Important information and Reminders

New Child Safe Standards

Child Safe Standards protect students

The Child Safe Standards (the Standards) are compulsory minimum standards for all Victorian schools to ensure they are well prepared to keep children and young people safe and protect them from abuse. The new standards came into play from July 1 2022 and replaced the previous 7 standards. 

Homestead has updated all necessary polciies to ensure we contionue to be fully complient, these policies will be ratified by council on August 23. School Council, staff and volunteers all also undertake Child Safe Standards professional development each year.

There are 11 Child Safe Standards:

• Standard 1: Culturally safe environments – Establish a culturally safe environment in which the diverse and unique identities and experiences of Aboriginal children and young people are respected and valued.
• Standard 2: Leadership, governance and culture – Ensure that child safety and wellbeing are embedded in school leadership, governance and culture.
• Standard 3: Child and student empowerment – Children and young people are empowered about their rights, participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously.
• Standard 4: Family engagement – Families and communities are informed and involved in promoting child safety and wellbeing.
• Standard 5: Diversity and equity – Equity is upheld and diverse needs are respected in policy and practice.
• Standard 6: Suitable staff and volunteers – People working with children and young people are suitable and supported to reflect child safety and wellbeing values in practice.
• Standard 7: Child-focused complaints processes – Ensure that processes for complaints and concerns are child focused.
• Standard 8: Child safety knowledge, skills and awareness – Staff and volunteers are equipped with the knowledge, skills and awareness to keep children and young people safe through ongoing education and training.
• Standard 9: Physical and online environments – Physical and online environments promote safety and wellbeing while minimising the opportunity for children and young people to be harmed.
• Standard 10: Review of child safety practices - Implementation of the Child Safe Standards is regularly reviewed and improved.
• Standard 11: Implementation of child safety practices – Policies and procedures that document how schools are safe for children, young people and students. 

Our community are encouraged to view our policies via the school website *after ratification at council) and provide any feedback.

2022 Parent, Guardian Opinion Survey

WE WANT OUR PARENTS/CAREGIVERS/GUARDIANS TO TELL US WHAT THEY THINK! 

Our school is conducting a survey to find out what parents/caregivers/guardians think of our school. The Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey is an annual survey offered by the Department of Education and Training that is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behaviour, and student engagement. We encourage all families to participate in this survey. Our school will use the survey results to help inform and direct future school planning and improvement strategies. All families are invited to participate in the survey. The Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey will be conducted from Monday 15th August to Friday 16th September.

The survey will be conducted online, only takes 20 minutes to complete, and can be accessed at any convenient time within the fieldwork period on desktop computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones. The online survey will be available in a range of languages other than English. 

All families will be notified of the instructions for the survey via a Compass post.

Please contact Vickie Turner-Craig on Victoria.Turner-Craig@education.vic.gov.au if you have any further questions regarding the survey. 

Vickie Turner-Craig

Assistant Principal

Bus Stop

Bus stop is operational.

Parents and guardians are reminded that with the bus stop now being in place, the council has issued fines for those parking in the bus stop during pick up and drop off times. Please be mindful of this.