Child wellbeing and protection laws in NSW

The Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998 (the Care Act) establishes the primary legislative framework for child protection in NSW. The Children’s Guardian Act 2019 (Children’s Guardian Act) and the Child Protection (Working with Children) Act 2012 also include important legislative provisions relating to children.

This Part includes the following sections:

• The Care Act
  • Objects of the Care Act
  • Principles of the Care Act
  • Permanent placement principles
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander principles
  • Child protection reporting
  • Care applications to the Children’s Court
  • Information sharing
  • Out-of-home care
• Child Protection (Offender Registration) Act 2000
• Child Protection (Working with Children) Act 2012
• Children’s Guardian Act 2019
  • Accreditation and monitoring of adoption service providers and out-of-home care (OOHC) agencies
  • Reportable conduct scheme
  • Official Community Visitors scheme
• Other legislation relating to children
  • NSW legislation relating to children and young people
  • Commonwealth legislation relating to children and young people