Child Protection Policy

NCAC Policy Development Guide sample child protection policy

Child Protection PolicyPolicy Number

Link to CCQA PrinciplesFamily Day Care Quality Assurance (FDCQA)Quality Practices Guide (2004) Principle 4.6 / Outside School Hours Care Quality Assurance (OSHCQA)Quality Practices Guide (2003) Principle 7.1 / Quality Improvement and Accreditation System (QIAS) Quality Practices Guide (2005) Principle 5.1Policy statementThis service is committed to child protection and child safe environments. A child is any persons aged from birth to eighteen years (UNICEF).

The Child Protection Policy:

reflects the services philosophy, which can include values, ethics or code of conduct for management, staff, carers, children, families, students, volunteers and the community; establishes the procedures for child protection matters including identifying, documenting, reporting and managing concerns or incidents; maintains procedural fairness and natural justice concepts in all circumstances; identifies safe protective behaviours for all persons who access the services premises, facilities and/or programs; abides by federal and legislation; defines the appropriate direct or indirect physical contact between children and adults in the service; identifies and details the procedures when an adult harms a child; a child harms another child; or an adult harms another adult in the service; details complaints, grievances and disciplinary procedures; demonstrates a commitment to ongoing professional development for staff/carers; identifies support and counselling services or agencies for all stakeholders, including strategies to deal with the media; and reflects relevant licensing requirements, for example staff/child ratios.In addition:

has a duty of care to ensure that all persons are provided with a high level of safety and protection during the hours of the services operation.Services may also indicate how children are protected when the service is not operating. For example, the service may have closed for the day but parents and children are still using the car park. It is understood by staff/carers, children and families that there is a shared responsibility between the service and all stakeholders that the Child Protection Policy and procedures are accepted as a high priority.

In meeting the services duty of care, and legislative requirements outlined in that the management/coordination unit staff and staff/carers implement and adhere to the services Child Protection Policy, and ensure a level of safety and protection to all children who access the services facilities and/or programs.

Services may be required, in some states or territories, to report suspect incidences of child abuse or neglect to an authority as outlined in mandatory reporting regulations.

Rationale

The rationale represents a statement of reasons that detail why the policy and/or procedures have been developed and are important to the service.Please refer to:

Community and Disability Services Ministers' Conference (2005). Creating safe environments for children: organisations, employees and volunteers: national framework. Retrieved January 18, 2007, from http://www.ocsc.vic.gov.au/downloads/childsafe_framework.pdf Strategies and practicesThese are examples. Services are encouraged to develop and adapt the following strategies and practices as required to meet their individual circumstances and daily practices.Risk management plans

Identifies, evaluates and plans strategies to minimise the risk of children coming into harm, being abused or neglected by a parent, employee, volunteer or another child.A code of conduct

Communicates the values and attitudes of the services stakeholders on the issue of child protection and child safe environments. Establishes informed and best practice expectations. Identifies appropriate and inappropriate behaviours and language. Guides the service and its stakeholders expectations regarding attitudes, responsibilities, behaviours and partnerships.Privacy and data protection

Identifies the services obligations to comply with confidentiality and privacy legislation.Participation and empowerment of children

All forms of abuse are a symbolic representation of power and of the offenders need to control. The promotion of childrens participation in the development of child safe strategies and policies is a beneficial step in creating child safe environments. The service may decide to identify childrens peer group leaders who can assist in policy development and be considered in decision making processes.Inclusive and empowering language

The policy and procedures language should reflect an understanding of diversity and inclusion. In some cases, it may include child friendly and/or appropriate terminology that encourages school age children to actively take part in policy development and review. The service may define and describe the common or colloquial language children use in everyday speech which may assist staff/carers when developing inclusive strategies with children. In particular, school age children often use words out of context which may confuse the adult listening to childrens conversations. For example, sexing can be used by some school age children to mean kissing: the sentence he was sexing me could be interpreted by a staff/carer as a sexual act when the intent of the sentence may mean he was kissing me. Child protection awareness programs and plans

Illustrates the services commitment to implementing best practice plans and learning strategies for children through individual and group experiences. For example, empowering children to speak out or disclose information through awareness programs that encourage children and adults to discuss what is safe and who may be a safe person to talk to.

Employee recruitment and selection

Identifies the procedures for selecting and recruiting staff/carers and volunteers that are either in direct or indirect contact with children. Identifies the selection criteria that maximises the protection of children from potential harm, abuse or neglect. Identifies the need for a criminal history, national police or working with children check. Details the protocols and procedures for a recruitment interview. Reflects natural justice, procedural fairness and equal opportunity obligations.Job descriptions or duty statements

Provides a clear, professional understanding of the expectations and accountability of staff/carers, students and volunteers. Describes daily tasks and responsibilities. Identifies supervisory roles and responsibilities in the service and who has contact with children.Staff/Carer support, supervision, performance review and professional development

Provides an opportunity to identify individuals attitudes, expectations and values in the workplace. It is a legitimate avenue to address the professional and personal partnerships between staff/carers, volunteers, families and children. Displays the services commitment to professional development and ongoing training in child protection issues.Grievances and complaints management (including disciplinary proceedings) Grievances and complaints procedures reflect fairness and natural justice concepts. There are clear definitions that identify the differences between complaints handling and disciplinary procedures. This can be linked to the services Grievances and Complaints Management Policy.Support agencies

The service can identify the support, guidance and education opportunities for stakeholders when developing child protection policies and practices. It is important to remember that support agencies can provide training opportunities to services dealing with child protection issues.

Protective behaviours and practices

Staff, carers, students and volunteers as role models Children learn through example and role modelling is an important strategy in teaching children about protective behaviours. Staff/carers, students and volunteers comply with the Child Protection Policy and additional legislative or regulatory requirements: .

Communication with different stakeholdersChildren

Brief and concise detail of the services strategy.

Families

Brief and concise detail of the services strategy.

Child protection behaviours and practices and child safe environments are outlined in the Family Handbook, enrolment forms, newsletters and excursion permission forms.

Child protection and safety information will be displayed on noticeboards. Families will be encouraged to implement the services child protection behaviours and practices when engaged in service experiences and excursions. For example, parents who are volunteers may need to have a working with children check as outlined in relevant state or territory licensing regulations, or professional best practice standards.Staff/Carers

Brief and concise detail of the services strategy.

Carer's family

In family day care schemes, coordination unit staff and carers need to consider the role of the carer's family in ensuring that children are protected from harm or abuse. The family day care scheme has a responsibility to ensure that, prior to placing children in care, all adults who reside in the carers home have undertaken a working with children check from the relevant state or territory. The coordination unit staff and carers also have a duty of care to communicate regularly with families about the:

scheme's commitment to the protection of children, which is detailed in the schemes Child Protection Policy and procedures;

carer's family's responsibilities in relation to the schemes procedure; and

schemes expectations of carers family members in a positive home environment.

The scheme can describe its procedures in relation to when a child witnesses abuse, harm, violence or inappropriate behaviours in a carers home. For example, a child witnessing a domestic violence scenario between a carer and their partner is being confronted not only with a violent act but is being placed emotionally and mentally (and possibly physically) at risk. It is important to remember that inappropriate behaviours can include when children are exposed to television programs, computer games, print media, music or language that promotes violence, intolerance or harm of a person in a sexual, physical or emotional nature.This subheading can be linked to the Overnight Care section in the services Rest and Sleep Policy.Management/Coordination unit staff

Brief and concise detail of the services strategy.

Experiences Brief and concise detail of the services strategy. Excursions

Brief and concise detail of the services strategy.

Community

Brief and concise detail of the services strategy.

Policy review The service will review the Child Protection Policy and procedures, and related documents, including behaviours and practices every . Children and families are encouraged to collaborate with the service to review the policy and procedures.

Staff/carers are essential stakeholders in the policy review process and will be encouraged to be actively involved.Procedures

The following are examples of procedures that a service may employ as part of its practices.

Examples:

Documenting and reporting suspected child abuse or neglect, including the procedures for reporting to a regulatory authority or external agency. Employee induction procedure.

Planning, implementing and evaluating an effective child protection and safe environment awareness program for children and families.

Policy development and review procedure.

Procedure for handling complaints against a staff, carer, student, volunteer and/or visitor. Procedure for non-compliance of the Child Protection Policy and procedures by a:

child; staff/carer; parent or family member; student/volunteer; or visitor. Procedures for supporting an individual returning to work after a false allegation.

Procedure and support mechanisms for children, families and staff/carers when an allegation is made.

Student and volunteer induction procedure.

Measuring tools

The service may further specify tools that assist in measuring the effectiveness of the policy.

Links to other policiesThe following are a list of examples:

Confidentiality and privacy Employment of child care professionals

Enrolment of new children and families to the service Grievance and complaints management

Hygiene and infection control Illness Occupational health and safety Staff/carers as role models

Supervision Supporting childrens individual health needsSources and further reading Community and Disability Services Ministers' Conference (2005). Creating safe environments for children: Organisations, employees and volunteers: National framework. Retrieved January 18, 2007, from http://www.ocsc.vic.gov.au/downloads/childsafe_framework.pdf

Community and Disability Services Ministers' Conference (2005). Schedule: Guidelines for building the capacity of child-safe organisations. Creating safe environments for children: Organisations, employees and volunteers: National framework. Retrieved January 18, 2007, from http://www.ocsc.vic.gov.au/downloads/childsafe_sched01.pdf UNICEF (n.d.). Fact sheet: A summary of the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved January 18, 2007, from http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdfPolicy created date

Policy review date

Signatures

For the purpose of this policy, 'persons' include