroups: engagement with supported playgroups until July 2021 (does not include community-based playgroups).

Funded kindergartens: including 3 and 4 year old kindergartens, and early start kindergartens. Funded kindergartens can be located in children’s centres, long day care centres, community kindergartens, and schools.

Registered schools or home schooling: enrolments in government schools, non-government schools (independent and Catholic), and home schooling (registered with the Victorian Regulations and Qualifications Authority).

The following schools sub-type descriptions will also be displayed on Child Link:

  • primary school
  • secondary school
  • primary/secondary school
  • specialist school.

School nurse program: instances of engagement with the school nurse program will be displayed for children enrolled in both government and non-government primary schools, and government secondary schools.

Child Link will display engagement with school nursing in relation to dates of Health assessments and the School Entrant Health Questionnaire and Occasions of Service for assessment, consultation, treatment, or other service provided by a school nurse to a student. No personal health information in relation to a child and their engagement with the school nursing program will be displayed.

Student support services (provided by the department): dates of engagement with Student Support Services, but not type of support received or any other health information in relation to the child’s engagement with this service.

3. Relationship Timeline and Sibling Summary Cards

Key relationships in the child’s life may also be displayed in Child Link.

Persons with parental responsibility and/or day-to-day care of a child. Relationship information on Child Link includes persons with parental responsibility and/or day-to-day care of a child and may display the following information for each person:

  • their full name and any other names by which they are or have been known
  • whether they have parental responsibility and/or day-to-day care of the child
  • the dates from which they have or have had parental responsibility and/or day-to-day care of the child
  • their relationship to the child.

Parental responsibility in relation to the child, means all the duties, powers, responsibilities, and authority which, by law or custom, parents have in relation to children.

Day-to-day care in relation to the child, means the daily care and control of the child, whether or not involving parental responsibility for the child. If a person has care and control of a child, it means that the child would live with that person and that person will make daily decisions for the child, for example, what the child eats and when they go to bed.

Parent: parental relationship in Child Link incorporates roles that may have parental responsibility for a child and/or day-to-day care for the child, and includes which information can be recorded on Child Link in relation to a child. A parent may include:

  • the parents of the child, as at the time of the child’s birth
  • the spouse of the father or mother of the child
  • the domestic partner of the father or mother of the child
  • any person who is legally considered, or in respect of whom a court has made a declaration or a finding or order that the person is the mother, father, or parent of the child.

The parental relationships in Child Link will come from parent information included in source systems and will be displayed as parent, step-parent, or partner.
Child Link Users should be aware that the Relationships Timeline on a child entry displays the information from source systems. It is important to consider the more intricate and complex kinship systems that exist for children from other cultures, including those with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander families, as these may not be displayed.

Child’s siblings

Sibling relationships may also be displayed on Child Link – these include half-sibling/s adoptive brother/sister, and step-brother/sister of the child.

The information displayed on a child entry for siblings is the sibling’s full name, and limited ‘Child Protection Order’ information. Child Link Users in school’s will be able to access the sibling’s full child entry by clicking on the sibling’s name on the initial child’s entry and through the sibling’s Summary Card, by selecting ‘View Sibling Profile’. Where the sibling is a child, access to a sibling entry is determined in accordance with the Child Link User’s purpose of access, use and disclosure of information. A sibling’s entry will not be available where the sibling is over the age of 18 and is no longer enrolled in school, or where the sibling has died.

Types of Child Protection Orders

The types of Child Protection Orders that can be shown on Child Link are determined by legislation. The Child Protection Orders in Child Link include:

  • an order made under Part 4.8a protection order
  • a permanent care order.

Orders that will not be included in Child Link include Intervention Orders (such as a family violence intervention order or personal safety intervention order) and Adoption Orders.

The most relevant information on Child Link in relation to a Child Protection Order is found in the Current Information section under the child’s name, the Engagement Timeline, and the Summary Cards. Some information may also be displayed in the Relationships Timeline.

Information about Child Protection Orders

The type of the Child Protection Order will not be shown on Child Link. If schools have any queries regarding the Child Protection Orders displayed on Child Link they will need to contact Child Protection.

Information about out of home care

When a child is placed in out of home care, the Child Protection Order Summary Card for a child will show that the order placed the child in out of home care, however, there may not be a corresponding entry on the Relationships Timeline for a carer that matches the dates of the order. The type of out of home care placement cannot be displayed on Child Link. If further information is required in relation to the Child Protection Order and care arrangements for that child, schools can contact Child Protection.

Sensitivity flags in Child Link

Sensitive information flags may be attached to items in the Relationships Timeline and/or the Engagement Timeline. Extra discretion must be applied before sharing the information with this flag.

  • A sensitive information flag in the Relationships Timeline applies to all individuals who have at least one carer relationship with the child. If an individual is a carer, there will be an orange 'sensitive information' triangle wrapping around the individual name.
  • A sensitive information flag on the Summary Cards on the Engagement Timeline applies when the child’s location information has been flagged as sensitive in nature by Child Protection. Where Child Protection has flagged the child’s address as ‘withheld’, the service Summary Cards will be wrapped by an orange 'sensitive information' triangle.

Extra discretion must be applied before sharing the information with a sensitive information flag. For further guidance on sharing information from Child Link refer to User Practice Guidance - How to use the information on Child Link.

There may be several reasons why a child and/or their information is not showing on Child Link, including:

  • where a child’s information is no longer accessible on Child Link, if the child:
    • has turned 18 years old and is no longer attending a registered school or their home schooling has ceased (both events have to occur, so if a child is 18 or over and still attending schooling their entry will remain accessible on Child Link)
    • is no longer engaged with your school (this includes where the child is enrolled in your school or service, but this has not been updated in CASES21 and Child Link)
    • has died
  • the child’s information may be restricted due to wellbeing or safety concerns.

Where an entry for a child is not complete, this could also be due to:

  • the information not being available in any source system for the child
  • inconsistent data in the source systems to combine the information for the child
  • technical or integration issues from the source system into Child Link.

If a User in a school identifies information on Child Link which is incorrect, they can amend the information in their enrolment systems. The amended information in the source system will be extracted by Child Link and, as a result, corrected on Child Link during the next daily update.

Schools can also contact the Child Link team on 1800 549 646 in relation to specific enquiries regarding the accuracy of the information on child entries.

Schools must not send identifiable information about a student, for example, name, age and service engagement, via email to the Help Desk.

For Child Link Users, awareness of cultural safety is embedded and expected in professional practice.

When using Child Link to promote student wellbeing and safety, schools:

  • must continue to follow existing departmental policies and guidance for creating culturally safe environments. Establishing a culturally safe environment in which the diverse and unique identities and experiences of Aboriginal children and young people are respected and valued is expected as part of the Child Safe Standards. Further information can be found at Schools – culturally safe environments guidanceExternal Link
  • should use Child Link in a way that recognises the unique circumstances of each child and considers cultural safety when viewing a student’s entry and taking any action as a result of the information displayed. For instance, working in partnership with the local Koorie community to develop place-based approaches to improving outcomes and individualised learning for students, creating high expectations, and including acknowledging, respecting and valuing Koorie cultures and identities. Further information can be found at: Koorie Education
  • should be aware that the process or decision in which a person self-identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander takes precedence over what information is in Child Link.

Schools can obtain assistance from DE’s Koorie Education Coordinators (who are also authorised Child Link Users) with Koorie cultural inclusion, Koorie education guidance and support through their region by contacting the KEC with enquiries.

For more information on cultural safety considerations when using 'Child Link see the User Practice Guidance – How to use the information on Child Link' which is accessible to all Child Link Users on the help section on Child Link.

Cultural safety is a fundamental human right and affects all in the community.

Complaints handling for Child Link

Schools may receive complaints from students, parents and other individuals in relation to a Child Link User’s behaviour or personal information displayed on Child Link. Complaints made in relation to Child Link may include:

  • how Child Link operates in accordance with the CWS Act and other relevant law
  • how personal information is collected and displayed on Child Link, including any privacy concerns
  • how Child Link Users access, use or share information from Child Link, and the process by which they are authorised to do so.

In circumstances where complaints are made by a parent about how the school uses Child Link or how a Child Link User has accessed and used information on Child Link, the school should follow existing processes and departmental policies for handling these complaints.

In circumstances where complaints are made in relation to, but are not limited to, information displayed on Child Link or information collected from government agencies for display on Child Link, please contact the Child Link team (phone 1800 549 646 or email childlink@education.vic.gov.au).

Information management and security for Child Link

Child Link has been designed with security and privacy as a core principle. Access, transmission, and storage of information for Child Link aligns to strict security protocols built into the system, which adheres to relevant privacy and data security law in Victoria.

A full suite of safeguards has been included in both the legislation and system design for Child Link, which aim to prevent unauthorised access and misuse of information on Child Link.

Even though the system is secure and there are legislative safeguards, with access to confidential information about Victorian children comes a degree of responsibility and thoughtful consideration around how information is managed by Child Link Users. It is the User’s responsibility to ensure Child Link is always accessed and used safely and appropriately by using Child Link in accordance with this policy and guidance.

Auditing and monitoring

The department records and monitors access to and usage of Child Link by all Child Link Users. This includes periodic, semi-targeted audits of the usage of Child Link by Users.

Investigation may also occur if a User’s access or usage varies from anticipated behaviour, and prompts auditing activities. Auditing may require the User to verify usage behaviour against their Child Link User purpose for access, use and disclosure.

Unauthorised use of Child Link is an offence.

Unauthorised access, use or disclosure

Child Link Users must only use and share information displayed on Child Link in accordance with this policy and guidance.

Examples of unauthorised use or disclosure of confidential information that has been accessed through Child Link, which is not permitted, include:

  • copying, such as through screen shots or taking photos of information on Child Link
  • viewing entries of children that a Child Link User is not authorised to access, such as children the Child Link User is not providing education and care and related services to in their professional role
  • disclosing confidential information from Child Link to individuals in the Child Link User’s personal life, to other children, or to other children’s families.

For more information on how to appropriately access, use and disclose information on Child Link see the 'User Practice Guidance – How to use the information on Child Link' which is accessible to all Child Link Users on the help section on Child Link. The expectations concerning appropriate access, use and disclosure of information are also outlined in the Child Link terms of use.

Offences

There are offences and penalties that apply for unauthorised access, use and disclosure of information from Child Link. For example:

  • unauthorised access to Child Link is an offence where a person accesses Child Link and is not a Child Link User or person otherwise authorised to access Child Link
  • a User accessing Child Link for an unauthorised purpose (accessing Child Link for a purpose other than the purpose for access, use and disclosure for which the Child Link User is granted access to Child Link)
  • unauthorised use and disclosure of confidential information contained in Child Link is an offence (other than in accordance with the legislation).

Offences also apply under the Information Sharing Schemes for unauthorised and intentional or reckless use or disclosure of confidential information and for impersonating an information sharing entity. For more information, refer to the Child and Family Violence Information Sharing Schemes.

Privacy information

Child Link operates in conjunction with privacy law. Child Link Users are required to handle personal information and unique identifiers in accordance with the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014, or in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth)External Link where that Act applies to them.

Security and privacy are core to the design and implementation of Child Link, with technological and operational safeguards in place to protect a child’s information.

Access, transmission and storage of information for Child Link aligns to strict security protocols built into the system, under the Victorian Protective Data Security Framework.

Definitions

Definitions

Some key terms relevant to Child Link are listed below.

Child Link
Chil Link refers to the digital tool which is accessible by a Child Link User or a person who is authorised to access Child Link.

Child Link Authoriser
Child Link Authoriser describes a person, as specified by their role, who may authorise a Child Link User to access Child Link, or any other person who is delegated the power to authorise a Child Link User.

Child Link User
Child Link User describes a person who is authorised to access Child Link.

Child entry
Child entry describes an entry for a child that is created in Child Link for a child following the occurrence of the specified events, and contains information.

Wellbeing (when used in the context of the delivery of services to children and families)
Commonly understood to encompass a child’s physical, social, cultural, emotional, ethical, educational, and cognitive development.

Refer to Understanding child wellbeingExternal Link for further information.

Information Sharing Entities
Only organisations or services that are prescribed as Information Sharing Entities can share information under the Child and Family Violence Information Sharing Schemes. Organisations are prescribed under the Child Wellbeing and Safety (Information Sharing) Regulations 2018 or Family Violence Protection (Information Sharing and Risk Management) Regulations 2018 and as such, are authorised to request and share information. Prescribed information sharing entities are required to respond to requests for information from other Information Sharing Entities once relevant prerequisites for information sharing are met.

Examples of information sharing entities include:

  • schools (government, independent and Catholic)
  • long day care
  • kindergartens
  • before and after school hours care
  • Child Protection
  • out-of-home care
  • Victoria Police
  • Maternal and Child Health Services
  • the Orange Door
  • Child Link Users who are employed or engaged by organisations that are prescribed Information Sharing Entities. However, not all Information Sharing Entities are authorised to access and use Child Link.

A list of authorised organisations can be found at Information Sharing Entity ListExternal Link .

Information regarding a child or adult can be shared to services who are not Information Sharing Entities with the appropriate consent. Refer to Privacy and Information Sharing.

Resources

Resources

Training (online via webinar)

  • Webinar: Child Link Training – For principals and nominated Child Link Users who have already completed training in the Child Information Sharing Scheme. This training is designed for all eligible workforces for Child Link.
  • Webinar: Info Sharing + Child Link (combined) Training – For principals and nominated Child Link Users who need to complete the pre-requisite training in the Child Information Sharing Scheme and in Child Link. This training is designed for education professionals who will become Child Link Users.

To enrol in training, visit: Training for the information sharing and MARAM reformsExternal Link .

Training hours count towards professional learning for VIT registration.

Resources

For Child Link Users

Child Link User Practice Guidance (accessible once logged into Child Link)

For Child Link Authorisers

For all school staff

Applications and forms

Reviewed 12 February 2024