Childsafe Coordinator Training Workbook

ChildSafe Coordinator Training Workbook

A self-paced workbook for training Coordinators within a ChildSafe Organisation

ChildSafe is a project of Scripture Union Australia

Locked Bag 2 CentralCoast Business Centre NSW 2252

The guidelines in ChildSafe are provided in good faith to assist organisations working with children in safety and care.

This project has been developed in Australia, where much of the legislation relevant to safety and care varies between states and territories. Because of this, the guidelines we provide are often stated in broad terms. Our intention is to seek a practical and defensible level of practice. Organisations will need to understand and comply with the legislation that applies in their location.

Terms and Conditions

Use of the ChildSafe system is subject to the terms and conditions, available on the ChildSafe website

This publication is copyright. Other than for the purposes and subject to the conditions prescribed under the Copyright Act, no part of it in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, microcopying, photocopying, recording or otherwise), may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted without prior permission of the publisher.

Organisations using the ChildSafe system are permitted to make copies of these training materials for the purpose of training people within their organisation. This applies only where the organisation owns a licence to use ChildSafe or has bought published ChildSafe materials.

Other organisations interested in using these training materials are invited to contact ChildSafe via our website to make arrangements to do so. The training materials are designed to be used in conjunction with the rest of the ChildSafe system.

Acknowledgements

These training materials were written by Jenny Cowley and Dave Boldy.

Who’s behind ChildSafe?

ChildSafe has its roots in the safety and care processes of Scripture Union (SU). The forerunner to ChildSafe was an SU project ‘Lighting a Path to Safety’, designed to assist SU movements in each state and territory to follow best practice principles in caring for children and young people. ChildSafe has grown out of this initial project as SU takes its safety and care system and adapts it for the wider community. ChildSafe does not gather dust on the bookshelf – it is an active system that is proving its worth among the 180,000 children involved with SU each year. SU is an organisation that cares for children, and the ChildSafe system is an expression of that care.

Contents

Module CO1: The ChildSafe Coordinator

1The Role of the Coordinator

2Granting Permission to Proceed

3Your Safety Oversight Role

4Conclusion

Module CO1: The ChildSafe Coordinator

Module purpose: / This module is designed to introduce you to your role as Coordinator in the ChildSafe system, including the granting of Permission to Proceed.
Learning outcomes: / At the end of this module you will be able to:

Outline the roles of the Coordinator within a ChildSafe Organisation and list the requirements for your appointment.
Describe the rationale and process for Permission to Proceed and give reasons for deciding when to grant or withhold permission.
Describe the role of the Coordinator in the safety oversight of programs within your area of responsibility and the link with the Risk Management Officer.

We have included some icons to help you as you work through this module:
Key Activities/Information
These are essential.
Questions
Key questions are essential in the learning process.
Read
Refer to ChildSafe Coordinator

1The Role of the Coordinator

1.1Introduction

We welcome you to ChildSafe Training Module CO1: The ChildSafe Coordinator.

Make sure that you have a copy of ChildSafe Coordinatorwith you as you progress through this workbook.

Module Outline

ChildSafe training is relevant to anyone who engages in work with children, young people and families. ChildSafe sets a standard of safety and care for the Organisation and it is important that everyone involved is informed and agrees to uphold it. The major focus of the training is keeping children, young people and families who participate in programs, safe from harm.

This module will look at

Your role and responsibilities within ChildSafe
Granting and withholding Permission to Proceed
Safety oversight

1.2Your context

Purpose: To clarify ChildSafe levels and responsibilities

From what you know to date, how would you describe your role as a Coordinator? Note your answer here.

Read Section A1 of ChildSafe Coordinator.

What terminology is used within your Organisation to describe the different ‘levels’ within ChildSafe (Team Member, Team Leader, Coordinator, Risk Management Officer?

List them here.

For what ‘area’ within the Organisation are you responsible as Coordinator, and which Team Leaders come under your supervision?

Who is your Risk Management Officer, and what are their contact details?

It is vital that you are fully aware of both for whom and for what you are responsible, and to whom you are accountable within your role.

1.3Appointment to the Coordinator role

The ChildSafe system is hierarchical in nature, so it is assumed that a person appointed to the role of Coordinator has met the appointment criteria for a Team Member and Team Leader. This will include proper screening, such as referee checks and criminal history checking.

A Coordinator appointment is usually as a member of staff of an Organisation, and is made by the Organisation itself.

Who has appointed you? To what person or body do you report? (This will often be someone other than your Risk Management Officer, which is specifically a safety and care line of accountability).

As a ChildSafe Coordinator, your role involves supervising, assisting and overseeing the work of your Team Leaders. To perform this role you must be familiar with the Team Leader role itself. You may have previously acted in this role, or you may have come into your position without having previously been a Team Leader yourself.

Are you adequately skilled and sufficiently aware of the Team Leader’s role to offer them the support and supervision they require? (You might need to talk with your supervisor about this)

If not, you will need to undertake further training at the Team Leader level as a matter of urgency.

1.4Appointing and managing Team Leaders

Purpose: To clarify Team Leader appointment and responsibilities

Read Section B of ChildSafe Coordinator.

What process exists within your Organisation for the appointment of Team Leaders? Outline it here.

Do you appoint Team Leaders yourself, or is this undertaken by a group such as a committee?

Does the appointment process adequately cover the material in form CN1 Team Leader Safety and Care Agreement? If not, what steps need to be taken?

Are your Team Leaders aware of their accountability to you in matters of safety and care? Are they also aware that you offer support to them?

Are your Team Leaders adequately trained for their responsibilities? In particular, in relation to the next section, are they familiar with the Permission to Proceed process?

2Granting Permission to Proceed

Are you fully conversant with the Permission to Proceed process? Outline the process here.

If not, you will need to undertake ChildSafe Training Modules TL2 and TL3.

Because this process is central to safety within the ChildSafe system, the following points are repeated here:

Within a ChildSafe Organisation every operational program (activity, event, club) has a current Permission to Proceed in place.
The Coordinators are responsible for ensuring that this is the case.
Breach of this process should be regarded very seriously by the Organisation.

As Coordinator, you issue form CN2 Permission to Proceed on the basis of successful completion of the process.

2.1Granting or withholding Permission to Proceed

Purpose: To familiarise you with your role in implementing the process

Why might you withhold the granting of Permission to Proceed, once the paperwork has been submitted to you? List as many reasons as you can think of here.

Form CN3 Checklist for assessing a safety plan is provided to assist you in making the decision to grant Permission to Proceed.

Consider the following key points:

You will need to work together with your Team Leaders in relation to the timing of the completion of the Permission to Proceed process. Late submission of materials will result in last-minute decisions and pressure being applied to you to grant Permission. ChildSafe advises setting a timeline in place so that this process can be dealt with in an orderly way.
The withholding of Permission to Proceed should always involve clear statements about the deficiencies that need to be rectified, and assistance and support from you to do so.
The granting of Permission to Proceed is not the ‘end of the process’. The documents must then be ‘brought to life’ by the Team Leader, who ensures that their program does in fact follow the safety plans that they have provided.

ChildSafe advises that, for the sake of proper accountability, nobody should give themselves Permission to Proceed. So in the situation where you are both the Coordinator, and the Team Leader, your Risk Management Officer should provide Permission to Proceed to you.

3Your Safety Oversight Role

Purpose: To highlight your role in Emergency Response and reporting of incidents

Read Section D of ChildSafe Coordinator.

What is your role in relation to Incident/AccidentReports and issues of Child Protection that come to your attention?

Are you aware of your Organisation’s Emergency Response process? Outline the details here.

If you are not sure, address this with your supervisor or the Risk Management Officer.

Do you have a current list of contacts for the Emergency Response Team? Do your Team Leaders also receive this information in a timely manner in relation to their program?

What role do you play within the Emergency Response process, if the Emergency event involves one of the programs within your area?

3.1Insurance issues

Read Section A.2 of ChildSafe Coordinator.

Are you aware of the nature of your Organisation’s insurances, particularly any excluded activities or restrictions?

If not, address this with your Risk Management Officer.

4Conclusion

Where you have doubts about your level of authority or the nature of your role in relation to safety and care, you should consult with your Risk Management Officer. Do not operate outside the ChildSafe system without seeking advice and permission.

Use the space below to list any questions or issues that you would like to talk over with your Risk management Officer.