Public Consultation by National Office for Child Safety
Public consultation to inform the design and delivery of a national point of referral under the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse 2021-2030 is now open.
The closing date for the online survey and written submissions is Friday 17 November 2023.
Child sexual abuse is a challenging issue and may bring up strong feelings. A list of support services can be found below or on the Get Support page of the National Office for Child Safety website.
On 27 October 2021, the Australian Government launched the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Child Sexual Abuse 2021-2030 (National Strategy), and committed $307.5 million for implementing 62 measures under the National Strategy’s First National Action Plan (NAP) and First Commonwealth Action Plan.
NAP Measure 7 is intended to establish a national point of referral to help victims and survivors of child sexual abuse, practitioners and the general public to navigate the service system and access information, resources and support services. The National Office for Child Safety (National Office) anticipates the referral point would not directly provide support services, but would be a central and holistic point of access to resources and referrals to targeted and broad support services.
Please find all the relevant information on the website here
Support services
Lifeline is a crisis support service for people who are feeling overwhelmed or having difficulty coping. You can call Lifeline on 13 11 14, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
13YARN (13 92 76) is an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander crisis support. You can call 13YARN on 13 92 76, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- Blue Knot Foundation (1300 657 380) – National service for anyone affected by complex trauma, available 9:00am – 5:00pm AEST/AEDT, Monday to Sunday.
- SAMSN –Supporting Male Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse (1800 472 676) – Provides free support to male victims and survivors of child sexual abuse, their families and supporters, available 9:00am – 5:00pm AEST/AEDT Monday to Friday.