Reporting requirements for all victims

We can give financial assistance to eligible victims of violence, but the violence must be reported before you apply.

All victims—except special primary victims—must report the violence to police. You can report violence to the Queensland Police Service yourself or someone else may be able to report it for you.

Special primary victims

A special primary victim is a person who:

• was a child when the violence happened
• has impaired capacity
• is being threatened or intimidated by the offender or someone else.

Victims of the following offences are also special primary victims:

• sexual offences
• offences committed by a person in a position of power, influence, or trust
• domestic violence that happened after 1 July 2017.

Before applying for financial assistance, a special primary victim can report the violence to:

• a doctor, counsellor, psychologist, psychiatrist or domestic violence service
• police.

All other victims must report the violence to police before applying for financial assistance.

Supporting information

Reports to police

If you reported to police, the application form will ask you for:

• your police reference number (called a QP number)
• the police station that you reported the violence to.

This helps us find your police report. It’s okay if you don’t know this information. We can still find your police report another way.

You don’t need to provide a copy of your statement or any other police documents with your application. We’ll get the documents we need directly from police.

Reporting for special primary victims

If you are a special primary victim, you need to tell us on the application form which service or agency you reported the violence to.

The service or agency needs to:

• complete a special primary victim report

or

• provide a letter, medical records or case notes that tell us
  • the date you first reported the violence to the worker
  • the date (or date range) the violence happened (an approximate date is okay)
  • a brief description of what happened
  • the name of the offender (optional)
  • details of any injuries and adverse impacts that were directly caused by the act of violence.

Mandatory reporting

Some people have mandatory reporting obligations to protect vulnerable people from future abuse.

• Mandatory reporters must report any abuse against a child.
• If any adult believes a child has been, or is being, sexually abused they must report this to police or notify Child Safety—failing to report is an offence.

More information

• Report violence to police
• Report domestic violence to police
• Report adult sexual assault to police
• Report child abuse
• Report abuse to Office of the Public Guardian