Course Notes

Build

A

Child

Safe

Organisation

Prepared by Mohan Dhall

© ATA 2016

Build a Child Safe Organisation*

It takes many components to build a child safe organisation

Organisations involved with children vary enormously in size, structure, resources and the types of interactions between staff and volunteers and children.

A key objective of this guide is to help organisations to embed child safety practices in their culture.

The work that is involved in building a child safe organisation is never completed. It is a dynamic, multifaceted and ongoing developmental process of learning, monitoring and reviewing. By following the steps in this guide, embedding them in your organisation’s culture and reviewing regularly, you will reduce the opportunities for harm to occur.

It is important to realise that over-reliance on any one component of child safety, such as Working with Children Checks, will prevent you from building the robust, sustainable barriers that are needed to stop inappropriate people from working with children. Gaps in your organisation’s child safety practices could result in weaknesses that may be exploited.

While an important tool, Working with Children Checks – in the absence of broader child-safe strategies – do not make organisations safer for children. In fact, an over-reliance on Working with Children Checks can be detrimental to children’s safety. They can provide a false sense of comfort to parents and communities, and may cause organisations to become complacent due to the belief that people who have undergone Working with Children Checks do not pose any risk to children – this is not the case.

Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Working with Children Checks Report, 2015.

Adopt a harm-based perspective

There is a continuum of abuse of children, some of which are outlined below. All such events, regardless of whether they are seen as ‘harm’ or ‘abuse’, are damaging. Adopting a harm-based perspective will help your organisation to be proactive in identifying and preventing more serious abuse.

‘What I saw was not right, but I wouldn’t call it abuse, so I didn’t mention it to anyone.’ This is harm and harm is abusive to children.

Important terms about abuse

Physical

This means intentionally causing, or threatening to cause, physical injury to a child, or inadvertently causing injury as a consequence of physical punishment or physically aggressive treatment of a child. The injury may take the form of bruises, cuts, burns or fractures.

Sexual

A child is sexually abused when any person uses their authority over the child to involve the child in sexual activity. Child sexual abuse involves a wide range of sexual activity including fondling genitals, masturbation, vaginal or anal penetration by a finger, penis or any other object, voyeurism and exhibitionism.

Sexual exploitation is considered a specific form of sexual abuse because children, by virtue of their age and development, are unable to give informed consent. Sexual exploitation of children takes different forms. It can include children being involved in sexually exploitive relationships, exposing a child to pornography, receiving money, goods, drug or favours in exchange for sex with one or more adults, or being exploited in more ‘formal’ forms of sex work. In all cases, those exploiting the children have power over them by virtue of their age, gender, physical strength, economic or other resources, such as access to drugs or gifts.

Emotional and psychological

This occurs when a person engages in inappropriate behaviours, such as rejecting, ignoring, humiliating, isolating, threatening or verbally abusing a child, or allowing others to do so. Because this kind of abuse does not leave physical injuries, it is often hidden and underestimated.

Neglect

This means failing to meet a child’s basic needs, such as providing adequate food, drink, shelter, clothing, supervision, hygiene and medical attention.

Racial, cultural, religious

This is conduct that demonstrates contempt, ridicule, hatred or negativity towards a child because of their race, culture or religion. It may be overt, such as direct racial vilification or discrimination, or covert, such as demonstrating a lack of cultural respect (attitude and values) and awareness (knowledge and understanding) or failing to provide positive images about another culture.

The Child Safe Standards

  1. Organisational culture and leadership, involving leading from the top down and embedding a culture that makes child safety everyone’s business
  2. Child Safe Policy or statement of commitment that creates a foundation for a child safe environment
  3. Code of conduct that sets clear expectations for appropriate behaviour with children
  4. Recruitment, induction, supervision and management policies that effectively screen and train people in the organisation to reduce the risk of child abuse
  5. Responding to and reporting abuse through putting in place clear procedures for responding to and reporting child safety concerns or child abuse
  6. Risk assessment and mitigation through identifying potential for harm and proactively planning to prevent, reduce or remove the risk of child abuse
  7. Empowerment and participation through supporting children and young people to understand their rights, contribute to child safety planning and to raise concerns

Aboriginal cultural safety

Aboriginal children are significantly over-represented in institutions including child protection, youth justice and out-of-home care systems.The reasons for this are complex and influenced by past policies like forced removals, the effects of lower socio-economic status and differences in child rearing practices and intergenerational trauma.Additionally, impacts of abuse are heightened for Aboriginal children who may not feel culturally safe enough to report abuse.Organisations need to consider cultural safety of Aboriginal children across the implementation of all the standards.

Cultural safety for children from a culturally and/or linguistically diverse background

There is a lack of data on the incidence of abuse of children from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds. However, it is understood that these children face unique risks leading to their involvement with child protection services, including distrust of social service providers.Culturally and/or linguistically diverse children, particularly those from refugee or asylum seeker communities, are also more likely to have experienced trauma or displacement and loss (or have parents who have) before coming to Australia.Culturally and/or linguistically diverse children and families may also experience communication barriers when it comes to reporting abuse and knowing where to go for support. Organisations need to consider cultural safety of culturally and/or linguistically diverse children across the implementation of all the standards.

Children with a disability

People with a disability have the same rights and responsibilities as other members of the community and should be empowered to exercise those rights and responsibilities. In particular, people with a disability have the same rights as other members of the community to live free from abuse. Children with a disability have an increased risk of being abused compared with children without a disability. A number of factors may contribute to the risk of abuse including physical impairments or difficulties with speech and communication, memory, literacy, vision and hearing impairments, and reliance on caregivers. People with a disability often receive less sexual education than their peers. These factors may also contribute to poor recognition of abuse of children with a disability. Children with a disability are also less likely to receive the protection and support they need if they have been abused.Children with a disability are very diverse, with a wide range of needs depending on the nature of their disability and the individual characteristics and circumstances of the child. Organisations need to consider the safety of children with a disability across the implementation of all the standards.

Source: An overview of the Victorian child safe standards, Victorian Commission for Children and Young People, 2016

Standard 1

Organisational culture and leadership, involving leading from the top down and embedding a culture that makes child safety everyone’s business

Strategies to embed an organisational culture of child safety, including through effective leadership arrangements

Description

All staff and volunteers in organisations providing services to children need to recognise the importance of keeping children safe. Under this standard, organisations need to establish new ways or build on existing systems to embed or improve on a culture of child safety throughout all levels of their organisation.

Rationale

Preventing child abuse and responding to allegations is everyone’s business. The child safe standards aim to drive cultural change in organisations so that protecting children from abuse is embedded in everyday thinking and practice. To engage this cultural change, organisations need to:

  • help leaders and managers create an organisational culture that protects children from abuse
  • ensure the organisation’s policies and practices reflect a commitment to child safety
  • ensure leadership is aware of allegations and substantiated cases of abuse and responds in ways that protect children from abuse
  • ensure staff and volunteers know and understand the organisation’s commitment to child safety
  • commit to continuous improvement through regular reviews and updating policies and practices, and being open to scrutiny.

How could your organisation implement this standard?

Examples of how your organisation could implement this standard include the following:

  • Ensure strategic direction, vision and mission includes child safety as a key goal.
  • Have a section on child safety in the organisation’s annual report.
  • Have a child safety representative or champion who is appropriately trained and supported.
  • Provide induction and training in recognising and responding to child abuse for leadership, relevant management, staff and volunteers, including what to do if an allegation is made or a concern raised or staff observe abusive behaviour towards a child.
  • Build responsibility for embedding an organisational culture of safety into performance arrangements for senior staff.
  • Promote to staff, volunteers, children and families a confidential reporting culture for suspected abuse by ensuring the organisation’s leaders take responsibility for incidents at all levels.
  • Include priorities and actions in operational plans that nurture and affirm the involvement in all children in the organisation’s activities, and in particular Aboriginal children, children from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds, and children with a disability.
  • Provide culturally safe environments for Aboriginal children, for example by having a cultural safety charter, or developing cultural safety or support plans in partnership with Aboriginal children, families and communities.
  • Provide a physical environment that is visually inclusive and welcoming for Aboriginal peoples and culture, such as by displaying symbols that indicate support and respect for Aboriginal peoples (although symbols in isolation would not be sufficient).
  • Display information from local Aboriginal services, such as pamphlets for community events.
  • Encourage and promote environments where the past is acknowledged and Aboriginal cultural diversity is respected, such as by including an Acknowledgement of Country at each meeting or event.
  • Provide culturally safe environments for children from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds. For example, this could include gathering information about cultural and linguistic backgrounds and needs of children who access the organisation’s services, developing cultural safety plans, or having a cultural safety charter.
  • Create an environment supportive of children with a disability, for example, by being aware of the different support needs of children with a disability accessing the organisation.
  • Maintain adequate record keeping of child safety issues and responses of any incidents, for example in an Excel spreadsheet or ‘log book’ that is appropriately stored to protect the privacy of children.
  • Partner with families and communities to build a culture of child safety, for example by partnering with other local service providers or businesses to promote child safety at local events.
  • Develop working partnerships with local Aboriginal community controlled organisations, community leaders, families and children, in order to gather feedback and advice on organisational child safety policies and procedures.
  • Partner with culturally and/or linguistically diverse communities to build a cultural safe environment. For example, this could include gathering feedback and advice on organisational child safety policies and procedures from culturally and/or linguistically diverse communities and appropriately acknowledge and discuss cultural days of significance with staff, volunteers and children to build cultural understanding and awareness of diversity.
  • Partner with communities and children with experience of disability. For example, this could include gathering feedback and advice on organisational child safety policies and procedures from communities and children with a disability.
  • Institute child safety policies and procedures and include improvements to child safety policies and procedures as a regular agenda item at relevant leadership, staff and volunteer meetings.
  • Include child safety as a regular newsletter item.
  • Promote child safety as an ethical imperative that is everyone’s responsibility. For example, child safety could be included in all position descriptions and documents on roles and responsibilities for board members, staff and volunteers.
  • Have systems to regularly review and improve child safety policies and practices, particularly following any incidents.

Successfully implementing this standard should result in organisations in which:

  • there are clear and transparent arrangements for leadership to be made aware of child safety issues
  • policies and practices prioritise child safety and promote shared responsibility – not just at a leadership level – by outlining all staff and volunteer responsibilities
  • policies and procedures include the steps staff, volunteers, children or their families should take if they have concerns about the organisation’s leadership in regard to child safety
  • child safety is a core part of public and internal messaging
  • a culture exists where staff, volunteers, children and families feel comfortable and supported when talking about any child safety concerns.
  • a culture exists of supporting cultural safety for Aboriginal children, and the organisations working in partnership with Aboriginal peoples and Aboriginal community controlled organisations to improve safety for Aboriginal children
  • a culture exists of supporting cultural safety for children from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds.
  • a culture exists of supporting safety for children with a disability.

Standard 2

Child Safe Policy or statement of commitment that creates a foundation for a child safe environment

A child safe policy or statement of commitment to child safety

Description

Organisations need to have a publicly accessible child safe policy or public statement of commitment to child safety, with an overarching set of principles guiding the development of policies and procedures to protect children from abuse.

A child safe policy is an overarching document that provides key elements of an organisation’s approach to becoming child safe. It sets out the processes for reporting and responding to concerns and allegations (or clearly refers people to where these processes can be found), and refers to the code of conduct which should provide specific guidelines on appropriate behaviour with children.

A statement of commitment to child safety should be included as part of a child safe policy. This statement affirms the organisation's commitment to child safety by clearly stating that the organisation has zero tolerance for child abuse, is committed to acting in children’s best interests and keeping them safe, and actively works to empower children.

A child safe policy is appropriate for organisations that have a higher level of responsibility for children, however, can still be used by other organisations. Smaller organisations with limited responsibility for children may choose to implement a statement of commitment.

Implementation of the principles in the policy or statement will influence organisational culture and create consistent policies and procedures within and across organisations that provide services for children.

Rationale

Child safe policies or statements influence organisational culture by providing an overarching set of principles that guide the development of other organisational policies and procedures that aim to protect children from abuse. Public statements or policies on child safety help raise awareness about the importance of child safety in the organisation and the community.

How could your organisation implement this standard?

Examples of how your organisation could implement this standard include the following:

Develop a new (or review an existing) child safe policy or statement of commitment to child safety, including a statement or description of:

  • what constitutes child abuse
  • zero tolerance of child abuse
  • commitment to children’s safety and best interests
  • prevention and management of child abuse risks, including risks presented by physical and online environments
  • roles and responsibilities of personnel involved in protecting children, including the duty of care of the board, management, staff and volunteers
  • the organisation’s commitment to the cultural safety of Aboriginal children
  • the organisation’s commitment to the cultural safety of culturally and/or linguistically diverse children
  • the organisation’s commitment to the safety of children with a disability.

The child safety statement or policy could also include:

  • details of both children’s rights and adults’ obligations in ensuring child safety, for example by reference to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
  • a detailed description of the systems for promoting a safe environment, including through the early identification and response to risks of abuse in physical and online environments
  • inclusive language and culturally appropriate photographs and artwork
  • contact details for people to access information in relation to child safety, such as the organisation’s Child Safety Champion.
  • Communicate the statement or policy publicly. For example, on websites, newsletters, annual reports, mission or vision statements, and recruitment advertisements and welcome packs.
  • Communicate the statement or policy in child friendly language and design.
  • Communicate the public statement or policy in community languages, including Aboriginal languages, where appropriate.
  • Communicate the public statement or policy in accessible methods for people with a disability.
  • Ensure board members, staff and volunteers are aware of the organisation’s child safe policy and its key provisions. For example include child safety material in staff induction information and welcome packs.

Successfully implementing this standard should result in organisations in which: