Student Wellbeing

Creating a Child Safe Environment at Greenhills Primary School

At Greenhills, we are deeply committed to fostering a safe and supportive environment for every child. A key aspect of this commitment involves open and age-appropriate conversations about personal safety, consent, and body boundaries. We understand that these discussions can be challenging, but they are vital in empowering children to recognise unsafe situations and seek help when needed. By integrating these conversations into everyday interactions, we aim to normalise the topic and make it easier for children to express their concerns.

Our teachers draw on department resources to help guide these important discussions. Through our wellbeing curriculum, we explore respectful relationships, personal boundaries, and recognising inappropriate behaviour. These lessons are tailored to be age appropriate, ensuring that the information is accessible and comprehensible for primary school aged children. By embedding these lessons into our curriculum, we strive to equip students with the knowledge and confidence to speak up about their safety.

With our staff, we ensure we create a culture of child safety. We break down policies as a team, look at the child safe standards and have child safe messages as a focus for every staff meeting. We want to create a school where students feel safe to speak up on behalf of themselves and report on behalf of others.

We believe that collaboration with parents and caregivers is essential in reinforcing these safety messages. To support you in continuing these conversations at home, we provide materials and guidance on how to discuss personal safety with your children. The following resources offer practical advice on initiating and navigating these discussions with your child. Together, we can create a consistent and supportive network that prioritises the well-being and safety of our children.

The following department resources are helpful in supporting child safety conversations: https://www.childsafety.gov.au/having-conversations https://www.childsafety.gov.au/about-child-sexual-abuse/grooming 

Janine Hough                                                      

janine.hough@education.vic.gov.au           

Brad Ryan

bradley.ryan@education.vic.gov.au