Child Safety

Child Safe Standards at St Joseph’s

At St Joseph’s, the safety and wellbeing of every child sits at the heart of all that we do. As part of our ongoing commitment to creating a safe, inclusive and supportive environment, we will be sharing one of the Victorian Child Safe Standards with our community each newsletter edition.

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.

Child Safe Standard 3

This edition, we focus on Child Safe Standard 3: Children and young people are empowered about their rights, participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously.

This standard recognises that children are not passive participants in their own safety. They must be actively supported to understand their rights, have a voice in matters that affect them, and feel confident that they will be listened to and taken seriously. It also emphasises the importance of building environments where students feel safe to speak up, seek help and contribute to decision-making in meaningful ways.

At its core, this standard ensures that children are known, heard and respected, and that their perspectives play an important role in shaping a safe school environment.

What this looks like at St Joseph’s

At St Joseph’s, we place a strong emphasis on ensuring every child feels safe, heard and valued. We explicitly teach students about their rights, including their right to feel safe, to be respected and to speak up if something does not feel right.

Through our wellbeing curriculum, including the Berry Street Education Model and Respectful Relationships, students are supported to develop the language, confidence and skills to express their thoughts, feelings and concerns in a safe and appropriate way. We prioritise strong, respectful relationships between staff and students, as these are critical in ensuring children feel comfortable seeking support.

We actively create opportunities for student voice across the school, whether through classroom discussions, student leadership roles or informal feedback. Students are encouraged to contribute to decisions that affect their learning and wellbeing, and we are deliberate in responding to their input.

Importantly, our staff are attuned to the needs of each child and are committed to listening carefully and responding with care and professionalism. We ensure that clear, child-friendly processes are in place so students know how to raise concerns and who they can go to for help.

Grounded in our Catholic values, we uphold the dignity of every child and work to create an environment where each student feels safe, empowered and confident that their voice matters.