A report to the SCU or to Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Child Protection is to be made when an individual or organisation within the CRCA forms a belief on reasonable grounds that a child is in need of protection from physical injury or sexual abuse.

Here, the following guidelines from the DHS Child Protection Practice manual apply:

“Forming a Belief

To form a belief, the reporter must be aware of matters and hold any opinions in relation to those matters that lead them to reasonably believe a child is in need of protection  – Children, Youth and Families Act 

Reasonable Grounds

A ‘belief on reasonable grounds is formed if a reasonable person in the same position would have formed the belief on the same grounds’ – Children, Youth and Families Act .

For example, there may be reasonable grounds when:

• A child states that they have been physically or sexually abused
• A child states that they may know someone who has been physically or sexually abused (sometimes the child may be talking about themselves)
• Someone who knows the child states that the child has been physically or sexually abused
• Signs of physical or sexual abuse leads to a belief that the child has been abused”.