1. Purpose and Scope

Christ Church Grammar School is committed to ensuring the safety, welfare and holistic wellbeing of all children and young people at the School.  The purpose of this policy is to establish the framework for:

• The implementation of the requirements outlined in the Commonwealth Child Safe Framework, the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations and the Anglican Schools Commission Child Safe Policy
• The enhancement of work practices, systems, policies and procedures which promote child safety and training to ensure that members of the school community are aware of and compliant with all relevant legislation
• The advancement of a safe and supportive school environment and a positive and robust child protection culture
• The promotion and discussion of child safety issues within the school

This policy applies to all members of Council, staff, volunteers, contractors, consultants, students on placement and trainees,  involved in child related school activities and programmes including camps, trips, tours and excursions, providing services (paid or unpaid) within the school environment including physical and online environments.

2. Definitions

For the purposes of this policy:

a ‘child’  is an individual under the age of 18 years

‘child-related work’  is work which involves engagement with a child, including physical contact, face-to-face contact, oral communication, written communication and electronic communication (email, instant messaging, social media and video chats)

‘abuse and harm’  are defined as action or lack of action that adversely affects the child’s physical, psychological or emotional health and development.  For details see Appendix A

3. Policy Principles 

3.1 Commitment to Child Safety

For Christ Church Grammar School’s Statement of Commitment to Child Safety see  https://www.ccgs.wa.edu.au/about-us/child-protection

3.2 Child Safety Risk Management

The school recognises the importance of a risk management approach to minimising the potential for child abuse or harm to occur.  This information is used to inform policies, procedures and activity planning so that the possibility of abuse and harm is mitigated and minimised.  The school has a comprehensive Risk Management Program to assist in the identification, assessment and management of child safety risks in all school environments.

3.3 Child Safety Program

Christ Church Grammar School’s Child Safety Program includes but is not limited to

• Advertising, recruitment, screening, selection, induction and ongoing professional development practices that address child safety concerns
• Policies and procedures that provide clear information and guidance on how to respond to and report grooming and child safety incidents and concerns
• Procedures for reporting to external agencies, including Mandatory Reporting to the Department of Communities and to the Police
• A Child Protection and Staff Conduct training program for all members of Council, staff and volunteers along with appropriate policies
• Clear information as to what constitutes child abuse and associated key risk indicators
• Pastoral care strategies designed to empower students and keep them safe
• A student focussed, age-appropriate child safety curriculum
• Guidelines with respect to record keeping and confidentiality
• An annual review of the child safety initiatives and programs to identify the need for any corrective action or revision to policies and procedures

3.4 Children’s rights to safety, information and participation

This policy is underpinned by the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations developed by the Australian Human Rights Commission out of the findings of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.  One of the ten principles focusses on the rights of children to be involved in the decisions which affect them.

At Christ Church Grammar School we value and empower children and young people to participate in decisions which affect their lives This includes decisions about safety and wellbeing, delivery of the curriculum, management of facilities, classroom learning and assessment environments.  The school actively seeks to understand what makes students feel safe in the school and regularly communicates with students about what they can do if they feel unsafe.  We ensure the students know about their rights to safety, to information and participation.  We recognise the importance of friendships and support from peers and staff.

3.5 Parents and guardians’ involvement

The school values the input of parents and guardians and regularly communicates with them on matters which affect their children.  Efforts are made to ensure they know about the School’s policies and procedures including its Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy, Child Protection and Mandatory Reporting Policy, Disputes and Complaints Policy, Privacy Policy, Codes of Conduct, including the Code of Conduct for Students.

3.6 Record keeping

The School will:

• Create records for all incidents, response and decisions affecting child safety

• Maintain, store and dispose of records  in accordance with legal requirements, or the School’s Document Management policy if no legal requirements exist
• Fully recognise the individuals’ rights to access and annotate records about themselves

 3.7 Complaints

The School welcomes suggestions and feedback from parents, guardians and students. All complaints will be treated very seriously and with consistency. We will always give priority to any complaints involving the safety, welfare and wellbeing of students. The School is committed to ensuring our complaints process is child-friendly and that students feel respected, valued, listened and responded to.

3.8 Redress Framework

The School recognises the devastating impacts and effects of child sexual abuse and supports a system that allows victims of child sexual abuse to seek redress/compensation.

In March 2019, the School joined the National Redress Scheme which offers an independent, workable and non-adversarial option for applicants and importantly ensure choice for the applicant’s voice.

In 2019 the School created the role of Applicant Liaison Coordinator for anyone in the School community who would like counselling or support about issues of child sexual abuse and/or historical harm. Registered Psychologists can be contacted between 9.00am and 3.00pm local time Monday to Friday.

4. Related Policies and Resources

Working with Children (Criminal Record Checking) Act 2004
Children and Community Services Amendment (Reporting Sexual Abuse of Children) Act 2008
Registration Standards for Non-Government Schools
National Principles for Child Safe Organisations – Australian Human Rights Commission
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
Code of Conduct for Students
Code of Conduct for Parents
Code of Conduct for Staff, Contractors, Volunteers
Child Protection and Mandatory Reporting Policy and Procedures
Disputes and Complaints Policy
Critical Incident management policy (internal document)
Critical Incident management procedures (internal document)
Duty of Care Policy
Disability Discrimination Act and the Disability Standards for Education (internal document)
ICT acceptable use policy (staff) (internal document)
ICT acceptable use policy and electronic communications guidelines (students)
Protective Behaviours Curriculum Policy
Recruitment and Selections Policy
Students with Additional Needs Policy
Student Behaviour Management Policy

 

Appendix A Forms of Abuse

Emotional abuse – occurs when an adult harms a child’s development by repeatedly treating and speaking to a child in ways that damage the child’s ability to feel and express their feelings.  Examples of emotional abuse are humiliating and shaming a child or exposing a child to domestic violence

Physical abuse – occurs when a child is severely and/or persistently hurt or injured by an adult or caregiver.

Psychological abuse is repeatedly treating and speaking to a child in ways that damage the child’s perceptions, memory, self-esteem, moral development, and intelligence.  Examples include constantly belittling or shaming a child, constantly ignoring a child.

Neglect is when children do not receive adequate food or shelter, medical treatment, supervision, care or nurturance to such an extent that their development is damaged or they are injured. Neglect may be acute, episodic or chronic.  Some examples are leaving child alone without adequate supervision, not providing medical help to a child when it is required.

Sexual abuse – occurs when a child is exposed to, or involved in, sexual activity that is inappropriate to the child’s age and developmental level, and includes sexual behaviour in circumstances where:

• the child is the subject of bribery, coercion, a threat, exploitation or violence;
• the child has less power than another person involved in the behaviour, or
• there is a significant disparity in the developmental function or maturity of the child and another person involved in the behaviour.

Sexual exploitation – Is a specific form of sexual abuse where children and young people, by virtue of their age and development, are unable to give informed consent to sexual activity. Sexual exploitation of children takes different forms. It can include children being involved in sexually exploitive relationships, exposing a child to pornography, receiving money, goods, drugs or favours in exchange for sex, or being exploited in sex work. In all cases, those exploiting the children have power over them due to the child’s age, gender, physical strength, economic or other resources such as access to drugs or gifts.

Sexually harmful behaviour in children – Sexually harmful behaviour involves a child (17 years of age or younger) engaging in sexual activity that is either unwanted or where, due to the nature of the situation, the other party is not capable of giving consent (e.g. children who are younger or who have cognitive impairment). In children under 10 years of age, such behaviour is usually referred to as sexually problematic behaviour.

Grooming– in the context of child protection, is the subtle, gradual, and escalating process, deliberate and purposeful, of building trust with a child and those around the child, both children and adults, with the express purpose of the sexual gratification of the perpetrator.

Exposure to Family Violence – The nature of children’s exposure to family violence ranges from witnessing (including seeing and overhearing violence and witnessing its effects) to being directly involved. Children were previously seen as “silent witnesses” to domestic and family violence; however, a now substantial body of research indicates children may be involved in domestic and family violence in a range of ways, including being forced to watch or participate in assaults or intervening to stop the violence occurring.