HPSC Newshamper

Child Safety Pledge

Child Safe Standards

Victoria's Child Safe Standards were put in place in 2016 to protect children and young people from harm and abuse. Since their introduction, the Child Safe Standards have increased the safety of children and young people in organisations that provide services for them.

 

New Child Safe Standards were implemented on 1 July 2022.  Eleven standards replaced the previous seven and include new requirements to:-

  • involve families and communities in organisations’ efforts to keep children and young people safe
  • provide greater focus on safety for Aboriginal children and young people
  • manage the risk of child abuse in online environments.

 

The new Standards provide greater clarity and practical steps for each Standard. They outline what action schools need to take to keep children and young people safe.  All schools are required to have a Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy and the HPSC policy documents have been updated to reflect the new changes and include:

  • our school’s commitment to child safety
  • actions our school will take to ensure a child safe culture is championed and modelled across the school
  • governance arrangements our school uses to implement the policy
  • processes our school will use to review its child safe practices.

 

The school community can view the updated Child Safety policy documents on the HPSC website Hampton Park Secondary College (hpsc.vic.edu.au) from 19th October 2022. Any questions or feedback is encouraged and can be directed to the Child Safety Officer by contacting the school on 8795 9400.

 

All members of our school community have a responsibility to care for children and young people, to positively promote their wellbeing and protect them from any kind of harm or abuse.

 

If you need support, or believe you are in an unsafe situation, please contact the following services:

  • Emergency Services (police, fire, ambulance): 000
  • Child Protection: 1300 655 795 (Business hours)
  • Child Protection: 131 278 (After hours intake)
  • 1800 RESPECT (Family Violence Support): 1800 737 732
  • Kids Helpline: 1800 551 800 (24/7)

 

Debbie Edwards

Hampton Park Secondary College - Child Safety Officer

We Stand Against Violence

The Hampton Park Secondary College learning community, in partnership with parents/carers, has an essential role to play in addressing this critically important social issue. 

 

Recent accounts provided by individuals across the country have reinforced the need to support students to build and manage safe, respectful relationships. As a Child Safe School, we are proud to be part of several initiatives which support both students and staff in developing and embedding a culture of respect and gender equality throughout our college and the wider community. 

 

HPSC is a Respectful Relationships Lead School. Respectful Relationships is a whole-school approach to promoting and modelling respect, positive attitudes and behaviours. This initiative teaches students how to develop healthy relationships, resilience, and confidence by focusing on building students’ social and emotional skills. Assisting students to recognise and regulate their emotions, develop empathy for others, and manage safe, respectful relationships (including understanding consent), is an important part of all adolescents’ development. 

 

We are also an eSmart School. This means that HPSC has been recognised by the Alannah and Madeline Foundation as participating in the Victorian eSmart Safety Framework. This framework assists the college to provide proactive education around responsible digital citizenship, and supports schools to embrace the benefits of technology while reducing students’ exposure to cyber risks, including cyber bullying, grooming, and sexting. 

 

Hampton Park Secondary College takes allegations of abuse very seriously. We respond to any disclosures in an appropriate and supportive manner. Any disclosures are acted upon quickly by following our procedures for responding to allegations of abuse and assault. We report allegations of sexual assault to Victoria Police, Child Protection and the Department of Education and Training as required. 

 

We provide support to any students within our college who may require it, especially those who are victim-survivors of abuse. Students can receive support from their sub-school or the wellbeing team. If you have any questions or would like to raise concerns about your child, please contact the college on 8795 9400. 

 

We understand that this type of information can be confronting. If you or someone you know is impacted by safety concerns and need support, please visit the wellbeing services section of the college website, or contact the community supports listed at the end of this NewsHamper