Child Safe Policy

1. Purpose and Intent

The City of Casey is committed to creating and maintaining a child safe organisation where protecting children and young people and preventing and responding to child abuse is embedded in the everyday thinking and practice of all Councillors, employees, contractors and volunteers.   

This Policy reflects Council’s intention to be aspirational – not just compliant – in meeting the requirements of the Victorian Child Safe Standards. The City of Casey is uniquely positioned to be an industry leader that models good practice and processes in keeping children and young people safe from harm or abuse.   

This Policy provides information and guidance to all levels of our organisation and requires that all Councillors, employees, contractors and volunteers commit to an active creation, demonstration and maintenance of a child safe culture.   

Council will do this in accordance with our City of Casey values being to dream big, empower each other and make our community proud. We Dream Big in setting an aspirational intention to become an industry leader in child safe practice; we Empower Each Other through clear reporting procedures and a culture of child safety; we Make our Community Proud by protecting children and young people and families and being a leader in child safe practice within the region.   
Council acknowledges that child safe practice would not be possible without the valued support of a number of key external stakeholders.   

2. Scope

This Policy applies to all Casey Councillors, employees, volunteers and work experience/work placement students, irrespective of whether or not they are engaged in a child facing role. 

Council requires contracted organisations to comply with the child safe legislation as part of their contractual agreements with the City of Casey. Individuals who are employed by contracted organisations are not considered employees of the City of Casey under the Scheme. This means that subcontractors and/or contracted organisations are not in scope of the City of Casey’s Scheme. 
 

4. Policy

The Child Safe Policy communicates Council’s commitment to keeping children and young people safe.

Council is in the unique position of being able to provide a framework for safety around one of our most vulnerable people groups: children. It is often said “it takes a village to raise a child”.

Council’s infrastructure in many ways is that village, from school crossing supervisors to playgrounds within parks and gardens, to public spaces and community centres, to road maintenance teams and kindergartens.

We all have a role to play in keeping Casey’s children and young people safe from harm or abuse.

4.1 Statement of Commitment to Child Safety  

All children or young people who attend services, programs, and events delivered by, and spaces owned or managed by the City of Casey, have the right to feel and be safe. The wellbeing and safety of children and young people in our care will always be our priority.  

Council has zero-tolerance of child abuse and is committed to creating and maintaining a child safe and child-friendly organisation where all children and young people are valued and protected from abuse, harm and neglect.  

The City of Casey is committed to creating and maintaining a child safe organisation where protecting children and young people from abuse, harm and neglect is embedded in the everyday thinking and practice of Council, its employees, contractors and volunteers.

4.2 Children and young people have the Right to Speak and be Heard  

The City of Casey ensures that children and young people are informed about their rights, including to safety, information and participation. Council engages children and young people in a meaningful, respectful and authentic way which is reflected through The National Framework for Protecting Australia's Children 2021 - 2031 and follows the City of Casey’s Community Engagement Policy and the  Council encourages the voice of children and young people in organisational planning, delivery of services, programs and events, procedures, and management of facilities. Our priority is to involve children and young people in opportunities to influence matters that affect them as active citizens in their community. 

This will be achieved by: 

• providing children and young people with opportunities to voice their opinions, be taken seriously, be actively involved in shaping their community and participate in decisions that affect them.
• Enhancing the skills of City of Casey staff and local service providers to collaborate with children,
  young people and families in a respectful, ethical and genuine way. 
• empowering children, young people and families to maximise their potential as they participate and grow in the Casey community.

4.4 Employees, Contractors and Volunteers  

The City of Casey has clear and well-established behavioural expectations of all employees, contractors and volunteers who work or interact with children and/or young people. This includes appropriate behavioural expectations for working with all children and young people including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people, culturally and/or linguistically diverse children and young people, children and young people with a disability, those who are unable to live at home, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, non-binary, gender diverse, and intersex children and young people.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) as the head of the relevant entity, as prescribed by the Child Wellbeing and Safety Act 2005, is responsible for appointing, directing and managing employees, contractors and volunteers.

4.4.1 Employee and Volunteer Code of Conduct

All employees or volunteers of the City of Casey are responsible for ensuring the safety, participation, wellbeing and empowerment of children and young people whilst undertaking their roles. All employees employed in accordance with the Casey City Council Enterprise Agreement, and volunteers engaged in a City of Casey program, advisory, consultative or reference group/committee are made aware of and must abide by Council’s relevant Code of Conduct agreements.

4.4.2 Human Resources and Recruitment

The City of Casey has effective screening tools to assist the recruitment of suitable employees, contractors and volunteers to minimise the risk of inappropriate individuals entering the organisation.  

Council’s recruitment process includes the above statement of commitment to child safety in all job advertisements, inclusion of child safe questions for pre-interview screening, interview and referee checks, and the requirement for a valid Working with Children Check before commencing.

Council complies with all relevant regulatory and legal requirements when recruiting staff to ensure its employees and customers are not placed under unreasonable risk.

4.4.3 Support and Training

The City of Casey is responsible for ensuring that appropriate behaviour with children and young people is clearly defined and expectations are accessible and understood by all employees, contractors and volunteers.

Council will appropriately inform, and/or provide training for Councillors, employees and volunteers on child safety, including the cultural safety of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people, children and young people from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds, children and young people with a disability, those  who are unable to live at home, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, non-binary, gender diverse, and intersex children and young people. 

All employees and volunteers are assigned compulsory online Child Safe Standards training to complete as part of their induction to Council and every two years thereafter.  Child Protection and Mandatory Reporting Training will be completed by relevant employees as prescribed by the Department of Education.

Further mandatory Child Safe Standards workshops are provided to employees and volunteers who are in child facing roles at the City of Casey. These workshops include training in abuse types, understanding the Child Safe Policy and Code of Conduct, disclosures, information sharing, record keeping and reporting obligations, and equipping employees and volunteers with the knowledge, skills and awareness to keep children and young people safe. These workshops ensure that employees and volunteers are attuned to signs of harm and can facilitate child-friendly ways for children and young people to express their views, participate in decision-making and raise their concerns.

Refresher Child Safe Standards workshops are implemented with employees and volunteers who are in a child facing role every two years or earlier if required by legislative changes. Ongoing supervision and support are also provided to employees and volunteers to increase their capacity to establish and maintain a culture of child safety.  

Council ensures all employees and volunteers are aware of the established City of Casey Child Safe Reporting Process to ensure the implementation of child safe practices with children and young people across the organisation.

4.5 Reporting a Child Safety Concern

The City of Casey has committed to be a child safe organisation that complies with all relevant legislation, including both the Standards and the Scheme.  

Council takes all allegations of child abuse seriously and will investigate all allegations in a procedurally fair way complying with natural justice principles.  

4.5.1 Legislative Requirements  

The City of Casey has implemented processes and training to ensure all Councillors, employees and volunteers are aware of both their own, and the organisation’s legal obligations in relation to the reporting of child abuse. This includes an understanding of the following legislation:  

• Failure to disclose  
• Failure to protect  
• Mandatory reporting  
• Grooming.

4.5.2 Internal Response Team

The City of Casey has established an Internal Response Team with the following objectives:  

• Ensure that reportable conduct incidents and staff who report any incidents and organisational
  obligations in relation to reporting are managed effectively, efficiently and in compliance with all legislative obligations.  
• Ensure the City of Casey is at the forefront of being a child safe organisation and reinforcing that child safety is of paramount importance to the City of Casey.  
• Manage and maintain a robust governance framework.  
• Focus on the total management and compliance of reported incidents relating to child safety.  

In fulfilling these objectives, the Internal Response Team will action findings from child safety reviews or investigations and facilitate changes to relevant Council policies and procedures where appropriate

4.5.3 Reporting

All incidents or allegations of child abuse should be reported to the Internal Response Team.

Allegations or incidents can be reported by anyone: child, young person, parent, carer, Councillor, employee, volunteer, contractor or others in the community.   

A reportable conduct allegation is made where a child, young person or adult makes an allegation, based on a reasonable belief, that a Councillor, employee, contractor or volunteer of the City of Casey has been involved in the harm or abuse of a child or young person.  

The City of Casey Child Safe Reporting Process outlines that if children, young people, families, Councillors, employees, contractors or volunteers have concerns regarding the organisation’s leadership in relation to child safety, they can report these concerns under the Scheme.  

Under the Scheme, reports can be made on the conduct of Councillors, employees, contractors or volunteers to the Internal Response Team.  

Should a child, young person, family, Councillor, employee, contractor or volunteer have concerns about reporting to the Internal Response Team, they should address their concerns to People & Culture (peopleandculture@casey.vic.gov.au).

Children, young people or adults can make first contact with the City of Casey’s Customer Service team, requesting to speak with a member of the Internal Response Team or by emailing
childsafe@casey.vic.gov.au

4.5.4 Support 

Where appropriate, following a reported child safety concern, Council will:  

• assist alleged victims and their families to access counselling and support services.   
• provide support to affected staff through Council’s Employee Assistance Program.

4.6 Privacy, Record Keeping and Incident Monitoring  

Council is committed to protecting an individual’s right to privacy. All personal information considered or recorded during the process of a report or investigation will be handled in accordance with Council’s Privacy Policy. Council is committed to best practice when keeping and maintaining confidential records of child abuse allegations or reports. Records will be retained in keeping with the recommendations from the Public Records Office Victoria.  

Risks to child safety that are identified in complaints, reports or allegations of abuse will be reviewed and incorporated into the relevant risk register.

4.7 Risk Management  

Council’s risk management approach is to minimise the potential for abuse, harm or neglect to occur to children and/or young people. Council uses this approach to inform policies, procedures and activity/events planning. Council has a Risk Management Policy and Framework  (a ‘how to’ guide for staff to manage risk). Council maintains a risk register including the identified risks of child abuse within the City of Casey.  

The following elements are included in Council’s approach to risk management: 

• All existing and new activities and facilities must be assessed for risks of child abuse including: 
• environmental risks (e.g., areas that might obscure a line of sight); and
• vulnerability risks (e.g., activities that may foster personal relationships between staff/volunteers
  and children and young people who have an increased risk of being exploited, such as children
  and young people who are highly vulnerable and dependent on the employees/volunteer for
  their needs). 
• All identified risks of child abuse are actively reduced by designing and implementing appropriate
  preventative measures (risk assessment corrective action plans). 
• Risk assessment corrective action plans are documented for all existing and new activities and
  facilities.  
• Employees, contractors and volunteers are made aware of their responsibility for identifying risks of
  child abuse and their obligation to work with management on reducing those risks.  
• Families and children and young people are made aware of how to report on identified risks of child abuse.  
• Risk assessment corrective action plans are living documents that are updated as required, referred
  to regularly, and reviewed periodically.  

Council’s Child Safety Team will undertake assessments of activities and amenities that are considered higher risk and how these are to be mitigated. Council departments will include the Standards as a consideration in their operational activities and relevant policies. 

5. Responsibilities

6. Breaches

Council will enforce this policy and the relevant Codes of Conduct. Following any breaches by
employees, contractors or volunteers, Council will follow the Disciplinary Code, which may include
suspension, termination of employment and/or referral to Victoria Police.

7. Relevant Forms

N/A