A big change is coming for Queensland services that work with children. From 1 July 2026, the Reportable Conduct Scheme begins a staged rollout — changing how services report, investigate and respond to concerns about staff and volunteers.
For early learning services, this isn’t a peripheral compliance update. It sits at the centre of what we already care about most: keeping children safe and building the kind of culture where concerns are surfaced, taken seriously and handled well.
Below, we’ve unpacked the scheme in plain language — what it is, who it applies to, what “reportable conduct” actually means, the obligations it places on service leaders, and the dates you need to plan around.
What is the Reportable Conduct Scheme?
The scheme traces back to the Royal Commission’s 2017 Final Report, which recommended a mechanism to improve the way institutions handle complaints about child sexual abuse. The intent was to lift the standard across three areas in particular:
- Complaint handling policies and procedures
- Investigation standards
- Reporting where abuse is known or suspected
In practice, the scheme requires certain organisations to report and investigate concerns about the conduct of their staff and volunteers in relation to their work with children. In Queensland, that means notifying the QFCC when allegations or convictions involving an employee or volunteer amount to reportable conduct.
It’s worth sitting with the “why” here. Strong reporting and investigation systems aren’t about catching services out — they’re about making sure that when something does arise, it’s met with a consistent, transparent and child-centred response. That’s a standard most of us would aspire to, regardless of legislation.
Does the scheme apply to my service?
A question many service leaders will ask: “Does this actually apply to us?”
The scheme applies to organisations known as reporting entities — those with a high degree of responsibility for children, or that engage in activities involving a heightened risk to children. That risk can stem from the type of institution, the nature of the activities undertaken, or the vulnerability of the children the organisation engages with.
The categories of organisations captured are set out in Schedule 2 of the Child Safe Organisations Act 2024.
There’s an important connection to make here too: any organisation required to comply with the Reportable Conduct Scheme must also meet the Child Safe Standards. The two work hand in hand. Rather than treating them as separate compliance exercises, the services that fare best will see them as part of a single, coherent approach to child safety and culture.
What counts as “reportable conduct”?
This is the heart of the scheme, and the part worth understanding most precisely. “Reportable conduct” includes:
- A child sexual offence
- Sexual misconduct committed in relation to, or in the presence of, a child
- Ill-treatment of a child
- Significant neglect of a child
- Physical violence committed in relation to, or in the presence of, a child
- Behaviour that causes significant emotional or psychological harm to a child
Reportable conduct can occur through a single act or omission, or a series of them.
Equally important is what it does not capture. Reportable conduct does not include conduct that is reasonable for the discipline, management or care of a child, taking into account the child’s characteristics (such as age, developmental stage and health) and any applicable code of conduct or professional standard.
That distinction matters. A confident, well-trained team understands the line between reasonable care and reportable conduct, and knows that clarity here protects children, staff and the service alike. Building that shared understanding is a leadership task as much as a compliance one.
Your responsibilities as a service leader
If you’re the head of a Child Safe Organisation, the scheme places clear responsibilities on your shoulders. Knowing them now makes them far less daunting later. You’ll be required to:
- Ensure systems are in place to prevent reportable conduct, and to report, investigate and respond to reportable allegations and convictions against your workers
- Notify the QFCC of reportable allegations or convictions
- Arrange an investigation of the allegation or conviction, and provide a final report to the QFCC
- Provide information as requested by the QFCC
There’s one point that deserves particular attention. If your organisation becomes aware of alleged conduct that may be — or is — criminal, it must report the matter to police promptly. A police investigation takes priority over any Reportable Conduct Scheme investigation. Even so, your service must still take steps to protect children’s safety and wellbeing, and may take interim risk-management action — provided that action does not prejudice the police investigation.
This is where preparation pays off. The services that handle these moments well are the ones that built clear systems, defined roles and a confident culture before they were ever needed.
Mark your calendar: Key Date
Timing is everything with a staged rollout, so here are the dates to plan around:
- 1 July 2026 — the Reportable Conduct Scheme commences, introduced through a staged approach
- 1 July 2027 — all reporting organisations are required to comply
Because the rollout is staged, some organisations will come into the scheme earlier than others. The QFCC’s Implementation in Queensland page sets out which organisations are required to implement the scheme, and the phases involved.
Here’s the practical takeaway: the window between now and your start date is your runway. It’s the time to review and strengthen your systems, update policies, train your team, and embed the culture that makes reporting and responding feel like second nature rather than a scramble.
A scheme that begins in 2026 is really a planning conversation for today. The services that use this lead time well will be the ones that transition with the least disruption.
Feeling unsure? You don’t have to navigate this alone
New schemes can feel like one more weight on already-full shoulders. If the Reportable Conduct Scheme has you wondering where to even start, you’re not alone.
At Astute, we know early childhood. We’ve walked alongside services through change long enough to know that uncertainty is part of the landscape. Our work spans early learning compliance, operations, governance and more — and our focus is always on turning complex obligations into clear, practical action.
When it comes to the Reportable Conduct Scheme, that might mean helping you understand exactly what applies to your service, reviewing and strengthening your systems and policies, getting your team ready, and connecting it all with your Child Safe Standards obligations so it works as one coherent approach.
