1. Purpose

This Code of Conduct (‘Code‘) is based on the values and principles outlined in Christ Church Grammar School’s (the School) Code of Ethics:

Act with integrity, respect, care and compassion and demonstrate a commitment to excellence

The Code applies to all members of the Council, staff, contractors and their employees.  It applies the values and principles articulated in the Code of Ethics to outline specific behaviours required or prohibited to ensure that staff act in accordance with the expressed standards, values and accountability prescribed in relevant legislation.  This includes but is not limited to the Registration Standards and other requirements for Non-Government Schools in Western Australia, other Christ Church Grammar School policies and agreements.

2. Scope

This Code:

• Sets out the legal and ethical obligations and expectations of members of Council, all staff, contractors, their employees and representatives to act in accordance with the expressed standards of the School.
• Underlies the rights of employees to be treated fairly and equitably in the workplace and school environment.
• Provides appropriate avenues for resolving and addressing breaches of the Codes, policies, legislation, agreements and procedures.
• Promotes confidence in the integrity and professionalism of the staff and the services offered by the School.
• Demonstrates the School’s commitment to providing a child safe environment.
• Demonstrates probity and fairness in mitigating risks that staff will be unjustly accused of unprofessional or abusive conduct.
• Maintains public trust and confidence in the School.

This Code of Conduct and the accompanying “How to Comply” document, does not seek to address all possible situations or issues which staff are likely to face in the course of their employment. It does not attempt to provide a rigid, detailed and exhaustive list of what to do in every aspect of an employee’s work. Instead, it sets out general expectations of the standards of behaviour required and gives some examples of the types of behaviour that are or are not acceptable.

Where there is any doubt as to the applicability of the Code or to the appropriate course of action to be adopted, staff are encouraged to discuss the matter with their respective Line Managers.

3.  Definitions

Child abuse  includes any form of physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, psychological abuse and neglect.

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

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.

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.

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.

Conflict of Interest  is a situation which has the potential to undermine the impartiality of a person because of the perceived or actual compromise between the person’s self-interest and professional interest and/or public interest.

Corporal punishment, as defined in the Guide to the Registration Standards and Other Requirements for Non-Government Schools (the Guide) is ‘any punishment in which physical force is used and intended to cause some degree of pain or discomfort, however light; typically involving hitting the child with the hand or with an implement; can also include, for example, forcing the child to stay in an uncomfortable position. It does not include the use of reasonable physical restraint to protect the child or others from harm.

Degrading punishment, as defined in the  ‘Guide’ is ‘any punishment which is incompatible with respect for human dignity, including corporal punishment and non-physical punishment which belittles, humiliates, denigrates, scapegoats, threatens, scares or ridicules the child’.

Gifts  may include but are not limited to the following examples: money, jewellery, equipment, tickets to a concert or sporting game, sponsorship of an event, hospitality including food and wine, clothing, bags, flights, tours etc.

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.

Mandatory Reporting  is the legal requirement for teachers, nurses, persons in religious ministry and boarding supervisors to make a report of child sexual abuse to the Department of Communities Child Protection and Family Support (DCCPFS) when a belief is formed, based on reasonable grounds, that sexual abuse has occurred or is occurring.

Misconduct  is defined to be any improper or unacceptable conduct:

• Which fails to meet the requirements of relevant regulations, codes of conduct, policies procedures or all lawfully given directions (verbal or written); and
• Has potential to cause a risk to safety and health.

4.  Application /Applicability

The Code of Conduct forms part of Christ Church Grammar School’s contract with its staff and applies to all employees whether full-time, part-time or casual. Members of Council, visiting staff and volunteers while participating in the life of the school community are also expected to act in a manner consistent with the conduct obligations detailed in this Code.  The Code applies to persons engaged as external contractors or consultants while they are involved in School commissioned work.

In its Child Safety Policy, the School has expressed its commitment to providing a child-safe environment which safeguards students from all forms of abuse and promotes practices which provide for the safety, wellbeing and welfare of children and young people.  Christ Church Grammar School expects all school community members including Council, staff, volunteers, students, visitors and contractors to share this commitment.

5.  Breaches of the Code of Conduct

Nothing in this  Code should be taken to limit the circumstances in which the school may take disciplinary action in respect to an employee under the provisions of the School’s Enterprise Agreements.

All alleged breaches of this Code will be subject to scrutiny and if substantiated may result in a range of possible actions.  The consequences of inappropriate behaviour and breaches of this Code will depend on the nature and seriousness of the breach, the likelihood of the breach recurring, whether the breach has been committed more than once, the risk the breach poses to employees, students or others.  Possible consequences include management or remedial action, training, or disciplinary action such as a verbal or written warning, suspension or termination of employment.

Allegations of grooming will be reported by the School to the Teachers’ Registration Board (where a teacher is involved) and the Department of Education as a critical incident. Any potentially illegal activity will be reported to the Police and appropriate actions will be taken by senior management.

Staff and all other members of the School community are required to report all objectively observable behaviour, that is not permitted by the Code, other than those subject to mandatory reporting obligations, to their Line Manager, a senior staff member, the Principal or Chair of Council if the prohibited behaviour is by the Principal or a member of the Council).

6.  Principles

Members of Council, staff, volunteers, contractors, their employees and representatives will uphold the School’s Code of Ethics by adhering to the following principles:

6.1 Understand and comply with the School’s Legislative Framework

• Be familiar with and comply with statutory and industrial requirements applicable to Christ Church Grammar School and all School policies and procedures.
• Be willing to seek clarification on queries from your line manager, Head of Department, Head of the Preparatory School or member of Executive.
• Compliance with lawful directions and reasonable instructions provided by your line manager or their delegate.

6.2 Act honestly and in good faith 

• Perform your duties to the best of your ability, and be accountable for your own performance.
• Do not engage in any fraudulent or corrupt behaviour.
• Ensure that your conduct, during and outside working hours, is consistent with the ethos of the school and does not damage the reputation of the School.

6.2.1 Identify, declare and manage conflicts of interest

• Always act in the best interests of the School and avoid situations in which a potential or actual conflict of interest might arise in relation to the performance of your duties.
• Declare any real or perceived conflict between your own financial or personal interests, or relationships, and the School’s interests and relationships.
• Adhere to the School’s requirements and strategies for managing conflicts of interest.
• Members of Council, Staff and Volunteers who have children enrolled at the School need to be particularly careful in managing conflicts of interest and should follow the School’s established channels and communication protocols. They may refer to the Principal when there is any need for direction on the course of action to be adopted.

6.2.2 Declare gifts and benefits

• Carefully consider all offers of gifts, benefits or hospitality and base any decision in relation to the acceptance of a gift on the value of the gift, the perceived benefit and purpose of the gift.
• Report all gifts with a value exceeding the value of $300 to your Line Manager or the Principal.

6.2.3 Maintain accurate and complete records

• Create and maintain complete and accurate records of transactions, activities and decisions.
• Appropriately capture and store records securely in the Schools’ databases and repositories in accordance with the Archival Policy.

6.2.4 Comply with copyright and intellectual property laws

• Check with the Librarian to ensure the intellectual property rights of others are not infringed when creating new materials.
• Exercise caution and seek advice to avoid inadvertently assigning or giving away the School’s intellectual property.
• Do not use or misuse the School’s intellectual property for private purposes, example tutoring etc
• Seek appropriate authority to distribute any School resources to external parties. 

6.2.5 Adhere to Privacy and Confidentiality requirements

• Comply with legal requirements associated with the collection, release and privacy of information
• Maintain confidentiality and do not divulge information deemed confidential or sensitive, other than as required by law
• Do not make improper use of information obtained in the course of your duties

6.2.6 Uphold the policy on use of Drugs, Alcohol and Tobacco

• Ensure that your capacity to undertake your duties is not impaired by alcohol and drugs and that the use of such substances does not risk your health and safety or the health and safety of others.
• Understand and comply with ‘no vaping or smoking’ directions/boundaries on School premises.

6.3 Demonstrate Respect

• Be respectful, courteous and responsive in all dealings with colleagues, students, parents and members of the public;.  Staff who are parents of children enrolled at the School, need to be particularly mindful of their obligations to communicate and deal professionally with their colleagues.
• Make decisions fairly and impartially, avoid discrimination which is any practice that makes distinctions between individuals or groups to disadvantage some people and advantage others because of an attribute such as age, sex, race or religion.
• Avoid sexual harassment such as unwelcome sexual advances, unwelcome requests for sexual favours or any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature such as physical touching, staring, leering, stalking etc

6.3.1 Maintain professional relationships with Students

• Maintain professional relationships with students, interacting with them in a manner which is always polite, does not compromise professional integrity and maintain appropriate professional boundaries including complying with the provisions of the ICT Acceptable Use Policy.
• Understand that all forms of corporal and/or degrading punishment are strictly prohibited.

6.3.2 Maintain Professional relationships with Parents and Caregivers

• Engage with parents and caregivers to reflect your own professional integrity and facilitate the establishment of an educational partnership between the School, the student, and the student’s family.

6.4 Demonstrate care and compassion

• Show compassion and sensitivity to the needs of others, their dignity and their aspirations.
• Always exercise duty of care and comply with all Work, Health and Safety policies and procedures.

6.5 Strive for Excellence in Teaching and Professional Practice

• Adopt and consistently demonstrate good teaching practice and deliver a high standard of quality teaching.
• Recognise the diversity of learning styles and help all students to achieve success and realise their full potential.
• Seek out and maximise the benefits of all professional development opportunities.
• Strive for continuous improvement in practices and procedures.

7.  Related Legislation and Policies

School Education Act 1999
School Education Regulations 2000
The Teachers Registration Act 2012
Corruption and Crime Commission Act 2003
Fair Work Act (2009)
Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act (1986)
Western Australian Equal Opportunities Act (1984)
Work Health and Safety Act 2020(WA)

Code of Ethics
Code of Conduct – How to Comply
Child Safety Policy
Child Protection and Mandatory Reporting Policy
Copyright Policy
Staff Acceptance of Gifts Policy
ICT Acceptable Use Policy
Managing Misconduct Policy
Records Management and Archival Policy

Acknowledgement

 

By signing this Acknowledgement, I am agreeing to abide by the School’s Staff Code of Conduct and understand that breaches of the Staff Code of Conduct will be taken seriously and could result in the termination of my employment.

 

 

I __________________________________________________________ have read, understood and agree to comply with the terms of the School’s Staff Code of Conduct.

 

________________________________ Employee Signature

________________________________ Dated

 

For members of Council use Declaration by Council Member  currently attached to the Council Code of Conduct.