Animation – preparing for compliance

Transcript of web video published on www.vrqa.vic.gov.au/childsafe

This video is two minutes and twenty four seconds long.

[The video begins

A warm, female voice goes straight to topic over soft music with a computer generated motion graphic animation].

Victorian schools have to meet a minimum standard for the care, safety and welfare of children. Typically, they have a range of policies and procedures to promote child safety and minimise the risk of harm to their students.

Child safe standards, which are being introduced for all schools from the 1st of August 2016, require schools to build on these existing policies, procedures and practices and commit to zero tolerance for child abuse.

So, what should schools do to prepare to meet the standards?

All schools need to ensure their key governance documents – philosophy, vision and mission statements, as well as relevant policies and procedures around student safety and wellbeing, capture the zero tolerance message of the child safe standards.

The VRQA has developed resources, including a Compliance Self-Assessment and Action Plan [keep visuals as full title] to help schools identify existing gaps and meet the standards by the 1st of August. Use the action plan to consider what is already in place to:

•  develop and maintain community knowledge and expertise

•  record the school’s commitment to zero tolerance for child abuse

•  introduce a child safety code of conduct for all staff

•  affect recruitment processes

•  inform how volunteers and contractors are involved

•  increase student knowledge and empowerment

•  involve the whole school community in decisions around child safety

•  ensure timely and appropriate responses to child abuse incidents and allegations; and

•  to modify, as necessary, the school’s physical environment.

Where you identify gaps in meeting the child safe standards, mark on the action plan what needs to be done to address the gap, nominating responsible staff as well as the expected completion date.

This and other resources can be found on the VRQA’s child safe standards website

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Information and guidance is also being provided by the Department of Education and Training, the Catholic Education Commission of Victoria, Independent Schools Victoria and other agencies.

For further information about the standards, visit the VRQA’s child safe standards website.

[visual of www.vrqa.vic.gov.au/childsafe]

By working together and making the necessary changes we can commit to zero tolerance for child abuse and ensure that Victoria’s children are safe and supported.

[video closes with the VRQA and Victorian Government logos]