Child Safe Standards

1. The organisation publicly commits to child safety and leaders champion a child safe culture.
2. Child safety is a shared responsibility at all levels of the organisation.
3. Risk management strategies focus on preventing, identifying and mitigating risks to children.
4. Staff and volunteers comply with a code of conduct that sets clear behavioural standards towards children.
5. Staff and volunteers understand their obligations on information sharing and record keeping.

For further information on Standard 1, click here

The DLCS: -

• Is committed to child safety as a core component of our vision and mission in the strategic plans as these are updated.
• Publicly promotes child safety continuously throughout school communities and includes relevant resources across all policies, procedures and guidelines.
• Promotes as paramount, a commitment to the safety and wellbeing of students in the way DLCS responds to concerns and complaints
• Integrates child safety into the Child Safeguarding Risk Management System, Child Safe Schools resources and daily operational policies and procedures.
• Ensures new staff undertake specifically developed mandatory online training modules in child safeguarding on commencement of employment, and existing staff undertake annual refresher training
• Requires all staff to undertake annual updates in the Code of Conduct and Staff and Student Professional Boundaries Policy.

1. Children are able to express their views and are provided opportunities to participate in decisions that affect their lives.
2. The importance of friendships is recognised and support from peers is encouraged, helping children feel safe and be less isolated.
3. Children can access abuse prevention programs and information.
4. Staff and volunteers are attuned to signs of harm and facilitate child-friendly ways for children to communicate and raise their concerns.

For further information on Standard 2, click here

The DLCS: -

• Undertakes annual student surveys to facilitate student voice. The data flowing from this engagement is analysed at a school level.
• Provides a large selection of pastoral programs using and promoting Student Wellbeing and Pastoral Care Policy.
• Has implemented Anti-bullying policies and procedures containing relevant and clear information relating to the management of bullying and impacts on child safety.
• Provides School Counsellors within schools and regions accessible to children and young people within the Lismore Diocese.
• Fosters strong relationships with external agencies, for example, Police Youth Liaison Officer, Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) and the Office of the Children’s Guardian (OCG) to deliver direct programs to students across DLCS.
• Encourages students to participate in the creation of materials and programs relevant to them and their peers.

1. Families have the primary responsibility for the upbringing and development of their child and participate in decisions affecting their child.
2. The organisation engages in open, two-way communication with families and communities about its child safety approach and relevant information is accessible.
3. Families and communities have a say in the organisation’s policies and practices.
4. Families and communities are informed about the organisation’s operations and governance.

For further information on Standard 3, click here

The DLCS: -

• Provides opportunities for parents to work in partnership with schools via the various forums, information evenings and meetings that schools provide throughout each year.
• Makes available and promotes a number of resources and materials to parents and communities, which support the child safety culture. This includes the development of a Child Safeguarding tab on the DLCS webpage.

1. The organisation actively anticipates children’s diverse circumstances and responds effectively to those children with vulnerabilities.
2. All children have access to information, support and complaints processes.
3. The organisation pays particular attention to the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, children with disability, and children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

For further information on Standard 4, click here

The DLCS: -

• Ensures delivery of our services in education and evangelisation in a manner that recognises and supports the diverse needs of its multicultural students who present with a range of abilities and needs. In particular, DLCS ensures its practices are underpinned and supported by a range of policies, procedures and guidelines which are embedded in those practices including, but not limited to: -
  • Action Plan for the Education of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
  • Inclusive Practices Policy
  • Pastoral Care Policy
• Employs Aboriginal Education Workers in every school to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students through Personalised Learning Plans, parent and community engagement, learning and teaching, and the cultural learning and safety of the school.
• Has implemented a range of professional learning programs and initiatives pertinent to the particular needs and inclusion of students from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds and students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
• Has employed a range of specialist staff to implement programs with particular emphasis to the diverse learning needs of students with Disability, EAL/D and High Potential and Gifted students.
• Provides of a range of wellbeing services through the Pastoral Care teams.

1. Recruitment, including advertising and screening, emphasises child safety.
2. Relevant staff and volunteers have Working with Children Checks.
3. All staff and volunteers receive an appropriate induction and are aware of their child safety responsibilities, including reporting obligations.
4. Supervision and people management have a child safety focus.

For further information on Standard 5, click here

The DLCS: -

• Has implemented, reviews and monitors rigorous recruitment and screening processes.
• Ensures all staff (including volunteers) working in child-related employment have a current valid working with children check.
• Ensures child safeguarding screening questions and checks are built into the selection and recruitment process.
• Requires all staff to verify they have read, understood and been onboarded into relevant child protection policies and guidelines annually.
• Requires all volunteers and contractors, to verify they have read, understood and are aware of the expectations of providing services in a child-related environment, and agree to appropriate behaviours in schools when engaging and/or being in contact with children and young people.

1. The organisation has a child-focused complaint-handling system that is understood by children, staff, volunteers and families.
2. The organisation has an effective complaint-handling policy and procedure which clearly outlines roles and responsibilities, approaches to dealing with different types of complaints and obligations to act and report.
3. Complaints are taken seriously, responded to promptly and thoroughly, and reporting, privacy and employment law obligations are met.

For further information on Standard 6, click here

The DLCS: -

• Is continuously working with children and young people, to produce child friendly resources to ensure students are aware of and provided with pathways to bring forward in a safe manner any concerns, questions or issues relating to their personal safety or to the safety of their peers.  DLCS has mechanisms to adequately respond when matters are raised.
• Reviews complaints as part of DLCS’ quality assurance processes to monitor compliance, determine any trends which require response, and to update practices, policies and procedures as part of a continual improvement process in the area of child safeguarding.
• Have a dedicated Child Safeguarding team to respond to any complaints or allegations raised.
• Continues to foster strong relationships with external agencies such as the NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian, NSW Department of Community Justice and the NSW Police.

1. Relevant staff and volunteers receive training on the nature and indicators of child maltreatment, particularly organisational child abuse.
2. Staff and volunteers receive training on the organisation’s child safe practices and child protection.
3. Relevant staff and volunteers are supported to develop practical skills in protecting children and responding to disclosures.

For further information on Standard 7, click here

The DLCS: -

• Provides regular training and materials on Mandatory Reporting (Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1988) and the Mandatory Reports Guide (MRG).
• Provides regular training and materials on the Reportable Conduct Scheme (Children’s Guardian Act 2019)
• Provides staff with training regarding DLCS policies and guidelines for responding to child safety incidents.
• Ensures all schools and the DLCS Office have the Child Safeguarding Program containing a range of policies, procedures and guidelines available on Schools website and the DLCS intranet.
• Ensures the Child Safeguarding team are trained and possess the necessary skills required to investigate matters raised and provide advice and support to staff, students, parents and the community.

1. Risks in the online and physical environments are identified and mitigated without compromising a child’s right to privacy and healthy development.
2. The online environment is used in line with the organisation’s code of conduct and relevant policies.

For further information on Standard 8, click here

The DLCS: -

• Is developing, and implementing an ongoing Risk Management Framework to improve decision-making by identifying and mitigating potential risks beforehand, reducing risk incidence as well as severity.
• Provides a safe online experience for staff and students through controls to limit access to inappropriate content.
• Improves cyber security by protecting users from accessing inappropriate or dangerous content and internet-based threats.
• Conducts regular reviews of ICT policies and procedures and the implementation and adoption into school environments.
• Provides regular updates to raise awareness of situations where professional boundaries may be at risk through the Staff and Student Professional Boundaries Policy.

1. The organisation regularly reviews and improves child safe practices.
2. The organisation analyses complaints to identify causes and systemic failures to inform continuous improvement.

For further information on Standard 9, click here

The DLCS: -

• Reviews Child Safeguarding policies annually with amendments made as the need arises.
• Analyses statistics on a quarterly basis for the purpose of providing information on the Reportable Conduct Scheme to the DLCS and School leadership teams.
• Analyses statistics on a quarterly basis for the purpose of providing information on Mandatory Reporting to the DLCS and School leadership teams.
• Utilises information and trend data arising from Reportable Conduct matters and Mandatory Reports to adopt changes necessary to keep children and young people safe.
• Sets clear expectations for Principals to have Child Safeguarding as a standing item on meeting agendas and to refresh Child Safeguarding Policies and Procedures annually with all staff and volunteers.

1. Policies and procedures address all Child Safe Standards.
2. Policies and procedures are accessible and easy to understand.
3. Best practice models and stakeholder consultation inform the development of policies and procedures.
4. Leaders champion and model compliance with policies and procedures.
5. Staff understand and apply the policies and procedures.

For further information on Standard 10, click here

The DLCS: -

• Has made a public commitment to Child Safeguarding, which is reviewed annually, on the DLCS Corporate and all school websites.
• Has made available Child Safeguarding Policies, Procedures and resources on the DLCS Corporate and all school websites.
• Ensures the Child Safeguarding Program has fully documented policies and procedures about how we are continually making our schools child safe organisations.