Child Safe Standards
The Child Safe Standards began in Victoria in 2016 and all schools and organisations were required to meet the standards to ensure that safe environments are provided for children and young people. Changes are being made to the Standards to strengthen them and schools/organisations have until the 1st of July 2022 to comply with the new standards.
There are eleven new Child Safe Standards:
Child Safe Standard 1 – Organisations establish a culturally safe environment in which the diverse and unique identities and experiences of Aboriginal children and young people are respected and valued.
Child Safe Standard 2 – Child safety and wellbeing is embedded in organisational leadership, governance and culture.
Child Safe Standard 3 – Children and young people are empowered about their rights, participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously.
Child Safe Standard 4 – Families and communities are informed and involved in promoting child safety and wellbeing.
Child Safe Standard 5 – Equity is upheld and diverse needs respected in policy and practice.
Child Safe Standard 6 – People working with children and young people are suitable and supported to reflect child safety and wellbeing values in practice.
Child Safe Standard 7 – Processes for complaints and concerns are child focused.
Child Safe Standard 8 – Staff and volunteers are equipped with the knowledge, skills and awareness to keep children and young people safe through ongoing education and training.
Child Safe Standard 9 – Physical and online environments promote safety and wellbeing while minimising the opportunity for children and young people to be harmed.
Child Safe Standard 10 – Implementation of the Child Safe Standards is regularly reviewed and improved.
Child Safe Standard 11 – Policies and procedures document how the organisation is safe for children and young people.
We are in the process of reviewing our policies and processes to ensure that we are compliant with the new standards by 1st July. The Department of Education provides government schools with templates for the required documentation which we are required to adapt to reflect our school community whilst ensuring all legal requirements are met.
At the June School Council meeting our councillors will be consulted and we are keen to invite wider parent feedback, as well as working within the school to gain staff and student feedback.
Below are 3 key draft documents we have revised in light of the new standards:
These documents outline the key processes and procedures that the school has in place to meet the requirements of the standards. While we have had these documents previously they have been updated with further information to meet the new requirements and are much broader than the previous versions.
We are seeking parent feedback concerning these documents and have set up a google form to capture that feedback. The google form will be open for 2 weeks - closing at the end of school on Friday 3rd of June.
We appreciate any feedback that parents are able to provide about this important aspect of our learning and wellbeing environment.