Policy Adopted

Read the policy here.

At the Council meeting on 20 October 2020 the City of Canada Bay adopted our new Child and Young Person Protection Policy.

The policy affirms that we are a child safe community that recognises and advocates for the rights of children and young people. Our policies and procedures aim to reduce the likelihood of harm to children, increase the likelihood of identifying and reporting harm, and respond appropriately to disclosures, allegations or suspicions of harm.

We believe it 'takes a village to raise a child' and that protecting the vulnerable in our community is everybody's responsibility, including parents and families, the greater community, non-government organisations and government organisations such as local Councils. The City of Canada Bay is committed to the recruitment and training of its staff in being aware of potential issues, seeking to prevent harm and responding appropriately to suspected risks posed to children and young people. This includes all staff, volunteers, contractors and partners in the work of the City of Canada Bay.

We support the UN Declaration on the Rights of the Child and adhere to the Children and Young Person (Care and Protection) Act 1998 and the Children's Guardian Act 2019. This is supported by the NSW Office of the Children's Guardian Child Safe Principles as implemented through the Child Safe Standards and the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse Final Report 2017.

Background

Council has reviewed its existing Child and Young Person Protection Policy to reflect the Office of the Children’s Guardian’s recommendations on reportable conduct of a staff member and the obligations of Council to make child safety a priority across all areas of responsibility. The statement of commitment within the policy also supports promoting child safety to the community.

The Children’s Guardian Act 2019

The Children’s Guardian Act 2019 became law in March 2020. This new legislation followed the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses into Child Sexual Abuse published in 2017 that recommended the Australian Government establish a mechanism to oversee the development and implementation of a national strategy to prevent child sexual abuse.

There were 51 recommendations made in total including the following highlighted recommendations:

Recommendation 6.4

All institutions should uphold the rights of the child. Consistent with Article 3 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, all institutions should act with the best interests of the child as a primary consideration. In order to achieve this, institutions should implement the Child Safe Standards identified by the Royal Commission.

Recommendation 6.5

The Child Safe Standards are:

  • Child safety is embedded in institutional leadership, governance and culture
  • Children participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously
  • Families and communities are informed and involved
  • Equity is upheld and diverse needs are taken into account
  • People working with children are suitable and supported
  • Processes to respond to complaints of child sexual abuse are child focused
  • Staff are equipped with the knowledge, skills and awareness to keep children safe through continual education and training
  • Physical and online environments minimise the opportunity for abuse to occur
  • Implementation of the Child Safe Standards is continuously reviewed and improved
  • Policies and procedures document how the institution is child safe.

The Child Safe Standards may be viewed on the Office of the Children’s Guardian website.