Deputy Principal

Child Safe Standards

At St Michael's, a child's safety is front and foremost. Therefore we have a commitment to the Child Safe Standards. Here they are in plain language.

You will find more information about why we have them below.

Why do we have Child Safe Standards?

The Standards exist to prevent child abuse and harm from happening in organisations.

They are a result of recommendations of the Victorian Parliament’s Betrayal of Trust inquiry and evidence of what works to prevent child abuse.

In 2012 and 2013 the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry investigated the handling of child abuse by religious and non-government organisations. Its report highlighted poor and inconsistent practices for keeping children safe. It found some organisations’ cultures did not focus on children’s safety and many failed to report or act on child abuse allegations.

In 2019, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse found evidence of widespread sexual abuse of children in organisations. It proposed national implementation of Child Safe Standards and better regulatory oversight to support effective implementation.

In 2022 the Victorian Government introduced new Standards. The new Standards provide more clarity for organisations and are more consistent with standards in the rest of Australia. 

The Standards aim to promote the safety of children, prevent child abuse, and ensure organisations have effective processes in place to respond to and report all allegations of child abuse.

The Standards work by:

• driving change in organisational culture by embedding child safety in everyday thinking and practice
• providing a minimum standard of child safety across all organisations
• highlighting that we all have a role to keep children safe from abuse.

If you would like further information on the standards, go to the link below: