Mandatory Reporting Policy

 

This policy is designed to work alongside the KTC Member Protection Policy and Child Safety Policy. It explains, honestly and specifically, what Western Australian law requires KTC to report, and what KTC commits to beyond that legal minimum.

 

1. PurposeThis policy sets out, clearly and accurately, KTC's position on reporting child safety concerns to authorities — what Western Australian law requires, and what KTC commits to as a matter of its own standard, regardless of that legal minimum.KTC would rather be precise about this than vague. Overstating a legal obligation is just as unhelpful as understating one — both leave people unsure what will actually happen if they raise a concern. This policy is written to remove that uncertainty.

 

2. What Western Australian Law RequiresMandatory reporting in Western Australia is governed by the Children and Community Services Act 2004 (WA). It requires a specific, named list of professions to report reasonable beliefs of child sexual abuse to the Department of Communities. As of 1 May 2025, this list is complete at 14 professions:

WA's 14 legally mandated reporter groups (child sexual abuse only)

DoctorsNurses and midwivesTeachers (including TAFE lecturers)

Police officers

Psychologists

School counsellors

Boarding supervisors

Ministers of religion

Out-of-home care workers

Early childhood workers

Departmental officers (Dept. of Communities)

Assessors appointed under s125A of the Act

Youth justice workers (justice/custodial system roles only)

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A sports coach, program founder, or general youth worker is not on this list.

Youth justice worker refers specifically to roles within the youth justice and custodial system — youth justice officers, youth parole officers and youth justice custodial workers — not community youth work, sport-based youth development, or similar roles.

 

This means Todd Stewart, KTC's coaches, and KTC's volunteers are not currently legally mandated reporters under Western Australian law.

This is a factual statement about legal classification, not a description of how seriously KTC treats child safety.

Western Australia's mandatory reporting duty is also narrower in scope than some other states — it applies to reasonable belief of child sexual abuse specifically. It does not extend, as a legal duty, to physical abuse, neglect, emotional abuse, or exposure to family violence, though KTC's own commitment in Section 3 is not limited in the same way.

 

3. What KTC Commits to, Regardless

Any person in Western Australia — mandated or not — is legally entitled to make a voluntary report about a child safety concern, and receives the same protections of confidentiality and immunity from liability as someone under a legal duty to report.KTC chooses to hold itself to the same standard as a mandated reporter, and goes further than the legal minimum in two ways:

• KTC will report any reasonable concern that a child has been, or is at risk of being, sexually abused — matching the legal threshold that applies to mandated reporters

• KTC will also report reasonable concerns involving physical abuse, neglect, emotional abuse, or exposure to family violence — even though Western Australian law does not require this of a mandated reporter, let alone someone outside the mandated listThis commitment applies to Todd Stewart, and to every coach, volunteer and staff member engaged by KTC. It is a condition of involvement with KTC, set out in the KTC Member Protection Policy and the relevant KTC handbook.

 

4. How a Report Is MadeWhere a concern meets the threshold in Section 3, KTC will report it as follows:

• Immediate danger to a child — contact WA Police on 000 first, without delay

• Sexual abuse — reported to the Department of Communities' Mandatory Reporting Service, using the same process a legally mandated reporter would follow

• Other serious concerns (physical abuse, neglect, emotional abuse, exposure to family violence) — reported to WA Police or the Department of Communities Child Protection and Family Support (Crisis Care WA, 1800 199 008 after hours)

 

A report is made regardless of whether the person affected, or their family, wishes to proceed. This sits above and outside KTC's Complaints Handling Procedure — a report to authorities is not a substitute for, or dependent on, an internal complaint being lodged.

 

5. Confidentiality and Protection for the ReporterAnyone who raises a concern in good faith — whether it becomes a formal report or not — is protected from victimisation under the KTC Member Protection Policy. Details of a report are kept confidential and shared only with the relevant authority and those who genuinely need to know.

 

6. ReviewThis policy is reviewed annually, or sooner if Western Australian mandatory reporting law changes, or if a review of Section 2's classification list is needed following any legislative update. Feedback on this policy is welcome at any time and can be raised directly with Todd Stewart.