Deputy Principal 

Week 5 Update

St Patrick’s College is a child safe organisation. As an EREA school, we are committed to all children and young people having the right to feel safe and be safe. As part of our commitment to our students, we are committed to the EREA Child Safeguarding Standards. The College has three child safeguarding officers: Dr Vittoria Lavorato (Principal), Mr Rob Simpson (Director of Wellbeing) and me.

Over the course of the next few months, we plan to survey our students to get their feedback which will help us shape our care for them. It is important that students have a voice, and we take their feedback onboard to improve the safety and wellbeing of the young men in our care. From this survey, we aim to give feedback to and seek feedback from our parents/carers at the Parents' and Friends’ Forum in Term 3. We are then hoping to re-engage Kirra Pendergast from Safe on Social Media to talk to not only the students, but parents/carers at a forum to be held in Term 4.

There are a number of policies that have been developed by EREA that are available for parents/carers to read under the Policies section of the College website.

All staff that work at the College must adhere to the EREA Code of Conduct. The Child Safe Code of Conduct provides a high-level statement of professional boundaries, ethical behaviour and acceptable and unacceptable relationships. It assists Edmund Rice Education Australia and St Patrick’s College to meet our obligations to have such a defined code as required by various states’ child protection legislations. More than this, it reinforces Edmund Rice Education Australia and St Patrick’s College’s commitment to providing safe and supportive environments where all children and young people entrusted to our care are affirmed in their dignity and worth as a person. Children and young people in the Edmund Rice Education Australia community are empowered to have a voice which includes listening and responding to their views and concerns.

Furthermore, the St Patrick’s College Employee Handbook details the obligations each staff member at the College has with respect to child safeguarding, with staff undergoing training annually. 

Finally, the College’s Student Code of Conduct, including Student Rights and Responsibilities, can be found in the Student Diary. This code of conduct was developed by students in consultation with members of the Child Safeguarding Committee.

If you have any questions/concerns/feedback regarding our commitment to child safeguarding and the policies that I have identified, please email me at adrian.byrne@spc.nsw.edu.au.

Adrian Byrne

Deputy Principal