POSH

Official Reporting Pathways Australia

Know the right lane before panic takes over.
This page helps Australian parents understand which official reporting pathway fits the situation.

AUSTRALIA PATHWAYS
000
Police
ACCCE
eSafety
Platforms
Important:
POSH is an educational guide. It does not replace police, emergency services, legal advice, professional safeguarding advice, or official reporting pathways.
Australia reporting map
DANGER → POLICE. EXPLOITATION → ACCCE. ONLINE HARM → ESAFETY.

Parents often freeze because they do not know which door to open first. This page gives a simple map so you can act calmly, preserve what matters, and report to the right place.

If a child is in immediate danger, call 000.
Do not stay on a website trying to decide if the risk is happening now.

Immediate Danger ACCCE eSafety Platform Reports

1. Immediate danger: 000

If a child is in immediate danger, call 000.

Use emergency help if risk is active, physical, urgent, local, or happening now.

This includes threats to meet, stalking, known local offenders, real-world danger, or a child who may be unsafe right now.

Emergency safety comes before evidence collection, platform reporting, or research.

Call 000 First 24 Hours Australia Reporting What To Say

Simple Australian reporting map

000 / Police

Immediate danger, local risk, threats, stalking, known person risk, meeting plans, or urgent escalation.

ACCCE

Online child sexual exploitation, grooming, coercion, sexualised contact, exploitation concerns, or child sexual safety risk.

eSafety

Cyberbullying, image-based abuse, serious online abuse, illegal or restricted content, and platform-related online harm.

Some situations may need more than one pathway. If a child is at risk, do not rely only on blocking or platform reports.

2. ACCCE pathway

ACCCE is a key Australian pathway for reporting online child sexual exploitation concerns.

Report to ACCCE Evidence Guide Sextortion Exploitation Patterns

3. eSafety pathway

eSafety can assist with serious online abuse, cyberbullying, image-based abuse, illegal or restricted online content, and other serious platform-based harms.

Report to eSafety Image-Based Abuse Image Removal Guide Report Safely

4. Police pathway

Police should be involved where risk is immediate, local, escalating, connected to a known person, or could move into the real world.

If in doubt about immediate safety, choose protection first.

5. Platform reporting

Platform reports can help remove content, accounts, comments, messages, servers, or groups. They do not replace official reporting where the risk is serious.

Report the account, message, image, group, server, or profile inside the platform.

Save confirmation numbers, report emails, or screenshots of the report where possible.

Do not rely only on blocking if there are threats, exploitation, grooming, sexual requests, or meeting plans.

Block after key details are preserved unless immediate safety requires faster blocking.

Discord Snapchat Instagram TikTok YouTube

Before you report: protect and preserve

Protect the child
↓
Stop further replies where safe
↓
Preserve key details
↓
Choose official pathway
↓
Keep supporting the child
Do not let panic delete evidence, spread harmful material, or silence the child.
Evidence Guide Evidence Mistakes Report Safely Safe Adult Response

If images or fake images are involved

Do not forward, repost, or circulate sexualised images involving a child. Use official reporting and image removal pathways.

Image Removal Guide AI Deepfake Risk First-Day Photo Safety Take It Down

Best connected pages

Australia Reporting Reporting Hub First 24 Hours Evidence Guide
Sextortion Sadistic Online Exploitation Safe Adult Network Card Parent Scripts

Final POSH reminder

Emergency danger comes first.

Child sexual exploitation concerns need formal reporting.

Serious online harm may need eSafety and platform reporting.

The child needs calm support throughout the whole process.

Protect → Preserve → Report → Support