CHILD SAFE STANDARDS AT ST AGNES'

Child Safe Standards at St Agnes’

At St Agnes’, the safety, wellbeing and dignity of every child are central to all that we do. We are committed to creating a school environment where every student feels safe, valued, respected and empowered. As part of this ongoing commitment, each month we are highlighting one of the Victorian Child Safe Standards with our community.

The Victorian Child Safe Standards are a set of eleven standards designed to help schools create and maintain child safe environments through strong policies, practices and partnerships with families. They support schools in building cultures where children’s voices are heard, their wellbeing is prioritised, and safeguarding is embedded into everyday school life.

This week, we focus on Child Safe Standard Three, which highlights the importance of ensuring that children and young people are empowered about their rights, participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously. At St Agnes’, we are committed to creating a culture where students feel safe to speak up, share their views and seek support when needed. We actively teach students about their rights, provide opportunities for them to contribute to school life through leadership and student voice initiatives, and encourage them to be active participants in decisions that impact their learning and wellbeing. By listening to and valuing the voices of our students, we help build a school environment where every child feels respected, heard and supported.

We encourage all families to take a moment to read the information provided and continue partnering with us in this important work, as together we strengthen a culture of safety, inclusion and care across our St Agnes’ community.

What this looks like at St Agnes'

At St Agnes’, we are committed to ensuring that children and young people are empowered about their rights, have opportunities to participate in decisions that affect them and are always taken seriously. We believe that students should have a genuine voice in our school and feel confident speaking up when they need support.

Across the school, we provide students with regular opportunities to share their ideas, perspectives and feedback. Through our Student Representative Council (SRC), Mini Vinnies, student leadership teams, class discussions and student surveys, children are encouraged to contribute to decisions that shape their school experience and the initiatives we undertake as a community.

We also explicitly teach students about their rights, personal safety and trusted relationships through our Respectful Relationships curriculum, wellbeing lessons and Child Safe Standards education. Students are supported to identify trusted adults, understand how to seek help and recognise that their concerns will be listened to and acted upon appropriately.

Strong relationships between students and staff are at the heart of this work. Our staff strive to create classroom environments where students feel safe, respected and comfortable sharing their thoughts, ideas and concerns. Through regular wellbeing check-ins, restorative conversations and individual student support, we work to ensure every child feels known, heard and valued.

We know that children are more likely to feel safe when they have a voice and believe that adults will listen to them. By creating meaningful opportunities for participation and ensuring student voices are genuinely valued, we continue to strengthen a culture where every child at St Agnes’ feels empowered, respected and supported to thrive.