Child Abuse (including grooming) – Identification and Response

Training requirements

Child Safe Standards training

Annual child safety training for staff and school council members is mandatory under the Child Safe Standards. The Child Safe Standards also require schools to provide volunteers engaged in child-connected work with training to enable them to keep students safe that is appropriate to the nature and responsibilities of their role.

The department has developed training resources for schools to train staff, volunteers and school councils on the Child Safe Standards and Ministerial Order 1359.

Schools must deliver this training annually to all staff and school council members to meet the requirements to provide annual child safety training.

Child safety (including mandatory reporting) training

School staff can use the Protecting children – Mandatory reporting and other obligations e-learning module to learn how to protect the safety and wellbeing of children and young people. This module is available on LearnED which is accessed through eduPay (staff login required – type ‘child protection’ or ‘protecting children’ into the search function on LearnED).

This training package is being updated to reflect the new PROTECT guidance and will be available from Term 3, 2026.

Requirements – school staff

School staff who are:

• mandatory reporters must complete the module once per calendar year
• non-mandatory reporters are strongly encouraged to complete the module once per calendar year.

Requirements – region and area staff

Department staff who:

• are mandatory reporters must undertake the training once per calendar year
• have roles that engage with students or provide advice to schools about mandatory reporting or child safety are strongly encouraged to undertake the training once per calendar year.

Accessing e-learn modules on eduPay

The Protecting children – Mandatory reporting and other obligations e-learning module is available on LearnED, which is accessed through eduPay (staff login required).

Government school staff who are required to complete this course are automatically enrolled each year.

Alternatively, all staff can login to eduPay and search for 'Protecting Children' and self-enrol.

Staff can generate their certificate of completion in eduPay by selecting: My Learning, then History, then Select Course, then Print. This certificate will remain part of your learning record on eduPay.

For further advice, refer to: Online learning for schools.