Child Safety

Establish a culturally safe environment in which the diverse and unique identities and experiences of Aboriginal children and young people are respected and valued.

Description:

This standard requires schools to make sure Aboriginal children and young people feel safe.

The term ‘Aboriginal’ includes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It is important to be respectful of how individual children, students, their families and community refer to themselves, and use appropriate language.

Cultural safety includes being provided with a safe, nurturing and positive environment where Aboriginal children:

• feel comfortable being themselves
• feel comfortable expressing their culture, including their spiritual and belief systems
• are supported by carers who respect their Aboriginality and encourage their sense of self and identity

Student Wellbeing and Engagement Policy

Aboriginal Learning, Wellbeing and Safety Action Plan

Bullying Prevention Policy

Inclusion and Diversity Policy

Cultural Safety Tip Sheet

Ensure that child safety and well-being are embedded in school leadership, governance and culture.

Description:

This standard emphasises the vital role that school leaders and governing authorities have in establishing:

• a culture where child abuse and harm is not tolerated
• effective systems and processes to implement child safe policies and practices and manage child abuse risks

Schools must take deliberate steps to promote child safety and wellbeing and protect children by:

• embedding and promoting a child safety culture at all levels of the organisation
• school leaders actively modelling such a culture
• ensuring transparent governance arrangements

Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy

Student Safety Code of Conduct

Volunteers Policy

Child Safe Standards Risk Management

Records Management Policy

Child Safety Champions Guidance

Children and young people are empowered about their rights, participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously.

Description:

This standard supports schools to create a culture that values and promotes student participation. This includes:

• informing students about their rights and responsibilities in an age-appropriate way
• recognising the importance of friendships and peer support
• enabling students to actively participate in creating a culture that is safe for them and their peers

Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy

Student Wellbeing and Engagement Policy

Complaints Policy

Guidance for Child Safety Champions

PROTECT: Identify child abuse

Empowerment and participation of children

Families and communities are informed and involved in promoting child safety and wellbeing.

Description:

This standard highlights the importance of an open and transparent child safe culture for families and communities.

Schools must provide families and communities with accessible information about their child safe policies and practices and involve them in their approach to child safety and wellbeing.

Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy

How to Keep Children Safe

Equity is upheld and diverse needs are respected in policy and practice.

Description:

This standard focuses on creating environments where all children and young people feel welcome.

Equity is a state of fairness in which all children and young people can participate freely and equally in areas of life, regardless of their background, characteristics or beliefs. This means their safety is not dependent on their socio-economic, family or personal circumstances.

As part of this standard, schools must:

• recognise and respond to students’ diverse circumstances
• understand that some students are at higher risk of harm than others
• provide easy access to information
• adjust procedures to respond to different needs
• make sure complaints processes are child-friendly, culturally safe and easy to understand

Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy

Student Wellbeing and Engagement Policy

Bullying Prevention Policy

Safety of Children from Culturally & Linguistically Diverse Backgrounds

Safety of Children with a Disability

People working with children and young people are suitable and supported to reflect child safety and wellbeing values in practice.

Description:

This standard focuses on ensuring that people who work with children and young people are suitable and supported to act in a child safe way. Schools should make child safety and wellbeing a key consideration when recruiting staff and volunteers.

As part of this standard, schools must:

• develop robust procedures to ensure only suitable people work with children
• supervise staff and volunteers to ensure they prioritise the safety of children
• support staff and volunteers to understand their responsibilities

Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy

Volunteers Policy

Visitors Policy

Suitability for Employment Checks

Recruitment in Schools

Visitors in Schools

Volunteers in Schools

Ensure that processes for complaints and concerns are child focused.

Description:

This standard focuses on ensuring that schools have complaints processes that are child-focused, culturally safe and accessible to everyone.

Schools must have policies, procedures and practices to:

• have a complaints handling process focused on students and their safety needs
• take complaints and concerns seriously
• respond promptly and thoroughly
• identify and respond to all forms of child abuse
• report child abuse to relevant authorities, whether or not there is a legal obligation to report it

Complaints Policy

Child Safety Responding and Reporting Obligations Policy and Procedures

Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy

PROTECT identifying and responding to all forms of abuse in Victorian Schools

PROTECT identify child abuse

PROTECT identify and respond to student sexual offending

Staff and volunteers are equipped with the knowledge, skills and awareness to keep children and young people safe through ongoing education and training.

Description:

This standard focuses on building child safety knowledge, skills and awareness in staff, volunteers and school governing authorities.

All schools should deliver training to new and existing staff and volunteers. The training must be tailored to the needs of the school and the role the person performs at the school.

Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy

Volunteers Policy

Guidance for Child Safety Champions

Physical and online environments promote safety and wellbeing while minimising the opportunity for children and young people to be harmed.

Description:

This standard focuses on child safety and wellbeing in physical and online environments and ensuring that procurement also reflects child safety.

Schools need to have policies and strategies:

• for identifying and responding to risk and reducing or removing the risk of harm
• for online conduct and online safety
• ensuring that procurement policies for facilities and services ensure the safety of children and students

Schools must analyse and understand potential risks to students. It is important to think about risks created by school structure and culture, activities and physical and online environments.

Online technologies are constantly changing which presents significant challenges for schools, parents and carers. Online behaviour needs to be addressed in the Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy and Codes of Conduct to promote child safety.

Arrangements with external agencies also create child safety risks. They create opportunities for unknown people to have contact with students.

Yard Duty and Supervision Policy

Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy

Student Safety Code of Conduct

Volunteers Policy

Camps and Excursions Policy

Child Safety Risk Register

Procurement – Schools Policy

NDIS Funded Therapy in Schools

Digital Learning Policy

Acceptable Use Agreement

Implementation of the Child Safe Standards is regularly reviewed and improved.

Description:

This standard focuses on continuous improvement in child-safe policies, procedures and practices.

Schools must:

• regularly review and evaluate policies and strategies
• analyse child safety incident data
• share review findings with the school community

Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy

Volunteers Policy

Guidance for Child Safety Champions

Policies and procedures that document how schools are safe for children, young people and students.

Description:

This standard focuses on incorporating the 11 Child Safe Standards into school policies, procedures and practices, which work together to create a child-safe culture.

Schools should ensure these policies and procedures are:

• informed by community consultations so they are relevant to the school
• accessible to all
• informed by best practice
• championed by leaders
• well understood by those they apply to
• implemented effectively

Guidance for Child Safety Champions