CoParentOS Child Safety Policy

Last updated: 19 June 2026

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Our Commitment

CoParentOS is committed to the safety and wellbeing of children. This policy sets out how we protect children's information, how we align with Australian child safety frameworks, and what we expect from everyone who works with or uses our platform.

We align with the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations, endorsed by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) and implemented across all Australian states and territories.

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1. The National Principles for Child Safe Organisations

The ten National Principles provide a framework for creating organisational cultures that prioritise child safety. CoParentOS's alignment with each principle is detailed below.

Principle 1 — Child safety is embedded in leadership and governance

Our commitment: The safety of children's information is a board-level concern. Our security and privacy policies explicitly classify child data as Tier 4 (Restricted) — the highest protection level. Any decision that could affect children's data requires executive review.

Principle 2 — Children participate in decisions affecting them

Our context: CoParentOS is an adult-to-adult platform. Children do not have accounts, do not log in, and do not interact with the Platform directly. Decisions about parenting arrangements are made by parents, ideally with input from their children in age-appropriate ways offline. The Platform records those arrangements — it does not replace the conversation.

Principle 3 — Families and communities are informed and involved

Our commitment: Parents — as the primary protectors of their children — control what child information enters the Platform and who can access it. We provide tools and guidance to help parents make informed decisions about their children's data.

Principle 4 — Equity is upheld and diverse needs respected

Our commitment: CoParentOS serves all families equally. The Platform does not discriminate based on family structure, cultural background, religion, disability, gender identity, or sexual orientation. We design for accessibility and inclusiveness.

Principle 5 — People working with children are suitable and supported

Our commitment: All CoParentOS personnel and contractors with potential access to child data must hold a current Working with Children Check (WWCC) for their state or territory. See Section 5 below.

Principle 6 — Child-focused complaints processes

Our context: The Platform is not used by children directly. However, we provide parents with tools to raise concerns about child-related data. Our complaints process (see our Privacy Policy) handles child data concerns with priority.

Principle 7 — Staff are trained to keep children safe

Our commitment: All personnel with access to child data complete child safety awareness training at onboarding and annually thereafter. Training covers mandatory reporting obligations, data minimisation practices, and handling of child-related data.

Principle 8 — Physical and online environments promote safety

Our commitment: The Platform's online environment is designed to protect children's information:

• No public profiles for children
• No searchability of child data
• Child data isolated within private households
• Row Level Security prevents cross-household access
• No direct messaging to or from children
• No social features, public feeds, or discoverability

Principle 9 — Continuous improvement

Our commitment: This policy is reviewed annually. We monitor changes to child safety legislation and best practice in all Australian jurisdictions. We welcome feedback at safety@coparentos.com.au.

Principle 10 — Policies and procedures document child safety

This policy and our suite of security and privacy documents serve that purpose.

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2. How the Platform Protects Children's Information

No Direct Child Access

CoParentOS does not allow children to:

• Create accounts
• Log in to the Platform
• Send or receive messages
• Upload documents
• View or modify records
• Interact with the Platform in any way

All child-related data is entered by an adult parent or legal guardian. The Platform's authentication system prevents anyone under 18 from creating an account (enforced at account creation through age verification).

Data Minimisation

We collect only the child information necessary for co-parenting administration:

We do not collect:

• Detailed medical records (parents may upload relevant documents voluntarily)
• Behavioural or psychological assessments (unless voluntarily uploaded by a parent as part of legal documentation)
• Biometric data
• Location tracking of children (handover geofencing tracks the parent's phone location at the agreed meeting point, not the child's location)

Storage and Access

• Child data is stored in Supabase PostgreSQL, encrypted at rest (AES-256) and in transit (TLS 1.3)
• Row Level Security ensures child data is only accessible within the household
• Audit logging tracks all access to and modification of child-related records
• Lawyer/professional access to child-related records requires explicit grant by a parent and is time-limited

Retention of Child Data

See our Data Handling Policy for detailed retention periods. Child-related records are retained until the youngest child in the household turns 25 (18 years + 7 years for any legal claims), after which they are securely deleted.

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3. Child Data in Legal and Mediation Contexts

CoParentOS records may be used as evidence in family law proceedings. When child-related data is used in this context:

• Parents control what is shared and with whom
• Lawyer access is granted per document or per document set, not blanket access
• All professional access is logged with timestamps and reasons
• Export functions produce court-ready bundles that include metadata (timestamps, parent attribution) supporting authenticity
• Parents should seek legal advice before sharing records with courts, lawyers, or mediators

Important: The Platform produces records — it does not interpret them. What those records mean in the context of a parenting dispute is a matter for the parents, their lawyers, and the court.

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4. Mandatory Reporting Awareness

CoParentOS is a technology platform, not a service working directly with children. However, any adult in Australia who forms a reasonable belief that a child has been, or is at risk of being, sexually abused has a legal obligation to report to police under relevant state and territory legislation.

Applicable legislation includes:

CoParentOS personnel who, in the course of their work, form a reasonable belief that a child has been or is at risk of being sexually abused, must report to the relevant police service or child protection authority. This obligation overrides any confidentiality provision.

We are not mandatory reporters in the traditional sense (we are not doctors, teachers, or social workers). However, we take the view that any adult who becomes aware of child sexual abuse has a moral and often legal obligation to report it. If a CoParentOS staff member becomes aware of such content through their work, they must escalate to the Child Safety Officer immediately.

Users who become aware of concerning content on the Platform should report it to safety@coparentos.com.au.

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5. Working with Children Check (WWCC) / Working with Vulnerable People (WWVP)

Policy

All CoParentOS personnel and contractors who may access child data must hold a current Working with Children Check (or equivalent) for their state or territory.

State/territory equivalents:

Verification

• WWCC status is verified before employment or contract commencement
• Renewal dates are tracked; personnel must provide updated clearance before expiry
• Contractors engaged through agencies must be covered by the agency's WWCC verification
• A record of WWCC status is maintained for all personnel with child data access

Exclusions

The Platform does not currently employ personnel who have direct, unsupervised contact with children. However, because personnel may access child information (names, dates of birth, schedules, school details), the WWCC requirement applies as a safeguard.

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6. Zero Tolerance for Misuse of Child Data

CoParentOS has zero tolerance for:

• Using child data for any purpose other than co-parenting administration
• Sharing child data outside the household without explicit consent (except as required by law)
• Creating accounts for, or impersonating, children
• Uploading inappropriate images or content involving children
• Using child data to harass, stalk, or intimidate any person
• Attempting to extract child data for commercial or malicious purposes

Any violation will result in immediate account termination and may be reported to law enforcement.

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7. Reporting Concerns

For Users (Parents)

If you become aware of misuse of child data on the Platform, or if you have concerns about a child's safety, contact:

• safety@coparentos.com.au — for Platform-related concerns
• Police: 000 (emergency) or 131 444 (non-emergency)
• Child Protection Helpline: See your state/territory's child protection service
• Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800 (for young people)
• 1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732 (family violence and sexual assault)
• Lifeline: 13 11 14 (crisis support)

For Staff and Contractors

If you become aware of concerning content or behaviour:

1. Immediately escalate to the Child Safety Officer
2. Do not investigate independently — this may compromise any official investigation
3. Document what you observed (date, time, record ID, description)
4. Do not discuss with others except as part of official reporting

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8. Child Safety Officer

CoParentOS designates a Child Safety Officer responsible for:

• Receiving and responding to child safety concerns
• Maintaining this policy
• Ensuring WWCC compliance across the team
• Liaising with law enforcement and child protection authorities when necessary

Contact: safety@coparentos.com.au

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9. Policy Review

This policy is reviewed:

• Annually (next review: June 2027)
• After any incident involving child data or child safety
• After legislative changes to child safety or mandatory reporting laws in any Australian jurisdiction

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Document Control

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References

• National Principles for Child Safe Organisations — Australian Human Rights Commission
• Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse — Final Report (2017)
• Working with Children Checks — Australia.gov.au summary
• State and territory child protection legislation (referenced in Section 4)