Child
Officer Secondary College is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all students at the school.
Background:
On 26 November 2015, the Victorian Parliament passed the Child Wellbeing and Safety Amendment (Child Safe Standards) Bill 2015 to introduce child safe standards into law. The standards will commence from 1 January 2016 for most organisations working with children, with the aim of promoting cultural change in the way organisations manage the risk of child abuse and neglect.
The child safe standards are part of the Victorian Government’s response to the Betrayal of Trust Inquiry into the Handling of Child Abuse by Religious and other Non-Government Organisations. The Betrayal of Trust Report found that while the majority of children are safe in organisations and in the community, more work could be done to strengthen existing approaches to child safety.
The child safe standards aim to drive cultural change in organisations that provide services for children so that protecting children from abuse is embedded in everyday thinking and practice.
Policy
Officer Secondary College implements the Child Safe Standards to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all students at the College and promote an organisational culture that manages the risk of child abuse and neglect.
Our School has developed policies and procedures that aim to keep children safe. The standards will provide a framework to identify gaps and improve policy and practices around child safety.
Please see the Officer Secondary College Child Safe Policy:
- Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy
The Child Safe Standards
To create and maintain a child safe organisation, an entity to which the standards apply must have:
There are 11 Child Safe Standards:
- Standard 1: Culturally safe environments – Establish a culturally safe environment in which the diverse and unique identities and experiences of Aboriginal children and young people are respected and valued.
- Standard 2: Leadership, governance and culture – Ensure that child safety and wellbeing are embedded in school leadership, governance and culture.
- Standard 3: Child and student empowerment – Children and young people are empowered about their rights, participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously.
- Standard 4: Family engagement – Families and communities are informed and involved in promoting child safety and wellbeing.
- Standard 5: Diversity and equity – Equity is upheld and diverse needs are respected in policy and practice.
- Standard 6: Suitable staff and volunteers – People working with children and young people are suitable and supported to reflect child safety and wellbeing values in practice.
- Standard 7: Child-focused complaints processes – Ensure that processes for complaints and concerns are child focused.
- Standard 8: Child safety knowledge, skills and awareness – Staff and volunteers are equipped with the knowledge, skills and awareness to keep children and young people safe through ongoing education and training.
- Standard 9: Physical and online environments – Physical and online environments promote safety and wellbeing while minimising the opportunity for children and young people to be harmed.
- Standard 10: Review of child safety practices – Implementation of the Child Safe Standards is regularly reviewed and improved.
- Standard 11: Implementation of child safety practices – Policies and procedures that document how schools are safe for children, young people and students.