The protection of children is the responsibility of everyone involved at Thornbury Kindergarten, including staff, parents and volunteers. We all share the responsibility for promoting the wellbeing and safety of children.  

 

We ensure that prevention from risk and harm is paramount in all we do and central to all our work in practice, recruitment, professional development, advocacy and policy work. An integral element of our child safe practice is an embedded staff culture of accountability and high standards.  

 

Our commitment is reflected in Thornbury Kindergarten’s philosophy and everyday teaching practice, interactions and relationships with children. We strive to create a sense of belonging for all children and families.

 

We are committed to:

• Ensuring our service is a place where Aboriginal children and families feel safe, respected and valued.

• Embedding the safety and wellbeing of children in everything we do.

• Recognising that children have a voice and are vital and active participants at Thornbury Kindergarten.

• Developing and sharing child friendly information and pathways for children to contact and engage with the service.

• Communicating with communities about our child safety and wellbeing operations.

• Understanding the diverse circumstances of children and families and working to ensure this knowledge informs everything we do. 

• Reviewing and continuously improving our practices in line with best practice, to:

  • deter and prevent unsuitable people from working or volunteering at our service.

  • ensure that all staff, contractors, volunteers and authorised persons understand and enact their responsibilities to support the safety of children.

  • identify and take action to address behaviours and practices that place children at risk of abuse.

• Having clear procedures to inform staff, volunteers, contractors and authorised persons of their obligation to report child safety concerns and processes to do so.

• Responding to disclosures and allegations of abuse in a trauma informed way that removes the barriers to disclosure and manages the risks of further harm to children.

• Ensuring our staff have the skills to keep the safety of children at the centre of everything they do.

• Using our online environment in accordance with our Code of Conduct, eSafety and Child Safe Environment and Wellbeing policy and practices.

• Identifying and mitigating risks to the safety of children in all our operations.

• Using the latest research about harm prevention strategies for children and young people to inform our Child Safe standards and practices.

• Clearly documenting our policies and procedures and ensuring they are accessible. 

 

If you would like a copy of our Child Safety Policy and Procedure or further information about our plans to ensure we continue to provide high-quality and safe services, please contact Danielle Logan, Child Safety Support Officer