C1. Child Safety Policy

Protecting children’s rights and wellbeing
“There is no trust more sacred than the one the world holds with children. There is no duty more important than ensuring that their rights are respected, that their welfare is protected, and that their lives are free from fear.” — Kofi Annan

Policy Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that Trust Children and ReadyStepGrow uphold the highest standards of child safety and wellbeing. We commit to embedding child safety in our culture, governance, and daily practice, consistent with the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations, relevant state and territory requirements, and our organisational values of trust, kindness, courage, integrity, and excellence.

Policy Statement

All staff, contractors, and therapy assistants must protect the rights, safety, and wellbeing of children. This includes recognising and responding to risks of harm, upholding professional boundaries, and ensuring children and families are engaged with dignity and respect.

Child safety is not separate from therapy — it is central to our practice, communication, and relationships.

Policy Details

Key Commitments

• Child-centred practice – staff must ensure children’s voices and experiences are heard, respected, and influence decision-making.
• Informed consent and assent – staff must ensure parents provide consent, and children provide assent, with both revisited regularly.
• Safe environments – staff must support physical and virtual spaces that minimise risk and prioritise wellbeing.
• Professional boundaries – staff must maintain safe, respectful, and transparent relationships with children and families.
• Mandatory reporting – staff must understand and meet their legal obligations to report suspected harm or abuse, consistent with the requirements of their professional registration bodies, and are supported through supervision and reflective practice to uphold these responsibilities.
• Continuous reflection – staff must engage in supervision, debriefs, and reflective practice to strengthen child safety.

Documentation of Concerns

• Concerns must be documented factually and minimally in service records, not clinical notes, unless directly related to therapy goals.
• Documentation must be objective, avoiding speculation or judgement.

Accountability

• Each staff member is accountable for recognising, recording, and reporting child-safety concerns.
• Accountability is shared across the team, with supervision, reflection, and constructive feedback supporting safe and consistent practice.
• When child safety responsibilities are not met, the matter is addressed in supervision, with a focus on reflection, support, and ensuring legal obligations are met.

How to Raise a Concern

If a child-safety concern arises, staff must:

1. Act immediately if there is risk of harm — follow mandatory reporting obligations in line with state/territory requirements.
2. Document concerns factually in service records, noting only what was observed or reported.
3. Inform their supervisor at the earliest opportunity.
4. Use supervision or debriefs to reflect on the concern and its management.
5. Escalate further if concerns are not addressed appropriately, using safe communication channels as outlined in the Communication Standards Policy.

All concerns must be addressed in a way that protects children, upholds legal obligations, and supports staff through reflective and team-based practice.

Related Policies and How They Connect

• Clinical Documentation Policy – outlines where and how to record child-safety information.
• Communication Standards Policy – provides safe channels and escalation pathways.
• Confidentiality & Consent Policy – ensures privacy, informed consent, and child assent processes.
• Roles & Responsibilities Policy – sets out duty of care, screening/training, reporting expectations.
• Supervision & Performance Policy – reflective practice including child-safety checks, staff training, and debrief.
• Therapy Plan Policy – supports family-centred planning, records consent/assent, and links any risk/safety actions.
• Governance & Quality Policy – outlines how this policy is monitored, reviewed, and continuously improved.
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) Use Policy – ensures AI is used safely and confidentially in all child-related documentation.

Alignment with National Principles

This policy reflects the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations and embeds them across our culture, governance, and daily practice. Specifically:

• Child safety and wellbeing are embedded in our leadership, governance, and culture.
• Children are informed of their rights, participate in decisions affecting them, and are taken seriously.
• Families and communities are informed and involved in promoting child safety and wellbeing.
• Equity is upheld and diverse needs are respected in policy and practice (further detailed in the Roles & Responsibilities Policy).
• All staff and therapy assistants are suitable and supported to reflect child safety and wellbeing values in practice.
• Processes to respond to complaints and concerns are child-focused.
• Staff are equipped with knowledge, skills, and awareness to keep children safe through supervision, training, and reflective practice (further detailed in the Supervision & Performance Policy).
• Physical and online environments are designed to promote safety and minimise opportunities for harm.
• Implementation of these principles is regularly reviewed and improved through governance and quality processes (further detailed in the Governance & Quality Policy).
• Policies and procedures document how our organisation is safe for children and young people.

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Document Control: v1.1 · Created: Aug 2025 · Updated: Sep 2025 (strengthened accountability language; added AI cross-reference) · Review: Annual (Jan 2026) · Owner: △△D Pty Ltd

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