1. Purpose
Describes what your policy aims to do, for example:
- stating why your organisation has developed the policy
- explaining that the policy will outline the roles and responsibilities for everyone involved in the organisation.
2. Statement of commitment to the safety and protection of children and young people
Including your organisation’s legal obligations, for example, your policy complies with the child safe provisions of the Children and Young People (Safety) Act 2017.
3. Scope
Describe:
- who your policy applies to (including staff, contractors, students and volunteers) and
- the responsibilities of staff, volunteers, contractors, students, children and young people to create and maintain child safe environments.
4. Children and young people's participation
Provide details about how you encourage children and young people to participate and raise any matters that concern them.
5. Code of conduct
Establishing professional boundaries, ethical behaviour, unacceptable behaviour, and consequences for breaching the code.
6. Recruitment practices/processes (or policy) for staff and volunteers
Including Working with Children Checks and that your organisation meets the requirements under the Child Safety (Prohibited Persons) Act 2016.
7. Supervision, training, development and support provided for staff/volunteers
To maintain their knowledge of child safe environments and mandatory reporting obligations (where required).
8. Reporting and responding to a reasonable belief that a child or young person is or may be at risk of harm
Provide details of the process for reporting that a child or young person may be at risk of harm including descriptions of which people are mandatory reporters and the details of the Child Abuse Report Line (CARL) on 13 14 78.
9. Reporting and responding to complaints about a person involved in your organisation, and how you manage feedback about your organisation
Explain the process and how your organisation will manage sensitive information.
10. Risk Management
Explain how your organisation identifies and manages risk of harm to children and young people including physical safety and wellbeing across a range of settings.
11. Communication
Describe how you will communicate your child safe environments policy to your service users, parents, children and young people, staff, contractors, students and volunteers.
12. Related policies and procedures
Upload other related policies and procedures that support your child safe policy. For example, your recruitment policy or your mandatory reporting policy if this information is not in your child safe environments policy.
13. Policy Review
A statement providing details of the process for your organisation to review your policy, for example, reviewed (and updated where needed) within 5 years or when changes are made to your policy or organisation.
Content must align with the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations
More information
On this site
- Child Safe Environments training
- Child safe environments compliance statements
- Lodging your compliance statement
- Creating a Policy
- What goes in your policy
- Resources for creating a child safe environments policy
- National Principles for child safe organisations
- Developing a Code of Conduct
Contact us
Phone 8463 6468
Email dhs.childsafe@sa.gov.au