Child Safety
Child Safe Standards at St Joseph’s
At St Joseph’s, the safety and wellbeing of every child is our highest priority and sits at the heart of everything we do.
The Child Safe Standards, guide how schools across Victoria ensure that the safety and wellbeing of children are at the centre of everything we do. As part of the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools initiative “11 Standards in 11 Months" schools are required to ensure staff engage in professional learning around the 11 Child Safe Standard across the year.
The Child Safe Standards are a set of eleven requirements that guide schools in building a culture where children feel safe, respected and empowered, and where their wellbeing is actively protected through strong policies, practices and partnerships with families.
As part of our ongoing commitment to creating a safe, inclusive and supportive environment, we will be sharing the Victorian Child Safe Standards with our community through our school newsletters.
Child Safe Standard 1
We continue our work around the Child Safe Standards, which guide how schools across Victoria ensure that the safety and wellbeing of children are at the centre of everything we do. As part of the Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools initiative “11 Standards in 11 Months,” we explored Child Safe Standard 1 – requires organisations to establish a culturally safe environment where the diverse identities and experiences of Aboriginal children and young people are respected and valued. It mandates actively addressing racism, fostering inclusion, and encouraging children to express their culture. It requires us as a school to create environments that are welcoming and safe for Aboriginal children, families, and staff.
As a staff we have been specific and deliberate in ensuring this standard is evidenced throughout our school and in our classrooms so that there is authentic representation.
Actions that we have already implemented:
- Aboriginal displays established in key spaces
- Aboriginal flags displayed in two highly visible locations
- Acknowledgement of Country in every classroom and at the beginning of our day, assemblies and meetings
- Investigating a grant for new flags at the front of our school
For more information on Child Safe Standard 1 you can read the MACS Care Newsletter:
