Glen Education Syndal Street

Keeping Children Safe A Shared Responsibility 

By Glen Syndal Educational Team

“A child safe culture is a shared set of values, behaviours, and systems where everyone within an organisation actively prioritises children’s safety and wellbeing. A child safe culture is one where everyone listens to and respects children, and takes active steps to prevent, identify, and respond to harm consistently and transparently.” (Department of Education, Child Safety Training)  

At Glen Syndal Kindergarten, we believe that keeping children safe is a shared responsibility. When educators, families, and the wider community work together, we create a strong and supportive network around each child. 

Families play a vital role in this partnership. When you share information about your child’s interests, routines, or any concerns, it helps us to better understand and support them. These conversations, both big and small, allow us to respond to children’s needs and ensure they feel safe and secure in our environment. 

At the beginning of March, we welcomed families to our Glen Syndal Family Picnic. It was a wonderful opportunity to connect and build relationships. Through these conversations, we gained valuable insights into our children and their families, helping us strengthen our support for each child. 

We respect all children’s voices and ways of communicating, celebrate diversity, and embed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives in our work with children and families. We believe every child has the right to be heard, listened to, and believed. Recently, we celebrated Lunar New Year, Ramadan, and Harmony Week. We sincerely thank the families who generously shared their time and culture with us. These experiences help children develop an understanding of the diverse community around them and support them to feel valued, respected, and safe. 

We also work closely with community services and professionals to support our families, children, and educators when needed. We enhance our program about safety by developing broader community connections with responsible pet program, water safety by Monash Council, Police visits just to name a few of these programs.  Recently, we had to evacuate the children in our three-year-old group. During this time, community services, including police, fire services, and paramedics, assisted us to ensure everyone’s safety.  

Strong partnerships between families, educators, and the community help us notice changes more quickly, share important information, and respond early. This strengthens the protective network around each child and supports their overall wellbeing and safety. 

This approach is guided by the Victorian Child Safety Standards, the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF), and the National Quality Standard (NQS). 

Thank you for being an important part of our kindergarten community and for working with us to keep all children safe.