• Specific laws regarding child protection vary according to state and territory in Australia.australia image by Orlando Florin Rosu from Fotolia.com
  
  Children are often the most vulnerable members of society. When they are mistreated, it is sometimes the place of government officials to step in and protect them, especially when harm comes from family members. As with many other governments, Australian legislators have created a number of laws specifically to protect children. However, because each state or territory is in charge of its own child protective services, specific laws vary according to location in Australia.
  
  

Australian Capital Territory

• In this territory, four different territorial agencies deal with child protection. This includes Housing and Community Services, the Department of Disability, the Office for Children, and Youth and Family Support Services. (See References 1) In addition to these resources, the primary piece of legislation dealing with child protection in the Australian Capital Territory is the Child and Young People Act of 2008. The main objectives of this piece of legislation include protecting the well-being of children in all environments (at home, in school, as youth offenders, and in employment), to protect them from abuse and neglect, and to provide government equipped to actually help. (See References 2)
  
  

New South Wales

• In this state, it is the Department of Community Services that deals primarily with child protective services. (See References 1) Though there have been a number of amendments, the same piece of legislation created for child protection in 1998 still regulates protection in the state. The law is called the Children and Young Persons Care and Protection Act of 1998. This act, as the name implies, is in place to care for children that are currently in New South Wales, to provide for children’s safety and well-being, and to ensure that children at institutions and at home are adequately being provided for in “safe and nurturing environment(s).” (See References 3)
  
  

Northern Territory

• Children, Youth and Families services and The Department of Health and Families are two of the most prominent government institutions concerned with child protection in the Northern Territory. The major act regulating child protection is the Care and Protection of Children Act of 2007. (See References 1) As with other acts of this kind in Australia, this act also seeks to “protect children from harm and exploitation” and to “maximise the opportunities for children to realise their full potential.” Additionally, this act seeks to assist families and those working with children to attain these goals. (See References 4)
  
  

Queensland

• In Queensland, child protection services are provided by the Department of Communities; the 1999 Child Protection Act regulates what child protection should entail within the state. (See References 1) As simply stated within the act itself, “(t)he purpose of this Act is to provide for the protection of children,” which it does through such methods by providing information on childcare needs to families or removing children from abusive or neglectful homes. (See References 5)
  
  

South Australia

• The Department for Families and Communities is the South Australian government body that protects children, using the 1993 Children’s Protection Act as the basis for these services. This department ensures that children are safe from harm, are able to thrive, and are placed with family members whenever possible. (See References 1)
  
  

Tasmania

• Tasmanian child protection services are rendered by Child Protection Services and the Department of Health and Human Services. It is the Child, Young Persons and their Families Act of 1997 that entails the major child protection legislation in the area, with the same goals as previously mentioned child protective acts in Australia. (See References 1)
  
  

Victoria

• In Victoria, the Children Protection and Juvenile Justice Branch and Department of Human Service deals with child protection, under the Children, Youth and Families Act of 2005. (See References 1)
  
  

Western Australia

• The Children and Community Services Act of 2004 is enforced by Western Australia’s Department for Child Protection, in order to protect children in similar circumstances as with other child protection legislation in Australia. (See References 1)