Strengthening child safety responses for Tasmanian children and young people

Improvements to the Strong Families Safe Kids Advice and Referral Line are delivering enhanced safety responses for Tasmanian children and young people.

The Advice and Referral Line now screens and triages contacts to the service to provide a greater focus on concerns about children and young people who may be experiencing, or are at risk of experiencing, abuse, neglect, or family violence.

It will be supported by a new Family Referral Hub, which will help direct people with child wellbeing concerns to the most appropriate services and supports in cases where there is no immediate risk of harm.

Minister for Children and Youth, Jo Palmer, said the changes mean children, young people and their families receive the right support, at the right time.

“Every child and young person in Tasmania deserves to be safe, heard and protected,” Minister Palmer said.

“The Advice and Referral Line has been a vital part of Tasmania’s child safety system since 2018, helping connect children, young people and families with the support they need.

“Over time, the service has taken on a very broad range of enquiries, and a 2024 review made it clear that this was creating pressure on the system.

“A high number of calls were not related to a specific child safety issue, which meant staff were managing a significant volume of matters outside the core purpose of the service.”

Recent improvements have reduced wait times from an average of more than 6.5 minutes in 2024 to around 30 seconds in 2026, as well as a reduction in cases awaiting allocation from more than 2000 in 2024 to an average of 26 in 2026.

“The next stage of improvements are delivering better outcomes for children and young people and will further streamline the service, improve efficiency and, most importantly, strengthen child safety across Tasmania,” Minister Palmer said.

“As part of our 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future, our Government is continuing to invest in reforms that strengthen child safety and ensure vulnerable children and young people receive the support they need.”

For more information about the changes to the ARL, visit the Strong Families Safe Kids website at strongfamiliessafekids.tas.gov.au/about-the-advice-and-referral-line

If you believe, suspect or know a child (including unborn) or young person is or has been abused or neglected call the Advice and Referral Line on 1800 000 123 and call Police on 131 444.

If there is an immediate threat to the safety or wellbeing of a child (including unborn) or young person contact police or seek emergency medical assistance by calling 000 immediately and call the Advice and Referral Line on 1800 000 123.