Child Safe Standard 4
As part of our ongoing commitment to child safety, this week we are focusing on Child Safe Standard 4, which highlights the vital role families and the wider community play in supporting the wellbeing of every child. This standard reinforces the importance of open communication, transparency, and genuine partnership with parents and carers.
Child Safe Standard 4 dictates that families and communities must be actively informed and involved in promoting child safety and wellbeing. Organizations must ensure that carers participate in safety decisions, communication is transparent, and safety policies are highly accessible.
Key Requirements
To comply with Standard 4, organizations are typically expected to:
Involve Families: Families and carers are engaged and supported to participate in decisions that affect their children. This is something we take very seriously at Lakeside College. A number of our students are on wellbeing and behavioural support plans. These plans have been put in place to support the pastoral, social and emotional needs of some of our students. These plans are developed in conjunction with families and are not put in place until parents/guardians agree with the plan. The plans also involve the participation of students in this decision making.
Maintain Transparency: Information about the organization’s policies, governance, and approach to child safety is easily accessible to the community. All information about our policies and procedures are maintained and updated on our website and parent portal. Parents always receive notification of any updates that occur to these policies.
- Open Communication: Clear, ongoing communication channels are established so families know how to contact the service with any safety or wellbeing concerns. We provide parents/guardians with an open invitation to ask questions and contact teachers and wellbeing staff with any concerns they have about a student’s safety or wellbeing. In fact, there are often ongoing conversations taking place between parents/guardians and staff to support students during their time at Lakeside College. We also have procedures available to parents/guardians who want to raise any child safety or wellbeing concerns they may have with any member of the Executive Team including the College Principal.