For people having a work role or responsibility within Surf Life Saving SA, the Children's Protection Act 1993 requires/mandates that if they have a suspicion on reasonable grounds that a child or young person has been, or is being, abused or neglected that they have a personal responsibility to report that suspicion to Child Youth & Health Services Child Abuse Hotline on 13 14 78.

• you do not have to prove the abuse occurred, but merely develop a suspicion on reasonable grounds;
• you must accompany your report/notification with a statement (which may be verbal) of the observations, information and opinions upon which the suspicion is based;
• you are immune from civil liability for reporting your suspicion in good faith (Section 12 (a) Children's Protection Act 1993);
• for further information regarding the legislation or your responsibility, please read the Guidelines for Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect.

A mandatory reporter is someone who is required by law to make a report to the Department of Community Services (DoCS) or Police if they have concerns about the safety, welfare or well-being of a child.

Mandatory reporters are workers who deliver the following services to children as part of their work (although the laws covering mandatory reporting vary between states):

• Health care (e.g. doctors, psychologists)
• Welfare (e.g. social workers, youth workers)
• Education (e.g. teachers, lecturers)
• Children’s services (e.g.childcare workers, family day carers and home-based carers)
• Residential services (e.g. refuge workers)
• Law enforcement (e.g. police)

A mandatory reporter is also a person who holds a management position, either paid or voluntary, in any of the above services and whose duties include direct responsibility for, or direct supervision of, the provision of these services.

Mandatory Reporting Laws

South Australia

Under the Children's Protection Act 1993, the following persons are required to notify the Department of Human Services (Family and Youth Services) when they suspect on reasonable grounds that a child is being abused or neglected: medical practitioners; nurses; dentists; pharmacists; psychologists; police; probation officers; social workers; teachers; family day care providers; and employees of, or volunteers in, government departments, agencies or local government or non-government agencies that provide health, welfare, education, childcare or residential services wholly or partly for children.

See also : Nipper Safe