New offence for Failure to Disclose Child Sexual Abuse in effect from 27 October 2014

Important information for members from the Department of Human Services that we all should be aware of.

Dear sports club administrators

New Legislation – Child Sexual Abuse

The Department of Human Services have advised that a new offence for failure to disclose child sexual abuse came into force on Monday 27 October 2014.

This offence has been introduced as part of the first phase of the Government’s response to Betrayal of Trust, the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into the handling of Child Abuse by Religious and Other Non-government Organisations. Two other criminal offences have also been introduced as part of this first phase of implementation: a new offence of grooming, which commenced in April this year, and a new offence for failure to protect a child from sexual abuse, which is expected to come into force by 1 July 2015.

The new ‘failure to disclose’ offence 

Reporting child sexual abuse is a community-wide responsibility. Accordingly, a new criminal offence has been created in Victoria that imposes a clear legal duty upon all adults to report information about child sexual abuse to police.

Any adult who forms a reasonable belief that a sexual offence has been committed by an adult against a child under 16 has an obligation to report that information to police. Failure to disclose the information to police is a criminal offence. 

What is the penalty for failing to disclose child sexual abuse?

The maximum penalty is three years imprisonment. 

When will the failure to disclose offence take effect? 
27 October 2014. 

How do I contact Victoria Police to make a report? 
If you want to report a child in immediate risk or danger of sexual abuse please call Triple Zero (000) Alternatively, you can contact your local police station.

If you or someone you know has experienced child sexual abuse in an institutional context, we encourage you to contact Victoria Police's Sano Taskforce via email atsanotaskforce@police.vic.gov.au<mailto:sanotaskforce@police.vic.gov.au>

Further information is available in the attached Fact Sheets.

Please click the link attached. 
http://assets.justice.vic.gov.au/justice/resources/ea484f74-feb7-400e-ad68-9bd0be8e2a40/failure+to+disclose.pdf

More information can be found on the department of juctice website.

Please click the link attached. 
http://www.vic.gov.au/

Kind regards 

Peter Ryan 
Recreation Liaison Officer | Moreland City Council