Child Safety

Child Safety at St Agatha’s

Protection of children and young people is based upon the belief that each person is made in the image and likeness of God, and that the inherent dignity of all should be recognised and fostered.

St Agatha's is committed to child protection strategies and procedures to ensure the care, safety and protection of all students at St Agatha's School and safeguarding students against sexual, physical, psychological and emotional abuse and/or neglect.

St Agatha's is committed to complying with Ministerial Order 1359

At St Agatha's the Child Safe Champion is Liam Doherty. Liam meets with the Child Safety team at least twice per term and more often as required. This team consults on all matters child safety and especially in complying with each of the eleven Child Safe Standards.

The Child Safety Standards

Each newsletter we will focus on one of the Child Safety Standards and reflect on how that standard is reflected at St. Agatha’s. This week we will look at Child Safety Standard Two.

Child Safe Standard 6 – People working with children and young people are suitable and supported to reflect child safety and wellbeing values in practice

Recruitment processes involve ensuring all people who work at the school have police checks or WWCC and have not been involved in prior reportable conduct, misconduct or illegal activities.

Child Safe Standard 7 – Processes for complaints and concerns are child focused

All complaints are taken seriously. Where possible the student is involved in the procedure so that their voice is heard. The policy and procedures for complaints and grievances are linked to the school’s website.

The Cyber Safety Project and Parent Webinars

The Cyber safety Project team attended St Agatha's on Tuesday 22nd August to run special sessions for our students in Years 4, 5 and These sessions focused our students on the need to be safe online and strategies and steps that they can take to  stay safe. Our students were very engaged and active in their participation. Please discuss these sessions with your children.

They also provided a fantastic staff PD for our staff meeting that day. It was an eye opener for all of us and we all learned a great deal about staying safe in the digital world.

The Cyber Safety Project offer all parents and carers in the St Agatha’s community access to invaluable cyber safety webinars online. 

The first three of these webinars can be accessed immediately on-line and the remaining two session can be viewed live on the dates and time provided, or played back at a later time. Feel free to watch these webinars as often as you need.

I strongly encourage all parents and carers to register for the online seminars as they will provide you with the knowledge to ensure that your children’s digital experiences will be positive and beneficial. If you have any questions about this program don’t hesitate to contact me at ldoherty@stacbourne.catholic.edu.au.

These webinars can be accessed immediately on-line using this QR Code .

I encourage all parents and carers to register for the online seminars as they will provide you with the knowledge to ensure that your children’s digital experiences will be positive and beneficial. If you have any questions about this program don’t hesitate to contact me at ldoherty@stacbourne.catholic.edu.au.

Referendum: Voice to Parliament - Your Questions Answered.

In order meet Child Safe Standard 1 – Establish a culturally safe environment in which the diverse and unique identities and experiences of Aboriginal children and young people are respected and valued, we are called to acknowledge the traditional landowners and to create a positive culture where which does not tolerate racism, and is inclusive in nature.

In order to do this effectively we must explore the contemporary issues that touch upon our First Nations people. Nothing is more topical at the moment than the upcoming referendum on the Voice to Parliament. Here is some information and a short video that might provide some clarity and information on the issue, and it may enable some conversation on this topic to occur at home.

There’s been a lot of talk recently about Australia’s upcoming referendum on an Indigenous Voice to Parliament. Advocates say it will enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to provide advice to the Parliament on policies and projects that impact their lives, but there’s been a lot of debate about what it should look like. We find out more about the Voice, and the next steps to holding the referendum. Your questions answered 

VOICEfacts is series of short videos offering clear and concise information to help Australians make an informed decision on the Voice later this year. More videos will be regularly added to VOICE facts in the lead-up to the referendum. VOICEfacts presenter Professor Cheryl Saunders is an Australian and Comparative Constitutional Law expert. She has had a long commitment to contributing to public understanding of constitutional matters, both in Australia and elsewhere.

Use this link below to access VOICEfacts and explore answers to many of the questions you may have about the Voice to Parliament: 

Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy 

The Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy has been updated to reflect practices that encourage student voice. This includes students participating in Class Meetings where they can raise issues that concern them both on the playground and in the classroom. The issues are discussed as a class and the students with their teachers work to find solutions. 

Our Child Safe Champion - Mr Doherty will meet with a student representative from each class (Years 3-6) to listen to the issues that had been discussed and their solutions. Mr Doherty can also ask the representatives to take important Child Safety messages back to their classrooms.

Click on the link to read the Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy. If any parent would like to discuss the policy or provide input into the processes that surround it, please contact Liam Doherty via ldoherty@stacbourne.catholic.edu.au 

Child Safe Code of Conduct

All staff, visitors, contractors and volunteers must adhere to the Child Safe Code of Conduct. The purpose of this document is to keep our students safe when at school. It is an expectation that visitors, contractors and volunteers read and agree to follow this at all times when at St Agatha's School or when on an excursion. 

Please don't forget that anyone visiting the school must have a current Working With Children Check card with them and show this at the time of signing in. Sign in occurs at the front office.