Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy
1. PURPOSE
Dysons are committed to being a child safe organisation. This means we abide by the Child Safe Standards embodied in the Child Wellbeing and Safety Act (2005). The purpose of the policy outlines how Dysons prioritises the safety and wellbeing of children and what steps will be taken to achieve this.
2. REFERENCES
- Child Wellbeing and Safety Act (2005)
- DET School Bus Program, Policy and Procedures
- DET Students with Disabilities Transport Program, Policy and Procedures
- Dysons Child Safe Standards – Code of Conduct
- Dysons Child Safe Standards – Complaint Handling Policy
- Appropriate Workplace Behaviour Procedure
- Recruitment and Selection Procedure
- Disciplinary and Performance Improvement Procedure
- Risk Register Procedure
3. DEFINITIONS
child/ children means a person who is under the age of 18 years.
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.
Complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction related to one or more of the following:
- our services or dealings with individuals
- allegations of abuse or misconduct by a staff member or other individual associated with our organisation
- disclosures of abuse or harm made by a child or young person
- the conduct of a child or young person
- the inadequate handling of a prior concern
- general concerns about the safety of a group of children or activity.
Concern refers to any potential issue that could impact negatively on the safety and wellbeing of children.
harm is damage to the health, safety or wellbeing of a child, 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.
4. RESPONSIBILITES
Management will ensure that children’s safety is prioritised and that action is taken when anyone raises concerns about children’s safety. Management will encourage anyone involved with the Dysons to report a child safety concern and will work to create a positive culture around reporting so that people feel comfortable to raise concerns.
All Dyson staff have a role in identifying and managing risks of child abuse and harm. Management will support staff to take action to manage risks, in accordance with this policy and will ensure that appropriate child safety training for staff is identified and completed.
5. FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES
Parents and others are invited to provide feedback with us at any time via the school, or via our website.
We provide information to families and serviced schools about our child safe policies and practices by providing our Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy and Code of Conduct to our serviced school/s upon request.
6. CULTURALLY SAFE ENVIRONEMNT
We are committed to creating an environment where children from cultural or linguistically diverse backgrounds, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and children with a disability and their families are welcomed and included.
Our commitment to child safety is about more than understanding what is required by compliance with the Act. We appreciate that schools, parents and guardians entrust Dysons with the safety of their children. We value this position of trust, which is why we have a zero tolerance for any form of child abuse, racism or.
7. RECUITMENT, SUPERVISION AND TRAINING
Dysons applies a rigorous recruitment process for all vacancies, ensuring that all new employees have the necessary licenses, qualifications, skills and experience for their role. Thorough background checks are conducted on all prospective employees which includes, but is not limited to, checking currency and validity of licenses, conducting police checks, reference checks and psychometric testing.
All new staff undergo a comprehensive induction program, which incorporates Dysons’ Statement of Commitment and the requirement for all our staff to comply with it, and The Dyson Way (Code of Conduct).
Dysons ensures that all bus drivers have Driver Accreditation and that all staff including school bus drivers and school bus supervisors with direct and unsupervised contact with children holds and maintain a current Working with Children Check (WWCC).
All mandatory licence requirements (including Driver Accreditation and WWCC) are actively monitored.
8. EMPLOYEE SUPPORT
All management and staff receive training on induction, and annually or as needed to ensure they understand their responsibilities in relation to child safety, including information and record keeping obligations, and to support their engagement with children.
Training is recorded in our employee records system.
9. COMPLAINT HANDLING
All reports of child abuse and child safety concerns will be treated seriously, whether they are made by an adult or a child and whether they are about the conduct of an adult or a child. All complaints and child safety concerns will be responded to promptly and thoroughly.
Our Child Safe Standards - Complaint Handling Policy includes information about how a complaint or child safety concern will be responded to and the process to make a complaint, as well as the support available to those making a complaint and those involved in the complaint process.
If a complaint includes an allegation or incident of child abuse or harm, including racism, it must be reported in accordance with the complaint handling policy. All management and staff are required to prioritise children’s safety in any response and to report all potentially criminal conduct to Victoria Police.
10. REPORTING
Under the Act there is a requirement to respond to and report suspected child abuse. Dysons employees will act where they have a reasonable belief or concern around a child's wellbeing:
In the first instance, employees will report concerns about children's wellbeing to their supervisor / Depot Manager. The employee will record the reason and report the information promptly and confidentially. The supervisor / manager will report the concerns to the relevant person. For school services, this is the Principal.
Incidents that warrant police attention should be reported immediately to the police. The employee should then advise their supervisor / manager (and if a school bus service, the Principal).
11. RECORD KEEPING
Dysons will make and keep full and accurate records about all child-related complaints or safety concerns which will be recorded in our 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 for a minimum of 6 years.
12. RISK MANAGEMENT
Dysons maintain a record of child safety risks within its Risk Management Register. These risks and appropriate resolutions are documented in register, which is reviewed annually and on an ad hoc basis in response to any changes.