What is child information sharing?
The Child Information Sharing Scheme (CISS) allows authorised organisations to share information to support child wellbeing or safety.
Many organisations already work together to do this. The Scheme has expanded legal permissions for professionals to share and request information from other professionals.
This ensures that professionals working with children, young people and families can gain a complete view of the children and young people they work with, making it easier to identify wellbeing or safety needs earlier, and to act on them sooner. This will allow children to receive the best support possible across services.
Who is an authorised organisation?
Information can only be shared under the Child Information Sharing Scheme by professionals at authorised organisations, known as Information Sharing Entities (ISEs).
ISEs include services that work with children, young people and families, such as:
- schools
- kindergartens
- long day care
- out of school hours care (OSHC)
- child protection
- youth justice
- maternal and child health
- public hospitals, and
- Victoria Police.
For a full list of ISEs, see Who can share information under the information sharing and MARAM reforms.
You can also search for specific organisations and their contact details on the ISE list.
See the ISE List User Guide (online version).
Who is covered?
All Victorian children and young people from 0-18 years of age are covered by the Child Information Sharing Scheme.
How Child Information Sharing works
Watch this animation for an overview of the Scheme and how it can be used to help improve the wellbeing or safety of children.
Understanding child wellbeing
For more information on how to use the Child Information Sharing Scheme to promote child wellbeing please visit the Understanding child wellbeing page.
What do I need to do?
Child Information Sharing Grants Program
The Child Information Sharing Capacity Building Grants Program (CIS Grants Program) aims to build workforce capability in using CISS to promote child wellbeing or safety.
For more information, including links to resources produced by grant recipients, please see Child Information Sharing Grants Program.
Child Link
Child Link is a digital tool that displays information about a child to authorised key professionals who have responsibility for child wellbeing and safety.
Together, Child Link and the Child Information Sharing Scheme will help give professionals the clarity and tools they need to share vital information to help improve outcomes for children and young people in Victoria.
To find out more information about Child Link, visit the Child Link page.
Child Information Sharing Scheme Reviews
Sections 41ZN and 41ZO of the Child Wellbeing and Safety Act 2005 require independent reviews of the operation of the Child Information Sharing Scheme within 2 and 5 years of commencement.
For more information, please see Child Information Sharing Scheme Reviews.
Further support
To enrol in training, sign in to the Information Sharing and MARAM Online Learning System.
To find out how to make a request under the Child Information Sharing Scheme and to access other resources, visit the guides, templates and tools page.
To access the range of resources developed for education and care workforces, visit the PROTECT website.
More information
For more information and support on information sharing and MARAM, please visit Frequently asked questions about information sharing and MARAM.
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