Child Safe Champion

Strengthening Our Commitment to Child Safety and Wellbeing

By Leanne Clements, Work Health and Safety Leader, And Child Safe Champion

Glen Education has long been dedicated to creating environments where children's wellbeing and safety are at the heart of everything we do.

In response to recent events that have received significant media attention, we have strengthened our ongoing commitment to equipping our educators with the latest knowledge and practical skills. This ensures that child safety and wellbeing remain deeply embedded in every aspect of our programs.

This term, all educators have:

Actively participated in the In Safe Hands program, which focuses on enhancing active and dynamic supervision practices.
Completed a child safety refresher training as part of their professional development, reinforcing our shared responsibility to uphold the highest standards of care.

Melissa MacMaster, General Manager, Operations, Education and Pedagogy, shares how the organisation ensures compliance with child safety at an operational level:

Glen Education have an organisational approach to Child Safety – it is very clear that there is an expectation that we all have a collective responsibility to keep children safe from harm (and many of us are also mandated).
All position descriptions have a clear commitment to child safety within the ‘Reporting, Quality and Compliance’ KRA to reinforce our collective commitment.
Glen Education have a clear statement of its commitment to child safety and a zero tolerance for any form of hard to a child/ren.
All email signatures have a statement about our commitment to child safety
Glen Education has a code of conduct (which follows the National Model Code) which provides guidelines for staff and volunteers on expected behavioural standards and responsibilities.
Glen Education has a dedicated Child Safety Champion (as part of the educational leadership team), whose responsibility it is to advocate for the voice of children and to ensure that we deliver on our promise/commitment to child safety.
Glen Education’s policies and practices consistently exceed acceptable National Standards for safety. The complaints and grievance policy, for example, embeds a child focused process for complaints and concerns.
Glen Education have an organisational risk assessment for child abuse and harm in both physical and online environments.
All Risk Minimisation templates include assessment of child safety
All volunteers and students are inducted through a child safe lens – provided policy documentation, reporting obligations, child safe procedures.
Recruitment processes have a focus on child safety – with the intent to deter anyone applying to understand our commitment up front. All successful recruits undergo current reference checks, must have a police-check no older than six months, and a valid employee WWC/VIT
There are regular updates in each quarterly newsletter about how to safeguard children – in kindergarten settings but also outside (home and in the community).
All staff across the organisation, at all levels, undertake training in child safe standards and reportable conduct (which is also updated annually).
All staff across the organisation, at all levels, contribute to the development and ongoing implementation of the Child Safe Action Plan.
Our policies and practices were reviewed by the Department of Education in 2024/2025 as part of the Child Safe Standard Assessment – our practices align and exceed the standard expected.
All staff are reminded about their obligations to ensure the safeguarding of children in our care – via email, in person, annually as part of team meetings.
Child Safety is a standing agenda item on all educational teams – this is facilitated by a member of the leadership team. Current practice is challenged as part of critical reflection of practice, and scenarios are presented to test knowledge and ethical standards.
Glen Education have specific policies in place to ensure clear expectations of child safe behaviour, environments, and obligations for mandatory reporting. Policies are reviewed annually, as legislation changes or as new standards of high-quality practice are identified.
Glen Education have a strict process for the collection, review and maintenance of all court orders, parenting orders etc. to protect children.
Glen Education Board are alerted to any changes in legislation by the executive team, including details of the changes to practice and policy as a result.
Management report to the Glen Education Board around annual compliance training, serious incident reporting (escalated to DE), and update the risk register quarterly or as needed – the risk register clearly highlights the risk mitigation strategies in place.
Glen Education have embedded a child safe culture where everyone is encouraged to report concerns. Glen Education displays easy to follow, flowcharts for reporting at all levels of the organisation. All staff are encouraged to report when there are concerns about child safety.
As a leadership and management team, we have no hesitation in reporting concerns/conduct of child abuse to DE, DFFH, and to CCYP.

In addition to our internal commitment to Child Safety we acknowledged National Child Protection Week.

National Child Protection Week reminds us about the important role we all play in keeping children and young people safe.

This year, from 7 to 13 September 2025, the theme was ‘Every Conversation Matters: Shifting Conversation to Action’. It highlighted that while open discussions are crucial, words alone are not enough we must turn dialogue into meaningful action.

At Glen Education, we believe every child deserves to feel safe, valued, and empowered. During National Child Protection Week, we reaffirm our commitment to supporting children’s understanding of body safety, consent, and personal boundaries.

We help children to:

Recognise safe and unsafe behaviours
Understand their rights and body autonomy
Build the confidence to speak up and seek help
Respect their own and others’ boundaries
Together, we can create nurturing and inclusive environments where every child is safe, heard, supported, and protected.