Child Safe Awareness
Background
A Royal Commission was established in January 2013 to investigate systemic failures of public and private institutions to protect children from child sexual abuse, report abuse, and respond to child sexual abuse. It also inquired into how institutions with a responsibility for children managed and responded to allegations and instances of child sexual abuse.
The recommendations emphasised that organisations working with children must be able to provide safe environments where children's rights, needs, and interests are met. The Royal Commission recommended a range of mechanisms to support child-safe organisations, including National Principles that provide a nationally consistent approach to embedding child safe cultures at all levels within organisations that engage with children.
The Royal Commission acknowledged the role that local governments play in creating and maintaining child safety in their communities and made several recommendations aimed at using this role to promote the safety and wellbeing of children and young people.
The City of Vincent’s role
The Child Safe Awareness Policy commits the City of Vincent to build and maintain child safety awareness and knowledge by providing information for the organisations and individuals that operate in their communities and promoting child safe messages.
The City is committed to supporting the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people, including protection from abuse. This policy is one way that Council can demonstrate its commitment to being child safe and having a zero-tolerance approach to child abuse.
Resources
The Department of Local Government Sport & Cultural Industries has developed resources to support the implementing of child safe awareness policies. The resources can be downloaded and adapted as required to suit each local government and the community.
Guidelines for promoting child safe messages
Referral pathways information – resource for staff
Resources for Child Safe Organisations
Responding to Disclosure – resource for staff
The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse
For more information please contact the City’s Community Development team by email at community.development@vincent.wa.gov.au