Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy

Background

Victoria’s new Child Safe Standards came into force on 1 July 2022.  Being an organisation that works with children and young people 3MDR is required to meet the Standards by updating its existing Child Safety Policy.  As a child safe organisation, 3MDR demonstrates openness in its deliberate steps to protect children from physical, sexual, emotional and psychological abuse and neglect.  

Purpose of this Policy

The purpose of this policy is to develop practices to establish an effective, consistent approach to child safety at all levels of our organisation and to take actions that promote and protect the interests, health, safety and wellbeing of children and young people engaging with 3MDR while preventing, responding to and encouraging reporting of allegations of child abuse and harm.

Statement of commitment

3MDR supports, values and respects all children, young people, and other vulnerable people, and is committed to their safety, wellbeing, empowerment, and participation in 3MDR activities.

3MDR has zero tolerance for any form of abuse or harm to children and young people, and all allegations of abuse or harm will be treated seriously in accordance with our policies and procedures.

3MDR is committed to providing a culturally safe environment in which the diverse and unique identities and experiences of children and young people, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people, are respected and valued.

Scope and responsibilities

Along with the accompanying Code of Conduct, Reporting Process and other relevant policies relevant to maintaining child safety, this Policy applies to all Staff who are 18 years of age or older.

All Staff have a shared legal and ethical responsibility to promote child safety, prevent child abuse and harm by providing a safe environment for children, comply with the Code of Conduct, and follow the Reporting Process should a reportable incident occur.  All Staff will participate in child safety training and cultural sensitivity training as directed by 3MDR.

This Policy applies to all 3MDR environments and all interactions with children and young people including: physical contact, face to face contact; contact by post or other written communication; contact by telephone or other oral communication; online contact including by email, social media or other electronic means. 

The Committee of Management is responsible for 

1. Developing and approving policies that:

1. Prevent and detect the risk of child abuse or harm
2. Detail processes to respond to complaints and concerns regard child safety and any resultant record keeping
3. Ensure staff are equipped with the knowledge, skills and awareness of the policies

1. Appointing the Child Safety Officer/s
2. Making a public commitment to child safety and empowering children, families and communities about their rights and protections under that commitment
3. Reviewing the policies for relevance and statutory requirements

The Child Safety Officer/s (CSO) position is appointed by the Committee of Management and may be either the Station Manager or the President.  The CSO is responsible for 

1. Appointing, managing and overseeing the response and investigation of reports of child abuse and harm to children or young people;
2. Ensuring Staff are aware of this Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy, the Codes of Conduct, the Child Safety Reporting Procedure and their overall child safety obligations, including the obligation to report suspected child abuse or harm; and
3. Providing support for Staff in undertaking their child safety obligations.

The Child Safety Management Team comprises the Station Manager/CSO and the Committee of Management President. The Child Safety Management team is responsible for receiving incident reports, taking appropriate action in line with the policy, and reporting to the appropriate authorities (see Child Safety Reporting Process document).

The volunteers and contractors are responsible for being equipped through education and training as directed by 3MDR with the knowledge, skills and awareness of the appropriate Child Safety and Wellbeing Policies and procedures, and agreeing to abide by the Code of Conduct.

Definitions

“Child”, “children” or “young person” means a child or young person who is under 18 years of age, unless otherwise defined by law or noted in this Policy or Child Safety Reporting Procedure. 

“Child abuse or harm” means conduct towards, against, with or in the presence of a child, or threatening to engage in such conduct, which includes: physical violence; conduct of a sexual nature, including a sexual offence against a child and grooming behaviour; serious emotional or psychological harm; or serious neglect of a child.

“Child Safety” means matters related to 3MDR’s duty of care to children in its care, protecting all children from harm, managing the risk of child abuse or harm, taking steps to prevent the occurrence or reduce the occurrence of child abuse or harm, providing support to a child at risk of child abuse, and responding to incidents or allegations of child abuse.

“Child Safety Officers” or “CSOs” means people appointed by 3MDR to listen, discuss and clarify issues raised by Staff and children in relation to actual or suspected child abuse or harm.

“3MDR environment” means all physical, on air and online environments and places made available or authorised by 3MDR for use by a child, including but not limited to: the office and studio premises of 3MDR; online 3MDR Environments (including email, telecommunication, social media and other online communications); and other locations provided by the 3MDR for a child’s use (including, without limitation, locations used for events).

“Staff” means 3MDR employees, committee members, volunteers, and contractors. 

Policy Statements

• Compliance with this policy will ensure that 3MDR meets its responsibilities to act in the best interests of the safety, protection and wellbeing of children and young people by emphasising genuine engagement with and empowerment of children.  
• When this policy is revised, we will invite the input of children, young people, and their families, taking into account the diversity of all children and young people and their cultural and linguistic backgrounds, and their personal and family situations.  
• Staff are to be provided with information and guidance about their obligation to prevent abuse and risk of harm to children, and the action that must be taken where a person suspects any abuse or harm within 3MDR environments.

Procedures

The following section outlines the methods by which 3MDR will comply with the Victorian Child Safe Standards through this policy.  Each action below references the relevant Standards. 

1. Staff will seek assistance from representatives of the local Aboriginal community to determine how best to encourage and actively support Aboriginal children and their families to express their culture and enjoy their cultural rights in 3MDR’s culturally safe environment.  Consultation with the Aboriginal community will be initiated to develop strategies for 3MDR staff and listeners to acknowledge and respect Aboriginal peoples, communities, cultures and values. Cultural Safety and Awareness training of all new and existing staff and volunteers will be included as part of their induction processes. (Standard 1)
2. The Committee of Management will inform the public and 3MDR volunteers of its commitment to child safety and wellbeing by posting our Statement of Commitment on the website, including this commitment in the Strategic Plan values and mission statement, in public documents, on display at the office, and in relevant public communication (Standard 2)
3. The specific needs of children will be included in other 3MDR policies, specifically Complaints, Risk Assessment, Code of Conduct, Child Safety Code of Conduct, Privacy (Standard 2)
4. 3MDR will actively encourage children and their families to participate in 3MDR activities through on-air advertising, contact with child-oriented organisations such as schools and clubs.  (Standard 3)
5. 3MDR creates opportunities for children to express their views and participate in decisions that impact them.  The information given to children and their families will include their rights and responsibilities while in the 3MDR environment and how those rights to feel and be safe from abuse and harm are enshrined in the various 3MDR policies such as this Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy, Code of Conduct, complaints procedures and privacy. (Standard 3)
6. 3MDR will ensure that families participate in decisions affecting their child, and will openly communicate with families and the community about its approach to child safety and ensure that information about child safety including information about making a complaint is readily available and accessible. (Standard 4)
7. Children and their families will be provided with information and support in ways that are child-focused, culturally safe, accessible and easy to understand.  This information will be made available to children in a language other than English where required or in a format that is not printed.  (Standard 5, Standard 7) 
8. Children and their families will be encouraged to identify any particular needs arising from their current situation or past experiences that may affect the child’s ability to comfortably participate in 3MDR activities.  This will allow staff to create an inclusive and equitable relationship with the child. (Standard 5)
9. Paid staff are required to undergo a National Police Records Check and undergo cultural sensitivity/diversity training.  Paid staff, committee members and persons that will, or could, reasonably work with children are required to have a Working With Children Check issued pursuant to the Worker Screening Act 2020 (Vic).  3MDR undertakes a range of recruitment strategies to ensure that staff working with children and young people are suitable and supported to reflect child safety and wellbeing in practice, including: 
10. developing clear position descriptions, and setting out the job’s requirements, duties and responsibilities regarding child safety and wellbeing;
11. examining written applications, engaging in face-to-face interviews and conducting staff and volunteer pre-employment reference screening for applicants who will or may work with children, wherever possible. (Standard 6.1)
12. all staff and volunteers receive an appropriate induction and are aware of their responsibilities to children and young people, including record keeping, information sharing and reporting obligations. (Standard 6.3) 
13. ongoing supervision and people management is focused on child safety and wellbeing. (Standard 6.4)

1. Training in child safety for new and existing volunteers, presenters and staff to include familiarity with 3MDR policy and process for reporting a suspicion as detailed in the Reporting procedure. (Standard 7, Standard 8)
2. The 3MDR Risk Management Policy outlines risks associated with services and programs involving children and integrates with the Privacy Policy and Code of Conduct.  Clauses specific for child safety dictate that radio program presenters or on-air guests under 18 years of age must be supervised by an adult presenter, parent, staff member or adult approved by Staff; children on the premises not presenting a program must be accompanied by an adult approved by Staff; a work experience student will be supervised by the Station Manager.  Where possible, two adults will be on the premises at all times.  (Standard 9)
3. A review of child safety-related policies will be done annually to ensure compliance with current standards and whether the policies are judged effective and understood by children in the 3MDR environment. (Standard 10, Standard 11)

Related Policies and Documents

• 2. Victoria Child Safety Standards 2023 
• 3. 3MDR Child Safety and Wellbeing Code of Conduct
• 4. 3MDR Child Safety Reporting Process
• 5.  3MDR Child safety Incident Report form
• Risk Management
• Privacy 
• Online Media