Child Safety and Wellbeing

New Social Media Regulations - SchoolTV Resource

SchoolTV have published a special report focusing on the new social media regulations.

These new regulations provide an opportunity to talk openly with your child about their online experiences and what these changes mean for them. It's also a chance to review family technology habits, reinforce healthy routines, and explore age-appropriate ways for young people to connect, learn and express themselves.

This Special Report explains what the new laws mean in practice and offers practical guidance to help families prepare for the upcoming changes.

READ THE REPORT HERE: stbc.vic.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-new-social-media-regulations-what-you-need-know

Child Safe Information

St Brigid’s College holds the care, safety and wellbeing of children and young people as a central and fundamental responsibility. Central to the mission of our Catholic schools in Horsham – St Brigid’s College and Ss Michael & John’s Primary School - is an absolute commitment to fostering the dignity, self-esteem and integrity of children and young people and providing them with a safe, supportive and enriching environment to develop spiritually, physically, intellectually, emotionally and socially.

At our school we are committed to making sure our commitment and approach to being a Child Safe School remains strong, effective, and responsive.

We and DOBCEL, our governing body, regularly evaluate our policies, procedures, and practices to ensure they reflect current laws, best practice, and the needs of our students. This includes scheduled policy reviews, audits, and feedback from students, families, and staff.  We also analyse any concerns or incidents to identify opportunities for improvement and strengthen our systems.

Staff receive ongoing training to stay informed about child safety requirements and to build their confidence in responding to concerns.  Importantly, we actively seek student voice, ensuring children feel heard and empowered to contribute to a safe school environment. By embedding a culture of reflection and improvement, we ensure that child safety is not just a requirement, but a lived and evolving commitment across our entire school community.

All our Child Safety Policies can be viewed on our website.  As valuable partners in promoting and maintaining child safety and wellbeing at our school, we welcome and encourage your feedback. 

All of our policies and procedures are available to our school community in hard copy by request from the School Office.

Future-focused conversations-Community Forum

This week, we welcomed parents, educators, and community members for our Community Forum 'Helping Children and Young People Thrive in a Changing World'. Hosted in collaboration with SMJ Horsham and Diocese of Ballarat Catholic Education Limited (DOBCEL), the evening offered a chance to hear from internationally recognised leaders in education. 

Professor Pasi Sahlberg, originally from Finland and now a professor at Melbourne University, shared insights into the trends and challenges facing young people today, drawing on his work with DOBCEL schools.

Dr Jean Stiles of Canada, spoke about the importance of student agency and the 

positive impact of empowering students to influence decisions that affect them.

Facilitated by Dave Runge of Future Schools, a panel discussion featuring Pasi, Jean, and DOBCEL Executive Director Tom Sexton, gave guests the opportunity to ask questions and engage in meaningful conversation. Artificial intelligence, technology and student engagement emerged as key themes throughout the evening.

We extend our sincere thanks to Pasi, Jean, Dave and Tom for sharing their expertise and bringing this important conversation to our community.

It was wonderful to see so many parents and community members in attendance, engaging with and contributing to the discussion. We look forward to continuing these important conversations across our College and wider community. 

Our Policies

All of our policies, including the Safeguarding Children and Young People Code of Conduct, can be found the Policies page on our school website. You can contact the Front Office if you have any queries, or would like to provide feedback, relating to child safe practices, or any other matters.