Child Safe Standards

Montmorency Primary School is committed to child safety and has a zero-tolerance approach towards child abuse. At MPS, we are committed to providing a safe environment where children feel empowered and heard. In line with the Child Safe Standards, our school has a number of processes and policies in place to meet the DET requirements and Ministerial Order 870.

The aim of the child safe standards is to drive continuous improvement so that protecting children from abuse is embedded in everyday thinking and practice of leaders, staff and volunteers. The focus of the standards for 2016 is on raising awareness and helping organisations to create and maintain child safe environments through education and training.

The Child Safe Standards have been introduced in response to the recommendations of the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into the Handling of Child Abuse by Religious and Other Non-Government Organisations, which found that more must be done to prevent and respond to child abuse. The standards apply to all organisations that provide services for children, including early childhood services.

There are seven standards that Victorian schools must comply with to receive registration:

Standard 1: Strategies to embed an organisational culture of child safety, including through effective leadership arrangements

Standard 2: A child safe policy or statement of commitment to child safety

Standard 3: A code of conduct that establishes clear expectations for appropriate behaviour with children

Standard 4: Screening, supervision, training and other human resources practices that reduce the risk of child abuse by new and existing personnel

Standard 5: Processes for responding to and reporting suspected child abuse

Standard 6: Strategies to identify and reduce or remove risks of child abuse

Standard 7: Strategies to promote the participation and empowerment of children.

Staff take all allegations of child abuse and safety concerns seriously and participate in regular Mandatory Reporting training. We have legal and moral obligations to contact authorities whenever we have a reasonable concern that a child’s safety is at risk. School Council is involved in undertaking risk assessments and policy reviews to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our students is at the forefront of all decisions.

Policies are regularly reviewed every 1-3 years (depending on the policy). For more information on our approach to Child Safe Standards, you may refer to the following:

Child Safe Policy
Student Wellbeing and Engagement Policy
Duty of Care Policy
Yard Duty Policy
Code of Conduct

Please note: Due to the current School Review process, some of these policies are currently being reviewed and will be made available on the school website in the next 2 weeks.

For more information, please refer to the Department website:

https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/health/childprotection/Pages/default.aspx