Child safety training for volunteers

The importance of compulsory child-safety training for volunteers, to ensure our institutions are safe for children and young people, is a foundational recommendation of Tasmania’s Commission of Inquiry.

Under child and youth safe legislation introduced after the Commission of Inquiry, volunteers must complete the training to retain their positions, by law.

Many public servants, including volunteers have been required to do two hours of this training, designed to improve the culture of organisations and equip adults to better protect children.

It is crucial to avoid the type of trauma experienced by children and young people, as was exposed in the Commission of Inquiry.

Such training requests and need for change must be communicated sensitively to encourage participation.

There can be no doubt the training is essential to bring about cultural change, to raise awareness of risks to children coming into contact with institutions, and the duty of those who work within them, to report.

These are difficult conversations, but we need to have them and continue, if we truly want to keep our children safe.

Nothing is more important.

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A child holding the hand of an adult.

Last updated: 26 February 2026