Child Safe Organisations Northern Territory

Child Safe Organisations in the Northern Territory

The Northern Territory is guided by the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations however has not yet implemented the National Principles into legislation. 

There is currently no timeline or active public consultation in relation to establishing a child safety framework in the Northern Territory.

Further the Northern Territory has not yet implemented a Reportable Conduct Scheme. 

A summary of the Northern Territory child safety legislative landscape is outlined below:

• Currently the Northern Territory has not enacted the National Principles into legislation
• The Office Of The Children’s Commissioner oversees Child Safe Organisations.
• Organisations across the Northern Territory that engage with children and young people should implement the National Principles to ensure that organisations are exercising best practice in child safety and mitigate the risk of harm to children and young people.
• The Northern Territory has currently not implemented a Reportable Conduct Scheme
• Organisations across the Northern Territory that engage with children and young people should ensure that they provide a child-focused and accessible complaints system so that the concerns about child abuse and harm can be properly reported and responded to by the organisation, including conducting thorough investigations of concerns.

Children and young people are inherently vulnerable to abuse and harm.  Children have a right to feel safe and be safe in all environments.  Exposing children and young people to abuse and harm may cause long-term trauma and impact their growth and development.  Organisations must take active steps to comply with their duty of care to mitigate risk of harm.