Have systems to regularly review and improve safety policies and practices, particularly following any incidents. Successfully implementing this standard should result in organisations in are clear and transparent arrangements for leadership to be made aware of child safety issues policies and practices prioritise 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 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 (see Standard 3 over page). 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.
Have systems to regularly review and improve safety policies and practices, particularly following any incidents. Successfully implementing this standard should result in organisations in are clear and transparent arrangements for leadership to be made aware of child safety issues policies and practices prioritise 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 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 (see Standard 3 over page). 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.
An-overview-of-the-Victorian-child-safe-standards.docx