Assistant Principal's Report

New Child Safe Standards Article 3

Welcome to the 3rd piece in a series of articles about the new Child Safe Standards and detailing how Glen Waverley Primary School (GWPS) is implementing them. In my last article I examined Child Safe Standards 1 and 2, in this article we will look at Child Safe Standards 3 and 4. 

Child Safe Standard 3 – Children and young people are empowered about their rights, participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously

This standard has been developed to ensure our students are informed about their rights, including physical, mental, and psychological safety. It ensuresthat we have strategies in place to develop a culture that facilitates participation and takes into account student voice. It’s about building a culture where staff are continually vigilant in regard to signs of abuse and ensuring students participate in decision-making and raise their concerns. 

At Glen Waverley Primary School we are working towards meeting this standard from both a curriculum, policy, and procedure perspective. To address this standard, we are currently: 

• Building our Whole School Approach to Student Voice, Choice, and Agency to address students’ rights to be involved in decisions affecting their safety
• Reviewing and adjusting The Child Safe Code of Conduct, Child Safe and Mandatory Reporting Policies to ensure a positive culture of child safety where staff are always being vigilant and acting on suspected abuse. 
• The appointment of Child Safe Representatives to every teaching and learning team and School Council to address any potential concerns or issues.
• Aspects of the Personal and Social Capability in the curriculum are addressed through programs such as Interrelate, and You Can Do It 

Child Safe Standard 4 – Families and communities are informed, and involved in promoting child safety and wellbeing

The purpose of this standard is to ensure that families and communities are informed about our school’s child safe approach and that this information is accessible. Families are to have opportunities to be involved in decisions effecting their child. This standard also addresses the importance of families, carers and the community being informed about our governance and policies. 

 At Glen Waverley Primary School we meet and consistently review this standard from both a curriculum, policy, and governance perspective. To address this standard, we are currently doing the following:

• As the representative body of our GWPS community the School Council has been informed of the new Child Safe Standards
• The School Council reviews, provides feedback, and ratifies all policies related to the Child Safe Standards on behalf of the school community
• All policies including those relating to Child Safety are published on the school website 
• The school community is consistently informed through forums such as the newsletter, the school’s website, and compass posts of any Child Safe related information 

I look forward to continuing to inform the community of the new standards and how Glen Waverley Primary School is ensuring that these standards are met. My next Newsletter item will look at Child Safe Standards 5 and 6 and how we are addressing these at Glen Waverley Primary School. 

Mr Welsh 

Assistant Principal Wellbeing