Child Safety Standards
CHILD SAFE STANDARDS
The Victorian Government has announced new Child Safe Standards to further strengthen child safety across organisations, including schools. The new standards recognise the critical importance of families and the broader school community in maintaining and promoting child safety and wellbeing.
Wales Street Primary School is committed to providing a child safe and child friendly environment, where students are safe and feel safe. Our child safety and wellbeing policies outline the measures and strategies we have in place to support, promote and maintain the safety and wellbeing of our students.
As valuable partners in promoting and maintaining child safety and wellbeing at Wales Street Primary School, we welcome and encourage your feedback.
If you have any suggestions, comments or questions in relation to our child safe policies and practices, please contact the Principal, Jennifer Deeble via email, Jennifer.Deeble@education.vic.gov.au
Child Safe standard |
Description |
Policies |
Child Safe Standard 1: |
This standard requires schools to make sure Aboriginal children and young people feel safe.
The term ‘Aboriginal’ includes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It is important to be respectful of how individual children, students, their families and community refer to themselves, and use appropriate language.
Cultural safety includes being provided with a safe, nurturing and positive environment where Aboriginal children:
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School policies:
Department resources, programs and initiatives implemented at the school:
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Child Safe Standard 2: |
This standard emphasises the vital role that school leaders and governing authorities have in establishing:
Schools must take deliberate steps to promote child safety and wellbeing and protect children by
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School policies:
Department policies and resources:
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Child Safe Standard 3: |
This standard supports schools to create a culture that values and promotes student participation. This includes:
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School policies:
Department resources, programs and initiatives implemented at the school:
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Child Safe Standard 4: |
This standard highlights the importance of an open and transparent child safe culture for families and communities.
Schools must provide families and communities with accessible information about their child safe policies and practices and involve them in their approach to child safety and wellbeing.
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School policies
Department resources, programs and initiatives implemented at the school:
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Child Safe Standard 6: |
This standard focuses on ensuring that people who work with children and young people are suitable and supported to act in a child safe way. Schools should make child safety and wellbeing a key consideration when recruiting staff and volunteers.
As part of this standard, schools must:
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School policies:
Department resources, programs and initiatives implemented at the school:
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Child Safe Standard 7: |
This standard focuses on ensuring that schools have complaints processes that are child-focused, culturally safe and accessible to everyone.
Schools must have policies, procedures and practices to
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School policies:
Department resources, programs and initiatives implemented at the school: |
Child Safe Standard 8: Staff and volunteers are equipped with the knowledge, skills and awareness to keep children and young people safe through ongoing education and training.
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This standard focuses on building child safety knowledge, skills and awareness in staff, volunteers and school governing authorities.
All schools should deliver training to new and existing staff and volunteers. The training must be tailored to the needs of the school and the role the person performs at the school.
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School policies:
Department resources, programs and initiatives implemented at the school:
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Child Safe Standard 9: |
This standard focuses on child safety and wellbeing in physical and online environments and ensuring that procurement also reflects child safety.
Schools need to have policies and strategies:
Schools must analyse and understand potential risks to students. It is important to think about risks created by school structure and culture, activities and physical and online environments.
Online technologies are constantly changing which presents significant challenges for schools, parents and carers. Online behaviour needs to be addressed in the Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy and Codes of Conduct to promote child safety.
Arrangements with external agencies also create child safety risks. They create opportunities for unknown people to have contact with students.
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School policies:
Department resources, programs and initiatives implemented at the school:
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Child Safe Standard 10: |
This standard focuses on continuous improvement in child-safe policies, procedures and practices.
Schools must:
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School policies:
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Child Safe Standard 11: |
This standard focuses on incorporating the 11 Child Safe Standards into school policies, procedures and practices, which work together to create a child-safe culture.
Schools should ensure these policies and procedures are:
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