We champion every child's right to safety, dignity,
and respect - always, without exception.
Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA), in partnership with all governments, released the NQF Child Safe Culture Guide and NQF Online Safety Guide in response to recommendations from the Child Safety Review.
The two NQF Child Safety Guides provide guidance to help education and care services keep children safe, including when online. The guides are designed for approved providers, service leaders, educators and all staff and volunteers who work in education and care services to share, reflect on and improve their child safety practices.
They help adults and children to better understand child safety and how services should respond if concerns arise.
At FGP Moreton Inc we use the Child Safe Culture Guide to help Management and staff to:
· work together to create, maintain and improve a child safe culture
· reflect on our roles and responsibilities in taking these actions
· understand our ethical and legal responsibilities to implement the 10 National Principles and the Child Safe Standards.
All FGP Moreton Early Learning Centres promote safe and supervised environments by:
· CCTV monitoring in playrooms, playgrounds and sleep rooms
· Playroom layouts that support clear lines of sight for supervision
· Transparent spaces with windows and glass panels
· Strict access controls to ensure only authorised and supervised individuals are onsite
· Only Organisation-issued devices can be used when photographing and filming children.
· No images or videos of children are used on our social media platforms, online, or in marketing materials without explicit and signed consent.
· Personal phones, smart watches and other devices are not to be used by staff whilst working on-the-floor with children.
SAFEGUARDING OUR CHILDREN
1. Our Statement of Philosophy acknowledges that the children's safety is paramount.
2. We seek, listen to and respect children’s voices, views and opinions before making a decision that impacts them.
3. We talk to children about their rights in an age and developmentally- appropriate way, including their rights to speak, talk about things that concern them and/or make a complaint when they feel unsure, uncomfortable or unsafe
4. To help us recognise when a child may be at increased risk, we know and understand our families, communities and context and implement protective behaviours, including having appropriate and culturally safe discussions with families.
5. We recognise how a child’s presentation, behaviour, reactions or things they say may change if they have experienced maltreatment, abuse or neglect.
6. We ensure all staff and volunteers understand their mandatory reporting obligations and how to make a report to a child protection agency and their Regulatory Authority.
7. We take seriously and respond to any direct, indirect or suspected disclosure of child abuse or harm.
8. We ensure everyone connected with the Organisation is aware of how to raise an issue or concern or make a complaint regarding children’s safety.
BUILDING A CHILD SAFE CULTURE
LEADERSHIP, POLICIES AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
We make sure all policies and procedures prioritise children’s safety and include the National Principles and relevant state Child Safe Standards.
Our policies and procedures include information about responsibilities and processes regarding concerns or allegations of child maltreatment, abuse or neglect for approved providers, service leaders, all staff, volunteers and students, including reporting obligations.
We regularly review child safety policies and practices ensuring everyone knows and follows them and seek feedback from everyone, including children, families, and the community.
Our Staff and Volunteers Code of Conduct is easy to access and understand, is included in induction and training and is reflected on in ongoing discussions about child safety.
All staff and Board members undertake annual Child Protection Training. This training includes training on identifying a range of indicators of child maltreatment, abuse and neglect.
We ensure staff members at all levels understand how to identify and respond effectively when concerns or issues of child maltreatment, abuse or neglect arise, including mandatory reporting obligations.
We discuss and share information with families about child development and child safety resources as part of ongoing education and support for children and families.
Our Staff Code of Conduct clearly states expectations about the use of personal devices whilst working with children. All staff are required to abide by The Code.
Our Centre Leaders create an environment where all staff feel supported and encouraged to raise concerns, making it normal to report issues.
We consider what professional development opportunities should be made available for all staff at the service to understand and implement child safe practices.
We promote a child-centred, rights-based, respectful, child safe culture where children are aware of their right to say ‘no’ and can raise concerns and those concerns are listened to and taken seriously, acknowledged, respected and responded to.
We listen to, respect and respond to children’s voices, including their non-verbal cues.
We have resources and programs to educate and inform children of their rights, including their rights to safety.
Our educators support children’s body safety awareness through education and understanding of their rights to say no to any activities that make them feel uncomfortable, unsure or unsafe.
We provide resources or pathways for children and families to access support services when needed.
We embed a culture where children can talk about their feelings, emotions and safety and the safety of other children.
We actively discourage discrimination against children, families and educators on the basis of culture, gender, age, sexuality, disability or religion.
We work with staff to reflect on and address any intentional or unintentional bias, and discrimination.
We regularly reflect on how the service embeds Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives and identify ways to create, and improve on, a culturally safe environment where
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and families feel respected, empowered to speak and trust they will be heard.
We seek guidance from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff, Elders and community members to ensure their perspectives are reflected in our Statement of Philosophy.
We support, listen to and act on the views and opinions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children to ensure all children feel respected and proud of their identities and cultures.
We include local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge, perspectives and language learning for all children.
We plan for the inclusion of every child, including those who may have diagnosed behavioural or learning challenges.
CHILD’S VOICE AND CULTURAL SAFETY
We ensure recruitment policies and procedures have a child safe focus.
We use interview questions that explore the applicant’s practices and professional beliefs and how they align with the service’s child safe culture.
We ensure each position description includes child safety requirements and elements.
We undertake the required background checks for all staff (including volunteers and students) prior to commencement, including: working with children or vulnerable persons checks, and a prohibited persons register search. We only accept referee checks from applicant’s previous supervisor, and work colleague.
All staff must complete a Mandatory Child Protection and Safe Guarding Course PRIOR to employment.
We ensure child safety is at the core of induction for persons with management and control, service leadership, educators and other staff members, volunteers and students.
In our induction processes, we ensure educators understand and know how to implement child safe practices that are reflected in the Approved Learning Frameworks including the EYLF and MTOP.
We provide ongoing professional development for all educators to help them grow and maintain the organisation’s child safe culture, policies and procedures, covering: The National Principles for Child Safe Organisations training and, training on mandatory Qld Child Safe Standards, child maltreatment, abuse and neglect prevention, recognition, reporting, response and trauma-informed practices, and appropriate behaviour guidance.
Management and service leaders continuously support, mentor and supervise all educators, staff, volunteers and students to meet their child safety responsibilities.
We maintain an active review process for all staff (including volunteers and students) to ensure they remain suitable for employment, including working with children or vulnerable persons checks, and a prohibited persons register search.
Our supervision practices minimise the need for individual educators to be alone with children.
We ensure educators understand and model positive behaviours that keep children safe and deter abuse.
We facilitate ongoing supervision and professional development of staff to encourage understanding of the importance of policies and procedures that reduce the risk of harm to children.
STAFFING
We support children’s cultural safety and their sense of belonging by connecting them to, and engaging with, their local communities.
We actively consult families so that we understand what makes them feel comfortable and culturally safe, and what they think will keep their children safe, happy and healthy.
We take complaints seriously and have a child centred, comprehensive complaint handling system.
We ensure children, families and staff with diverse needs and family structures, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, culturally and linguistically diverse, and with additional needs feel included.
We develop respectful connections with community members that can be used to promote child safe practices across the community.
We encourage families and the community to give feedback on child safety policies and procedures and we act on their feedback.
FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES
Bravehearts provides families with resources which include a free Guide for Parents and Carers to Protecting Children and Young People from Sexual Abuse, Information Sheets on various topics related to child sexual abuse, as well as a curated list of highly recommended resources produced by peer child protection organisations.
Body Safety Australia This program is designed to empower and educate children to understand and communicate their right to bodily autonomy and equip communities to prevent child sexual abuse.
Kids Helpline: telephone 1800 551 800
NAPCAN: provides information, programs and resources for the prevention of child abuse and neglect.
SAFE4KIDS specialises in child protection education and has a host of resources.
The Daniel Morcombe Foundation provides person child safety education to children and young people to prevent abuse and promote lifelong wellbeing.
ChildSafe Body Safety Education and Resources
Roar Australia – KidsRoar – Delivers protective behaviours programs that focus on ‘Personal Safety 4 Kids.’
The Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) website was created by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) to bring together a world-leading approach to counter child exploitation.
The National eSafety Commissioner has information for parents and carers on maintaining children under 5’s safety online.