Improvements to the way information and data about families facing complex issues is managed will be delivered under a significant investment by the State Government with $14.9m from the Digital Investment Fund going towards the project’s first stage.

Known as the KidSafe Connect program, the first stage of a digital and business transformation initiative – due to be completed by the end of June 2027 – will begin the process of replacing the current Connected Client and Case Management System (C3MS), which is used to record and share crucial information about children and their families.

Both the Nyland Royal Commission and Mal Hyde Review recommended replacing the department’s current system.

KidSafe Connect will modernise the child protection and family support system’s information technology over several years with a focus on efficiency. During the transition, existing systems will receive necessary upgrades.

The Department for Child Protection will explore how new technologies could complement and improve best practice on the frontline. 

KidSafe Connect aligns with key reform themes such as working to improve transparency and service delivery for vulnerable populations, along with achieving better outcomes for Aboriginal children and young people.

KidSafe Connect sits alongside the recent budget announcement of an additional $2million to boost staffing numbers in the Child Abuse Report Line (CARL), with six additional staff to join the contact centre, ensuring calls about children’s safety and wellbeing are answered faster and the Department’s capacity is boosted.

The KidSafe Connect program follows the recent launch of DCP’s new eCARL system – the online portal for reporting concerns about children’s welfare, which was funded through a $750,000 cash injection from the Digital Investment Fund.

eCARL sits together with the Child Abuse Report Line (CARL), with the upgrades allowing call centre staff to answer more calls, more quickly than before.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Child Protection Katrine Hildyard

This critical and groundbreaking project will help ensure that our brilliant workforce has a reliable system in place to help them respond to the complex needs of families, children and young people, now and into the future.

KidSafe Connect will improve the process of recording and updating matters which will improve efficiency and ultimately help deliver better outcomes for those who need us most.

We have listened to staff who have said they need a better solution to record and share information as part of their duties to help keep children and young people safe and we are responding through significant investment and a detailed, long-term plan to help ensure best possible practice and systems into the future.

We are reforming every aspect of the child protection and family support system and this change and investment is an important part of the transformative work we are undertaking.

Quotes attributable to Jackie Bray, Department for Child Protection Chief Executive

The digital shift in child protection isn’t just about IT. It's about a smarter, safer, and more connected system for the future.

This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reshape child protection for the better – and we’re committed to getting it right.

The program will help us leverage technology to reduce administrative processes, so staff can spend more time supporting children and families to thrive.

Quotes attributable to Phillipa Paxton, Department for Child Protection Acting Regional Director, Central Region

KidSafe Connect will allow the workforce to be supported by an IT system that’s fit-for-purpose and allows us to best respond to the needs of vulnerable children and their families.

It will help us boost the quality of our assessments by improving the way we manage and store information, so it’s accessible when we need it.

The project will explore opportunities to streamline the sharing of information and data with our partner agencies, increasing children’s safety and allowing us to make timely decisions to support families.