You will need to provide enough detail to identify the child or young person and give context to your report, including:

• the child’s full name as well as their
  • date of birth or age
  • current address
  • contact number
  • school/kindergarten/ child care centre
  • ethnicity (ie Aboriginal, kinship group, non-English speaking)
• who are the parents, do they all live in the same house, are there siblings in the house?
• alleged perpetrator’s name, age, address, relationships to the child or children, current whereabouts
• current whereabouts of the child or children of concern
• details of when the next expected contact with the alleged perpetrator will occur
• if there are any family court orders, apprehended violence orders or domestic violence orders in place.

You will be asked to provide details about yourself including:

• your full name, job title, agency name or address, contact number
• your relationship to the child or children of concern
• type of contact you have with the family, frequency and last time you saw the child or children
• if are you working with the child or the family, and If so, in what capacity.

You will also need to provide your reasons for contacting the child abuse report line. Questions may include:

• Are the caregivers aware that a report is being made?
• Have you given any expectation of action to the child?
• What action are you expecting the department to take?
• What action can you take?
• What action have you already taken, what impact has that had and how has it helped?

You will also be asked about the child’s family and family history, including issues like:

• domestic violence
• drug and alcohol use or abuse
• violence to people outside the family
• relevant health factors
• extended family or other support networks
• child care arrangements
• nature of involvement with any agencies
• mental health issues/presentations and details of diagnosis if known
• physical or intellectual disability.

When problem sexual behaviour is being reported, specific details of the behaviour are required including:

• type, context, frequency
• who the child or young person is engaging in sexual behaviour with (ie is it evident there is a power imbalance?)
• responses to behaviour (ie parents, school, parent’s understanding of the behaviour, family attitudes to sexuality, appreciation of child’s possible disability, mindfulness of age appropriate behaviour).

A report can also be made for a child or young person of compulsory school age who is not enrolled, or has been persistently absent from school without an acceptable explanation.

• 'Persistently absent' means there is a pattern of absenteeism that is enduring or ongoing in nature (an enduring pattern does not require extended consecutive absences).
• An 'acceptable explanation' would give confidence about the child's safety and wellbeing and the certainty of the child's return to school at the earliest practicable time.

Where a report is being made for a child or young person under these circumstances it's useful to consider the following:

• Is the school aware of the circumstances for this child?
• Are you aware of any actions being undertaken to support this child by the school or other agencies?
• Are the Department for Education's local Support Services involved?
• Have you gained information from the family or child/young person themselves?

Where the circumstances of non-attendance meet the criteria for High Risk Chronic Non-Attenders, a notification can only be made by a Team Leader from the Department for Education Support Services. This also requires that there has been a prior referral to the local Social Worker, Truancy.

You will be asked some final questions before completing the report:

• what prompted you to call? (if this is not already obvious)
• are the caregivers aware a report is being made?
• is the child or are the children aware a report has been made? What was their response?