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Important

New version effective 20 April 2026

This is the new version of the licensing criterion and associated guidance.

Criterion HS222 #

A written child protection policy and procedure is implemented that meets the requirements of the Children's Act 2014.

The policy and procedure contain provisions for:

•    the identification and reporting of child abuse and neglect
•    information about how the service will keep children safe from abuse and neglect; and
•    how the service will respond to suspected child abuse and neglect.

The policy and procedure must be reviewed every 3 years to assess how well it has supported or would support the service's response to child abuse and neglect.

Documentation required (written or digital)#

  1. A written child protection policy that contains:
    • provisions for the service's identification and reporting of child abuse and neglect;
    • information about the practices the service employs to keep children safe from abuse and neglect; and
    • information about how the service will respond to suspected child abuse and neglect.
  2. A procedure that sets out how the service will identify and respond to suspected child abuse and/or neglect.
  3. Evidence the service has reviewed the policy and procedure every 3 years. As part of the review, the service must evaluate how well the policy and procedure works using at least one example of either:
    • how well the policy and procedure has supported the service to respond; or
    • how well the policy and procedure would support the service to respond using a hypothetical scenario.

Guidance#

Important

Anyone who believes that a child or young person has been, or is likely to be, harmed, ill-treated, abused, (whether physically, emotionally, or sexually), neglected, or deprived, or who has concerns about the well-being of a child or young person can make a report of concern. 

Worried about a child? Tell us | Oranga Tamariki — Ministry for Children

How to show you are complying#

You need to have a child protection policy and procedure that is consistent with the Children's Act's 2014. 

The policy must include: 

  • a definition of child abuse and neglect to support awareness of what to look for  
  • information about how your service will keep children safe from abuse and neglect
  • how your service will respond to suspected child abuse and neglect. 

The procedure must describe:

  • signs of abuse or neglect to look out for
  • what to do if anyone suspects a child is being abused or neglected which includes any disclosures made by a child
  • the steps to follow to report suspected or identified child abuse or neglect, and the appropriate agencies to contact.  

See the tools to help you comply for guidance to help you develop a policy including a checklist and an example policy. 

Review

You must review your child protection policy and procedure at least every three years.

You must consider how the policy and procedure will support your service to protect children and respond quickly when a child needs to be kept safe.  

You can use one of the example scenarios in the tools section or reflect on a real situation where you used your policy to respond to concerns about a child. 

To meet Criterion GMA201 – Information provided to parents, your child protection policy and procedures should be made available to parents and whānau. 

GMA201 – Information provided to parents