Unsung heroes of the child protection system celebrated

3 September 2023

This Child Protection Week, the NSW Government is recognising and celebrating the unsung heroes of our child protection system – the dedicated caseworkers and frontline staff who keep children safe.

Child Protection Week begins today and serves as an important reminder that safeguarding our children requires collective effort, urging every Australian to recognise their role in nurturing a safe environment for the younger generation.

At the heart of the NSW child safety system are more than 2,300 specialised caseworkers and frontline personnel who respond to the hundreds of child safety reports received by the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) every day.

DCJ’s Child Protection Helpline is the first touch point of the NSW child protection system. Helpline staff assess reports and work swiftly to ensure children are kept safe and families are supported.

The Helpline:

• operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week
• answers more than 140,000 calls each year
• answered more than 10,000 calls in July this year alone
• completed more than 16,500 assessments in July this year (including assessments in response to e-reports).

The NSW Government is committed to supporting and celebrating the thousands of dedicated frontline staff who keep children safe across NSW.

Child Protection Week runs from 3 to 9 September.

Minister for Families and Communities Kate Washington said:

“Child Protection Week is an opportunity to recognise the vital work caseworkers and frontline staff do every day to support children.”

“Caseworkers offer invaluable support to at-risk children and families, work that is often extremely complex and incredibly challenging.”

“Protecting our state’s most vulnerable children is not possible without the efforts of these workers.”

“I’ve been so impressed by the caseworkers I’ve met right across the state, including the team at the Child Protection Helpline in South West Sydney. They approach their difficult work with big hearts, driven by the desire to see children and families receive the support they need.”

“Thank you to our incredible Helpline staff at Liverpool and the tireless efforts of all child protection workers across DCJ and NSW."