What are the Child Safe Standards?
In Victoria, Child Safe Standards aim to protect children and young people from abuse in organisations, including physical violence, sexual offences, serious emotional or psychological abuse and/or neglect.
All organisations that provide services or facilities for children under 18 must implement seven Child Safe Standards. The standards were introduced by the Victorian Government in response to the 2013 Parliamentary Betrayal of Trust Inquiry, which found that while the majority of children were safe in organisations, there were inadequate and inconsistent approaches to child safety in organisations across Victoria.
The standards aim to drive cultural change so that keeping children safe from abuse is at the forefront of all practice.
From 1 January 2016, organisations that deal directly with children and young people must adhere to the standards. From 1 January 2017, the standards came into effect for other organisations that provide services or facilities for children but receive little or no government funding, such as sporting groups and child entertainment providers.
There are 11 standards that organisations need to implement. For further information on Child Safe Standards, contact the Commission for Children and Young People.
Our commitment to Child Safety
Ultimate Youth Worker is committed to being a child safe organisation that recognises, respects and promotes children’s rights.
We recognise our responsibilities in keeping children safe from abuse from those associated with this organisation and will ensure that the safety of children is always our first priority.
We take a zero tolerance approach to child abuse. We value diversity and will not tolerate discriminatory practices.
We recognise that particular groups of children and young people are increasingly vulnerable in our society and all our staff pay particular attention to the needs of :
- Aboriginal children
- Culturally and Linguistically Diverse children
- Children with a disability
- Children who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex and/or queer
- Children in Youth Justice and Out of Home Care
The participation and empowerment of children is fundamental to our work.
As Ultimate Youth Worker strives to be a child safe organisation we will:
- Foster an environment in which the voice of children and young people are listened to, their views valued and their concerns acted upon
- Actively encourage children and young people to have a say about things that are important to them
- Proactively assess and manage the risk of abuse to children who come into contact with Ultimate Youth Worker
- Welcome concerns being raised about the safety of children and young people with whom we have contact
- Listen to and act decisively on any child safety concerns or allegations of abuse that are made
- Have specific policies, procedures and supports in place to enable us to meet these obligations