// Victim Resource Guide
In shared custody arrangements, children's bags, toys, and belongings move between households. An abuser can use this to place GPS trackers that reveal your location and audio recording devices that capture your private conversations — including discussions with your solicitor. Audio recording is especially common in contested family law matters.
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// 01 - The Two Threats
When a child moves between two households, they can unknowingly carry two distinct types of surveillance device. The first reveals where you are. The second reveals what you say. In the context of family law proceedings, the second is frequently the more damaging.
A tracker in a child's bag reports your location continuously. If you have moved to a new address, a single handover exposes it. If you are visiting a lawyer, a support worker, or a refuge, that visit is logged. Your movements become an open record your abuser controls.
A recording device carried by a child into your home captures everything said inside it. Conversations with your solicitor. Discussions about your legal strategy. What you have told your support worker. Private calls. Arguments you did not know were being recorded. In family court, this material can be selectively edited and presented as evidence.
Location tracking tells an abuser where you are. Audio recording tells them what you are planning. In contested family law matters — property settlements, custody arrangements, AVO proceedings — knowing your legal strategy in advance provides an enormous tactical advantage. Recordings made without consent are inadmissible in most Australian courts, but that does not stop them being used to inform the other party's approach, coaching of witnesses, or decisions about timing and escalation.
// 02 - What Audio Devices Look Like
Audio recording devices concealed in children's belongings are designed to be invisible. They do not need a power source if they use a battery, and they do not need a network connection if they record locally to memory. The most common forms include:
A small recording module sewn into the base or lining of a school bag is completely invisible without cutting the fabric. Battery-powered units this size can record continuously for 20 to 40 hours before requiring retrieval. At each handover, the device is collected, the recording downloaded, and the device returned sewn back in.
Invisible without physical inspectionA recording module hidden inside a stuffed animal is among the most commonly reported methods. The toy is introduced as a gift or comfort object, travels with the child, and is placed naturally in the child's bedroom or living area — directly in the room where the most conversation happens.
Placed as a gift or comfort objectPencil cases, calculator cases, and ruler cases have been used to conceal recording modules. These items sit on desks and benchtops in the home, often near where adults work or have conversations.
Desk and surface placementUSB sticks, small portable chargers, and similar objects that look entirely normal can contain a recording module. These are harder to identify because they are plausible as ordinary items a child might carry.
Disguised as ordinary items// 03 - What to Check After Every Handover
Make this a quiet routine after every handover — frame it to the child as tidying up or organising their things. Do it outside the home, at the car or at the front door, before bringing any belongings inside.
Check all pockets. Run your hands along the base and lining, feeling for any hard object or unusual stiffness. Seams that look newer than the surrounding fabric may indicate something has been sewn in. An audio recorder this size feels like a small flat rectangle — roughly the size of a USB stick or smaller.
Feel every surface of lining and baseSqueeze the entire toy methodically, feeling for any hard object inside. A recording module feels like a small hard rectangle. Check for stitching that looks newer or a different colour from the original. If the toy feels heavier than you would expect, take note.
Feel for hard internal objectsOpen everything and check inside. An unusual object in a pencil case — something that does not belong — should be treated with caution. Do not plug in any USB device you do not recognise.
Open and inspect all contentsCheck every pocket in jackets, hoodies, and outer clothing. Feel along the lining of jackets where devices can be slipped into the seam.
Every pocket and liningAirGuard detects Bluetooth trackers in seconds. Run a scan while still outside. If it detects an unknown device travelling with you, do not enter the home — contact Safe Sweep first so the device can be professionally located and documented before removal.
Outside, before entering// 04 - Protecting Your Conversations
If you suspect a recording device may have entered your home through your child's belongings, do not wait for a sweep before adjusting how you communicate. Until a professional sweep confirms your home is clear:
Any conversation with your solicitor, barrister, or legal team should take place outside the property — at their office, on a walk, or in a vehicle you are confident is clean. Do not have these conversations by phone inside the home.
Critical if in active proceedingsTell your solicitor you suspect audio surveillance. They need to know this immediately. It may affect how they communicate with you, what they put in writing versus say verbally, and how they approach any upcoming hearings or negotiations.
Tell them nowUntil a sweep is complete, keep bags, toys, and belongings that travel between households in a single contained area — ideally near the front door rather than in the main living area or any room where significant conversations take place.
Contain the risk// 05 - Legal Position
Recording a person without their consent is an offence under surveillance laws in all Australian states and territories. This applies regardless of whether the recording was obtained through a child's belongings or directly. Evidence obtained through covert recording is generally inadmissible in Australian courts.
However, inadmissibility does not undo the tactical damage. An abuser who knows your legal strategy, your financial position, or the content of your private communications can use that knowledge to inform their own approach — coaching witnesses, timing applications, or applying pressure at vulnerable moments — without ever producing the recording in court.
If you find a recording device, it is itself evidence of an offence. A professionally documented Safe Sweep report establishes chain of custody for the device and can support criminal charges, AVO applications, and family court proceedings. Contact us and your solicitor before removing anything.
If you are in active family law proceedings and you suspect you have been recorded, tell your solicitor before your next hearing or negotiation. They need this information to advise you properly and to protect the integrity of your legal position.
If you suspect a device may have entered your home, a Safe Sweep will locate it, document it professionally, and advise on the safest next steps — working alongside your legal team if needed.
We can sweep belongings, your vehicle and your home before the next handover.