The 11 Child Safe Standards (Standards) in Victoria apply to all organisations with the care, supervision or authority of children and young people and outline the expected outcomes organisations must achieve to ensure they create a Safe Space for children. The Standards are based on the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations, which have been endorsed by all states across Australia (National Principles). New South Wales and Tasmania have also legislated the 10 National Principles for Child Safe Organisations in their respective Child Safe Standards and the Child and Youth Safe Standards in each state. Each Standard provides guidance to organisations on the minimum requirements necessary to meet each Standard and ensure the safety of children associated with the organisation.
Child Safe Standard 8 (Standard 7 in NSW and Tasmania) requires that ‘staff and volunteers are equipped with the knowledge, skills and awareness to keep children and young people safe through ongoing education and training’. At a minimum, organisations must ensure that staff and volunteers are provided with adequate training and support which allows them to:
- Implement an organisation’s Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy
- Recognise indicators of harm
- Respond to child safety issues and provide support to a person who makes a disclosure; and
- Build and maintain a culturally safe environment for children and young people.
How to Comply with Standard 8
Organisations should commit to the ongoing learning and development of its staff and volunteers and support them to remain up to date with organisational policies, procedures and practices, as well as current research and practices in relation to child safety and safeguarding. Compliance with Standard 8 can be achieved in a variety of ways, including:
- Providing training as part of an induction program so that new staff and volunteers are aware of the policies, processes, practices and procedures they are required to adhere to while employed by an organisation.
- Providing ongoing opportunities for professional development and training to employees and volunteers which is tailored to meet the needs of the organisation and ensure that employees and volunteers understand their legal and moral obligations.
- Providing guidance materials on organisational policies and procedures so staff and volunteers are aware their obligations and can act in accordance with their obligations.
- Maintaining a training register to monitor when training has been completed.
- Offering training in key child safety and safeguarding practices regularly to allow staff and volunteers multiple opportunities to attend and refresh their knowledge and skills in both formal and informal manners.
- Consulting with staff and volunteers about their learning and development needs so that knowledge and skills gaps can be strengthened.
How can Safe Space Legal Help?
The team at Safe Space Legal have extensive experience providing training to organisations to ensure its staff and volunteers understand their safeguarding obligations when working with children and young people.
Safe Space Legal provides a range of services and can provide tailored child safety training for organisations on legal obligations, duty of care, reportable conduct schemes and child safety.