Our Government is absolutely committed to ensuring the future protection of our children and young people.
As part of this ongoing commitment, I am continuing to progress the establishment of a Child and Youth Safe Organisations Framework (the Framework) for Tasmania, in line with the recommendations from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
The Framework will include legislatively mandated Child and Youth Safe Standards and a Reportable Conduct Scheme; and a project plan, released today, provides the blueprint to accelerate its development and ensure it can be implemented as quickly as possible.
Legislation to establish the Framework is the first step and I expect this will be released for public consultation next month.
This will include establishing the independent regulator that will monitor compliance with the Child and Youth Safe Standards and organisational responses to reportable conduct.
It is expected these independent functions will commence from 1 July 2023.
There are an extensive range of organisations, services, businesses, clubs and associations required to comply with the Framework, and the Government and the independent regulator will work with impacted sectors to ensure that organisations are supported through this process.
This will include a comprehensive consultation strategy, along with providing resources and tailored approaches to supporting compliance, with the safety of children and young people at the forefront.
It is estimated that up to 8000 child-related services, including Government Agencies, community services, businesses, clubs and associations will be required to comply with the Framework from 2024.
The work to embed the Framework within these organisations and the Tasmanian community will take time. Each organisation and association will be at different levels of maturity and readiness, and there is a need to identify what guidance and support is necessary to ensure there is long-term cultural change.
A Lived Experience Advisory Panel is also being established to inform the development and implementation of the Framework, which we expect will commence on January 1 2024.
More information on this project is available at www.justice.tas.gov.au/cysof