Policy Identification Number: 3.1
3.1.1 Superseded Policy: Nil
3.1.2 Audience: Cullen Bullen Public School Community
3.1.3 Introduction:
Education has an important role to support children and young people and to identify where problems arise that may put their safety, welfare or wellbeing at risk.
The purpose of this policy is to ensure that all staff having direct contact with children and remain constantly vigilant to the ongoing safety of students in their care.
3.1.4 Guidelines
Caring and supporting for young people is a shared responsibility.
3.1.5 Responsibility
The Principal is:
- Responsible for the overall care and responsibility for students protecting them from sexual, physical and emotional abuse and neglect as well as from improper conduct of a sexual nature.
- To ensure that students are provided with a curriculum this informs them of their rights and teaches them appropriate child protection strategies.
- Ensure that child abusers are not employed nor continue to be employed when discovered.
- To provide annual training for staff in the identification of suspected child abuse, mandatory notification procedures and the implementation of relevant programs.
- To ensure each staff member is provided with a copy of the relevant booklets.
- Determine whether the concerns amount to suspected risk of significant harm and if so report these matters to the Child Protection Helpline (Community Services). Where you are unsure whether the concerns meet the risk of significant harm threshold, after consulting the Mandatory Reporter Guide or you require assistance to apply the Mandatory Reporter Guide, you should contact the Child Wellbeing Unit
- Contact the Child Wellbeing Unit where you have applied the Mandatory Reporter Guide and have been guided to contact the Child Wellbeing Unit
- Contact the Child Wellbeing Unit where you have risk of harm concerns for a child or young person but they do not reach the threshold of risk of significant harm. Contact the department's Child Wellbeing Unit should you require advice and assistance to plan referrals and coordinate services to assist a child, young person and/or their family. A record or note must be kept when contact is made with the Child Wellbeing Unit
- Work co-operatively with other agencies to facilitate an exchange of information where a concern for the safety, welfare or wellbeing of a child or young person exists
- Exchange relevant information to progress assessments, investigations and case management as permitted by law.
The Staff will:
- Undertake annual training designed to highlight indicators of suspected child abuse and mandatory notification procedures.
- Inform the Principal if a copy of the Child Protection booklet is required.
- Teach appropriate child protection programs to children in their care.
- Realise they will be held accountable with regard to their actions as outlined in the relevant documents.
- Staff are expected to be aware of the indicators of abuse and neglect and to assist by providing relevant and available information to the principal.
- All staff have a responsibility to report suspected risk of harm, concerns about children and young people and to provide support to children and young people within their scope of responsibility.
- All school staff to inform their principal or workplace manager if they have child protection concerns as required in the Child Protection Policy.
- Reporting requirements are set out in the Protecting and Supporting Children and Young People Policy and related procedures.
- If a staff member believes that the principal or workplace manager has not reported concerns of suspected risk of significant harm to the Child Protection Helpline (Community Services), and the staff member still has concerns about suspected risk of significant harm the staff member must make a report to the Child Protection Helpline (Community Services).
The Community will:
- Expect that staff will take all necessary precautions to ensure the ongoing safety of children in their care.
- Be supportive of the staff in their efforts to ensure the safety of students in their care.
DEC Child Protection Policy
3.1.6 Review Date
This policy will be reviewed by 28/5/2018