Child Link is a digital tool that displays factual information about Victorian children to authorised key professionals who have responsibility for child wellbeing and safety.
It shows limited but critical information about a child and their family including:
- the child’s name(s), date and place of birth and sex
- the name(s) of the child’s siblings and the names of parents or people who have day to day care of the child
- whether the child is identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- if the child or their sibling has a past or current child protection order
- details of any government childhood services the child has participated in, such as Maternal and Child Health (MCH), Supported Playgroups, kindergartens and schools.
It also displays key vulnerability indicators, such as whether the child or any of their siblings have been in out-of-home care.
Child Link draws all this information from existing government systems and consolidates it into a single entry for every child from birth to 18 in Victoria.
Child Link does not display a child’s address or contact details for the child or the child’s family. Child Link is not a case management system and does not contain any case notes, professional opinions, or detailed health records. The information on Child Link cannot be directly edited or amended by professionals who use Child Link.
What is Child Link?
How will Child Link help my organisation?
Having access to the information on Child Link will help eligible staff in your organisation to:
- identify needs, issues and vulnerabilities earlier so they can provide the support necessary to prevent escalation of harm
- make more informed decisions about the wellbeing, safety and support needs of the children they work with
- collaborate with other professionals, to provide more holistic services around a child and link up information to provide support earlier.
In this way, Child Link is a key enabler of the Child Information Sharing Scheme.
Who can access Child Link?
Security and privacy are core to the design of Child Link and strict safeguards are in place to protect information.
The key factual information about Victorian children displayed on Child Link can only be accessed by authorised Child Link Users. Each User’s level of access is based on their role.
As the Child Link Authoriser you are responsible for creating and managing the access of Child Link Users in your organisation. This is an important role that is key to maintaining the security of the system.
Levels of access
Authorisers and Users have different levels of access to information in Child Link.
Authorisers
Authorisers only have access to perform administration activities to manage Child Link Users in their organisation. You will only have access to information about children on Child Link if you are also a Child Link User. See Section 6: How do I become a Child Link User? for more information.
Child Link Users
Service-based access
Most Child Link Users will have service-based access and will be able to view information on the children attending or enrolled in their school or service, as well as the siblings of the children in their service.
Individualised access
Child Link Users whose role includes supporting specific children, who are eligible for targeted programs or services, will have individualised access.
Users with this level of access will be able to search for and view information on:
- children they have responsibility for, or
- children who may be eligible to receive specific supports and services.
They will need to provide specific details such as date of birth and full name to search for and access a child’s information.
Security, auditing and monitoring usage
As an Authoriser, you may request access to information about how your Child Link Users have been using Child Link. You may also be asked to determine if usage patterns align to the expectations for the person’s role.
All User activity on Child Link is monitored.
The department records and monitors access to and usage of Child Link by all Child Link Users. This includes periodic, semi-targeted audits of the usage of Child Link.
Child Link Users must only use and share information displayed in Child Link in accordance with the Child Link practice guidance and terms of use.
Unauthorised use of Child Link is an offence.
Investigation may also occur if a User’s access or usage varies from anticipated behaviour, and prompts auditing activities. Auditing may require the User to verify usage behaviour against their Child Link User purpose for access, use and disclosure.
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