Child Safety

Child Safe Standards at St Joseph’s

At St Joseph’s, the safety and wellbeing of every child sits at the heart of all that we do. As part of our ongoing commitment to creating a safe, inclusive and supportive environment, we will be sharing one of the Victorian Child Safe Standards with our community each month.

The Child Safe Standards are a set of eleven requirements that guide schools in building a culture where children feel safe, respected and empowered, and where their wellbeing is actively protected through strong policies, practices and partnerships with families.

Child Safe Standard 2

This newsletter, we focus on Child Safe Standard 2: Child safety and wellbeing is embedded in leadership, governance and culture.

This standard recognises that creating a truly child safe environment is not the responsibility of one person or one policy, but is driven by strong leadership, clear expectations and a shared commitment across the entire school community. It requires schools to model and prioritise child safety in all decision-making, policies and everyday practice .

At its core, this standard ensures that child safety is visible, actively led and consistently upheld at every level of the organisation.

We encourage all families to take a moment to read the information provided and engage with us in this important work, as we continue to strengthen a culture of safety and care across our school community.

What this looks like at St Joseph’s

At St Joseph’s, child safety is embedded in the way we lead, make decisions and work together as a community. It is a shared responsibility, led by our leadership team and lived out by every staff member, every day.

We have clear policies and a strong Code of Conduct that guide expectations for all staff, volunteers and visitors. These are not simply documents, but are actively referenced, reinforced and reviewed to ensure they remain current and effective.

Our staff engage in ongoing professional learning, including mandatory reporting and child safety training, ensuring they are confident in recognising, responding to and reporting any concerns. We foster a culture where staff feel supported to speak up, knowing that child safety is always prioritised.

Importantly, our leadership team maintains a strong focus on proactive risk management, regularly reviewing practices, supervision and environments to minimise risk and ensure the safety and wellbeing of all students.

Grounded in our Catholic faith, we are guided by the belief in the inherent dignity of every child. This underpins a culture where children feel safe, known and protected, and where their wellbeing remains at the centre of all that we do.