Positive Climate for Learning

5-6 Learning Community

RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIPS - HELP SEEKING

Help seeking is important when children are faced with a range of challenges in and out of school. To ensure they are aware about help-seeking avenues and confident to seek help from an appropriate source when it is needed, our 5/6 community have explored the importance of identifying emotions, their strengths, coping strategies and clear communication when seeking help.

Students have been working collaboratively to create a short film showing their understandings. They are developing a variety of storyboards and scripts, about a child who is having a challenging day with a series of ups and downs in a ‘Roller Coaster Day’. Students will premiere their films at the end of Term for the 5/6 Community and VIP guests.

Policies

Dear Parents and Carers,

Over the next few weeks we will be sharing with you some of our Child Safe School Policies. Although some of the policies are a few pages long, we will be sharing the most important sections with you. You are more than welcome to request any of these policies from the school.

Child Safe Policy

This policy applies to all school staff, volunteers and school community members. It also applies to all staff and students engaged in any school and school council-run events, activities and services such as Outside School Hours Care. This policy confirms that Armstrong Creek School is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all students at the school.

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that all staff and members of our community understand the various legal and other reporting obligations related to child safety that apply to Armstrong Creek School. The specific procedures that are applicable at our school are contained in the Child Safe Standards. These standards are available upon request at the front office.

The child safe standards aim to drive cultural change in Armstrong Creek School which provide services for children so that protecting children from abuse is embedded in everyday thinking and practice. Our school values of Care, Collaboration and Commitment forms the foundation of inclusive and respectful community engagements.

The child safe policy and standards are part of the Victorian Government’s response to the Betrayal of Trust Inquiry into the Handling of Child Abuse by Religious and other Non-Government Organisations. The Betrayal of Trust Report found that while the majority of children are safe in organisations and in the community, more work could be done to strengthen existing approaches to child safety. On 26 November 2015, the Victorian Parliament passed the Child Wellbeing and Safety Amendment (Child Safe Standards) Bill 2015 to introduce child safe standards into law.

The standards ensure organisations working with children, promotes cultural change in the way organisations managing the risk of child abuse and neglect.

The Child Safe Standards

All children and young people have the right to protection in their best interests. Armstrong Creek School understands the important role our school plays in protecting children from abuse including:

Physical abuse
Sexual abuse
Family violence
Neglect (including medical neglect)
Grooming

The staff at Armstrong Creek School are required by law to comply with various child safety reporting obligations. For detailed information about each obligation, please refer to identify and Responding to All Forms of Abuse in Victorian Schools.

At Armstrong Creek School we also recognize the diversity of children and young people at our school and take account of their individual needs and backgrounds when considering child safety. All of our child safety policies and procedures take account of the diversity of all children, including (but not limited to) the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, Out of Home Care children, children with disabilities, and children who are vulnerable.

Armstrong Creek School will implement the Child Safe Standards to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all students at the school and promote an organisational culture that manages the risk of child abuse and neglect. Our School has developed policies and procedures that aim to keep children safe. The standards will provide a framework to identify gaps and improve policy and practices specific to child safety.