Youthrive Victoria – Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy

PURPOSE

The Rural Foundation Ltd (t/a Youthrive Victoria), is strongly committed to the safety, participation and empowerment of all children. We have zero tolerance of any form child abuse and all allegations and safety concerns will be treated very seriously and consistently as per our policies and procedures. 

This document outlines our commitment to children and young people and acknowledges that every person linked to The Rural Foundation Ltd (Youthrive Victoria) must take responsibility to ensure the highest possible standards in child safety and wellbeing are maintained at all times. 

STATEMENT OF OUR COMMITMENT TO CHILD SAFETY

The Rural Foundation Ltd (Youthrive Victoria) is committed to preventing child abuse and identifying risks early, and removing and reducing these risks.The Rural Foundation Ltd (Youthrive Victoria)  is strongly committed to child safety, participation and empowerment of all children. Our highest priority is that children are safe, happy and empowered. We support and respect all children, as well as our staff and volunteers. We are committed to complying with the Child Wellbeing and Safety Act 2005 and the Victorian Commission for Children and Young people 11 Child Safe  Standards as updated in 2022.

SCOPE

This policy applies to:

1. All Board Members
2. All Staff Members
3. All volunteers, contractors,  and visitors who are connected to The Rural Foundation Ltd (Youthrive Victoria) in a paid or unpaid capacity.
4. All participants in any program conducted by The Rural Foundation Ltd.

This policy applies to all activities connected to The Rural Foundation Ltd (Youthrive Victoria). This includes but is not limited to any events or social gatherings organised by or attended by members of the Rural Youth Network (RYN), Dream Seeds and Alumni committees.  

DEFINITIONS

Management means the Board, CEO, Office Manager and RYN Co-ordinator.

Child abuse means:

• A sexual offence committed against a child.
• An offence committed against a child under section 49M(1) of the Crimes Act 1958 (Vic), such as grooming.
• Physical violence against a child.
• Causing serious emotional or psychological harm to a child.
• Serious neglect of a child.

Harm is damage to the health, safety or wellbeing of a child or young person, including as a result of child abuse by adults or the conduct of other children. It includes physical, emotional, sexual and psychological harm. Harm can arise from a single act or event and can also be cumulative, that is, arising as a result of a series of acts or events over a period of time.

Child/Children/young person means a person who is under the age of 18 years.

Concerns and complaints

A concern refers to any potential issue that could impact negatively on the safety and wellbeing of children.

A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction to The Rural Foundation Ltd (Youthrive Victoria)  related to one or more of the following:

• Our services, programs, or dealings with individuals.
• Allegations of abuse or misconduct by a staff member, a volunteer or another individual associated with The Rural Foundation Ltd (Youthrive Victoria).
• Disclosures of abuse or harm made by a child or young person.
• The conduct of a child or young person at The Rural Foundation Ltd (Youthrive Victoria).
• The inadequate handling of a prior concern.
• General concerns about the safety of a group of children or activity.

POLICY

Overview

This policy is intended to empower children and young adults, who are vital and active participants in The Rural Foundation Ltd (Youthrive Victoria) programs and activities. We involve them when making decisions, especially about matters that directly affect them. We listen to their views and respect what they have to say.

We promote diversity and acceptance at The Rural Foundation Ltd, and people from all walks of life and cultural backgrounds are welcome. In particular, we:

• Promote the cultural safety, participation and empowerment of Aboriginal children/young people.
• Promote the cultural safety, participation and empowerment of children/young people  from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds.
• Ensure that children/young people with a disability are safe and can participate equally.

The Rural Foundation Ltd (Youthrive Victoria) has zero tolerance of any form of child abuse. We will not tolerate any discrimination based on disability, race, ethnicity, religion, sex, intersex status, gender identity or sexual orientation. Nor will we tolerate any situation where a child/young person connected to The Rural Foundation Ltd (Youthrive Victoria) or its programs feels unsafe. It is the expectation of The Rural Foundation (Youthrive Victoria) that any incidents, regardless of the severity, are reported to management as well as the relevant authority. 

Management will

• Provide up to date and relevant training to staff on Child Safety and Wellbeing.
• Complete training modules on complaint handling and reporting. 
• Ensure a welcome and inclusive environment is provided for all children and young people both online and in person. 
• Deal with any complaint regarding child safety or racism as per the complaints handling policy.
• Promote a culture of reporting.
• Ensure any complaints are private and confidential and that the complainant and guardian are kept informed about the progress of the complaint as per training.  
• Review The Rural Foundations (Youthrive Victoria’s) child safety performance and put in place additional measures where needed. 
• Ensure children and young people  are involved in decision making. 
• Ensure families and communities have access to the Child Safety Wellbeing Policy and the Complaints Handling Policy.
• Ensure all new staff and volunteers are properly vetted including but not limited to a recent working with children check prior to the commencement of any activities. 
• Ensure all staff and volunteers have up to date training and working with children checks before engaging in any activity involving children. 
• Ensure child safety and wellbeing is a standing item at formal staff meetings. 

Staff and Volunteers will

• Complete any training provided in a timely manner. 
• Ensure a welcome and inclusive environment is provided for culturally diverse children and young people both online and in person.
• Ensure children and young people  have opportunities to express their views. 
• Promote social connections between peers and ensure children and young people  are not isolated from their peers when engaging in activities.
• Ensure they behave appropriately with children and young people  at all times as per the code of conduct.
• Act on any incidents of racism or child abuse.

Third Parties engaging with The Rural Foundation will. 

• Ensure a welcome and inclusive environment is provided for culturally diverse children and young people both online and in person.
• Ensure children and young people have opportunities to express their views. 
• Promote social connections between peers and ensure children and young people are not isolated from their peers when engaging in activities.
• Ensure they behave appropriately with children and young people  at all times as per the code of conduct.
• Act on any incidents of racism or child abuse.

Code of Conduct

All of our staff and volunteers must agree to abide by our code of conduct which specifies the standards of conduct required when working with children and young people. All staff and volunteers, as well as young people and their families, are given the opportunity to contribute to the development of the code of conduct. 

Training and Supervision

Training and education is important to ensure that everyone at The Rural Foundation Ltd understands that child safety is everyone’s responsibility. 

Our organisational culture aims for all board members, staff, volunteers, families and children and young people to feel confident and comfortable in discussing any allegations of child abuse or child safety concerns. We train our board members, staff and volunteers to identify, assess, and minimise risks of child abuse and to detect potential signs of child abuse. 

We also support our board members, staff and volunteers through ongoing supervision to develop their skills to protect children and young people from abuse and promote the cultural safety of Aboriginal children and young people, the cultural safety of children from linguistically and/or diverse backgrounds, and the safety of children and young people with a disability. 

New board members, staff and volunteers will be supervised regularly to ensure they understand The Rural Foundation Ltd.’s commitment to child safety and that everyone has a role to play in protecting children from abuse. This will include checking that their behaviour towards children and young people  is safe and appropriate (please refer to The Rural Foundation Ltd.’s code of conduct for information about appropriate behaviour. Any inappropriate behaviour will be reported through appropriate channels, including the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing and Victoria Police, depending on the severity and urgency of the matter.

Recruitment

The Rural Foundation Ltd (Youthrive Victoria) takes all reasonable steps to employ skilled people to work with children and young people. Management develops selection criteria and advertisements which clearly demonstrate our commitment to child safety and an awareness of our social and legal responsibilities. The Rural Foundation Ltd understands that when recruiting board members, staff and volunteers, we have ethical as well as legislative obligations.

We actively encourage applications from Aboriginal people, people from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds and people with a disability.

All people who are engaged in child-related work and who are not exempt, including volunteers, are required to hold a Working with Children Check and to provide evidence of this check. For more information, please refer to the Working with Children website <http://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/home/>. 

We carry out reference checks and police record checks to ensure that we are recruiting the right people. If during the recruitment process a person’s records indicate a criminal history then the person will be given the opportunity to provide further information and context.

Fair Procedures for Staff and Volunteers

The safety and wellbeing of children and young people is our primary concern. We are also fair and reasonable to all staff and volunteers. The decisions we make when recruiting, assessing incidents, and undertaking disciplinary action will always be thorough, transparent, and based on evidence. 

We record all allegations of abuse and safety concerns using our incident reporting form. All records are securely stored. If an allegation of abuse or a safety concern is raised, we provide updates to children/young people and families on progress and actions we as an organisation take. 

Privacy

All personal information considered or recorded will respect the privacy of the individuals involved, whether they be staff, volunteers, families or children/young people, unless there is a risk to someone’s safety. Everyone is entitled to know how this information is recorded, what will be done with it and who will have access to it. This is intended to protect reporters and to ensure that all members of The Rural Foundation Ltd are comfortable to disclose any allegations or concerns in relation to child safety without repercussions. 

Legislative Responsibilities

The Rural Foundation Ltd takes its legal responsibilities seriously, including:

• Failure to disclose: All adults in Victoria who have a reasonable belief that an adult has committed a sexual offence against a child under 16 have an obligation to report that information to Victoria Police.
• Mandatory reporting: Any board members, staff or volunteers who are mandatory reporters (doctors, nurses, midwives, teachers, principals and police officers) must comply with their duties.
• Failure to protect: People of authority in our organisation will commit an offence if they know of a substantial risk of child sexual abuse and have the power or responsibility to reduce or remove the risk, but negligently fail to do so.
• Reportable conduct: The head of our organisation must be made aware of any allegations of physical and sexual abuse, sexual misconduct, significant emotional or psychological harm or significant neglect by an employee or volunteer towards a child. We are also legally required to notify the Commission for Children and Young People of the allegation.
• Duty of care: If a child is abused by an individual associated with our organisation, our organisation is presumed to have breached its duty of care unless it can prove that it took ‘reasonable precautions’ to prevent the abuse in question. 

Risk Management

In Victoria, organisations are required to protect children when a risk is identified. In addition to general occupational health and safety risks, we proactively manage risks of abuse to our children.

We have risk management systems and strategies  in place to identify, assess, and take steps to minimise child abuse risks which include risks posed by physical environments and online environments. A risk assessment and management plan is to be done on all activities involving children. 

Allegations, Concerns and Complaints

The Rural Foundation Ltd takes all allegations seriously and has practices in place to investigate thoroughly and quickly. Our board members, staff and volunteers are trained to deal with allegations appropriately. 

We work to ensure all children/young people,, families, board members, staff and volunteers know what to do and who to tell if they observe abuse or are a victim, and if they notice inappropriate behaviour. 

We all have a responsibility to report an allegation of abuse if we have a reasonable belief that an incident took place. If an adult has a reasonable belief that an incident has occurred then they must report the incident. Factors contributing to reasonable belief may include:

• A child or young person states they or someone they know has been abused (noting that sometimes the child may in fact be referring to themselves).
• Behaviour consistent with that of an abuse victim is observed.
• Someone else has raised a suspicion of abuse but is unwilling to report it.
• Observing suspicious behaviour.

Child Safety Person

The Rural Foundation Ltd (Youthrive Victoria) has two trained child safety persons with responsibility for responding to any child safety related complaints or concerns.

Both the CEO and the RYN co-ordinator are trained to respond to any complaints and can be contacted via email, phone or in person.  Photos and names of the child safety persons are displayed on our website and in the foyer of the office. 

Record Keeping

The Rural Foundation Ltd (Youthrive Victoria)  is committed to making and keeping full and accurate records about all child-related complaints or safety concerns.

All child safety complaints, concerns, incidents and near misses will be recorded in the incident reporting system.

Records which may assist with the investigation of a complaint or safety concern will be identified and kept as part of the record of an investigation. Records will be kept even if an investigation does not substantiate a complaint.

We will record and keep the outcome of any investigations, and the resolution of any complaints. This includes findings made, reasons for decisions and actions taken.

Records will be stored securely and kept by The Rural Foundation Ltd (Youthrive Victoria)  for at least 45 years.

Review

This policy will be reviewed every two years and following significant incidents if they occur. We will ensure that families and children/young people  have the opportunity to contribute. Where possible we will do our best to work with local Aboriginal communities, culturally and/or linguistically diverse communities and people with a disability.

Breach of this Policy

Any potential breaches of this policy will be investigated and may result in restriction of duties, counselling and/or disciplinary action, which, in the case of employees, may lead to dismissal, or, in the case of volunteers, may lead to the cessation of their engagement.

Any breach of this policy by a contractor may result in cancellation by The Rural Foundation Ltd (Youthrive Victoria)  of the services provided by that contractor. 

Supporting Documents

The following policies and procedures work together to Code of Conduct across all of our operations:

• Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy.
• Volunteer Policy
• Discrimination policy.
• Complaint handling policy.
• Work health and safety policy.
• Risk management plan.
• Child safe training plan.

Supporting legislation

• Child Wellbeing and Safety Act 2005 (Vic) (including Child Safe Standards).
• Children, Youth and Families Act 2005 (Vic) (including reporting to Child Protection).
• Crimes Act 1958 (Vic) (including Failure to Protect and Failure to Disclose offences).
• Wrongs Act 1958 (Vic) (including Part XIII – Organisational liability for child abuse)
• The Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic)

Further information 

Further information about the Child Safe Standards can be found on the Department of Health and Human Services (the department) website. This includes additional resources that have been designed for organisations that are funded and/or regulated by the department. In particular, an overview of the Victoria Child Safe Standards  has information to help organisations to understand the requirements of each of the Child Safe Standards.

All organisations may also refer to the information and resources available on the Child Safety page  on the Commission for Children and Young People’s website.

 

Further information and resources to support young people to raise issues or concerns are available at: 

• Report Racism Hotline (call 1800 722 476) – this hotline enables young people to report concerns relating to racism or religious discrimination
• Reach Out 
• Headspace 
• Kids Helpline (call 1800 55 1800) 
• Victorian Aboriginal Education Association (VAEAI) 

Contacting us

www.youthrivevictoria.org.au welcomes your comments regarding this Child safety and Wellbeing  Policy. If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy and would like further information, please contact us by any of the following means during business hours Monday to Friday.
Call: 03 6281 8303
E-mail: info@youthrivevic.org.au
Post:
        Attn: Dr Maryann Brown (RE: Website Privacy Policy)
        To: Youthrive Victoria
        85a Albert Street, Creswick
        Victoria, 3363
        Australia