‍ ‍Commitment to the safety of children and young people

I am committed to providing a safe environment to all children and young people. My policy complies with the Children and Young People (Safety) Act 2017, the Child Safety (Prohibited Persons) Act 2016 and aligns with the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations.

I value and respect children and young people and welcome them regardless of their abilities, sex, gender, or social economic or cultural background. Bullying and harassment won’t be tolerated.

Scope of policy

This policy applies to all business and activities undertaken by me trading as Megan Maloney Education.

Communication

This child safe policy and related documents are available to children, young people and their families on my website or on.

I encourage and respect the views of children and young people and involve them in decision making as appropriate.  I provide clear age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate explanations to children and young people including their right to safety and their right to be listened to. I let them know they can provide feedback or make a complaint if they have a concern or ask their parent/guardian to do this on their behalf. I will listen to and act upon complaints or concerns that a child or young person raises with me.

Code of Conduct

Caring for children and young people brings additional responsibilities for myself. I am responsible for promoting and protecting the safety and wellbeing of children and young people.

I will:

• stick to my child safe policy at all times and take all reasonable steps to ensure the safety and protection of children and young people

• treat everyone including those of different race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, social class, physical ability or attributes and religious beliefs with respect and honesty and ensure equity is upheld

• use gender affirming pronouns chosen by the child

•  uphold the rights of the child and always prioritise their needs

• make sure the needs of all children remain the paramount focus of any decision making

• be a positive role model to children and young people in all conduct with them

• set clear boundaries to maintain appropriate behaviour with children and young people – boundaries help everyone to understand their roles

• listen and respond appropriately to the views and concerns of children and young people

• be alert to bullying behaviours and respond promptly and appropriately

• ensure another adult is present or in sight when conducting one to one consulting, coaching, instruction or other activity

• take all reasonable steps to protect children and young people from abuse and harm

• be alert to children and young people who have been harmed, or may be at risk of harm and report this quickly to the Child Abuse Report Line (13 14 78)

• respond quickly, fairly and transparently to any complaints made by a child, young person or their parent/guardian

•   encourage children and young people to ‘have a say’ on issues that are important to them

• include a child’s parent or carer in any direct online communication or correspondence with a child or young person

• raise concerns with the leadership team if risks to child safety are identified

• make sure breaches of the Child Safe Code of Conduct and any instances of concerning behaviour from adults are reported immediately.

  I must not:

• condone or participate in unsafe, harmful or abusive behaviour towards children, including psychological, physical and sexual abuse, grooming, misconduct or lack of appropriate care

• ignore or disregard any concerns, suspicions or disclosures of child abuse

• exaggerate or trivialise child abuse issues

• use hurtful, discriminatory or offensive behaviour or language with children

• use racial, cultural, homophobic or sexist slurs

• be intimidating such as yelling, finger pointing, moving into a child’s personal space

• be verbally abusive to a child, or create a climate of fear

• engage in unwarranted and inappropriate touching involving a child

• encourage a child to communicate in a private setting, including online or on social media

• engage in rough physical games

• develop any ‘special’ relationships with children and young people that could be seen as favouritism such as the offering of gifts or special treatment

• do things of a personal nature that a child or young person can do for themselves, such as toileting or changing clothes

• discriminate against any child or young person because of age, gender, cultural background, religion, vulnerability or sexuality.‍ ‍

Breaches or suspected breaches of the Code of Conduct can be reported as soon as practicable to me either in person, by telephone on 0414 763 784, or via email at meganmaloney.education@gmail.com.‍ ‍

Breaches or suspected breaches of the Code of Conduct will be taken seriously and dealt with quickly, fairly and transparently.‍ ‍ ‍

Recruitment‍ ‍

I am a sole trader with no paid or unpaid workers. In accordance with the Child Safety (Prohibited Persons) Act 2016, I hold a current, ‘not prohibited’ Working with Children Check (WWCC) issued by the Screening Unit of the Department of Human Services which permits me to work with children and young people in South Australia and I will renew this every 5 years.‍ ‍

Training‍ ‍

To maintain my knowledge regarding child safe environments I:‍ ‍

·    have read and understand the Mandatory reporting information booklet available at https://dhs.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/103179/CSE-Mandatory-notification-information-booklet.PDF‍ ‍

·     complete ‘Responding to Risk of Harm, Abuse and Neglect’ training every 3 years.‍ ‍

Reporting and responding to harm or risk of harm‍ ‍

I aim to ensure that children and young people are safe from harm and risk of harm. Section 17 of the Safety Act defines ‘harm’ to mean physical or psychological harm (whether caused by an act or omission), including harm caused by sexual, physical, mental or emotional abuse or neglect. ‍ ‍

I am a mandated reporter under Section 30 of the Children and Young People (Safety) Act 2017. I understand my legal obligation to report direct to the Child Abuse Report Line (CARL) on 13 14 78 as soon as practicable if I have a suspicion that a child or young person has been harmed or may be at risk of harm. If the child or young person is at immediate risk, I will report to South Australia Police (SAPOL) on 000.‍ ‍

Information about making appropriate reports of harm or risk of harm is available from the South Australian Department for Child Protection website: https://www.childprotection.sa.gov.au/reporting-child-abuse.‍ ‍

I will be guided by the Department for Child Protection and/or SAPOL after making a report.‍ ‍

Following a report to CARL or SAPOL I will support the child or young person by:‍ ‍

·  referring the child, young person or their family to other appropriate services if required, or ‍

·  continuing to provide a service to the child, young person and their family and monitor their circumstances.‍ ‍

I will document all information received regarding the report and store this securely in a separate file.‍ ‍

Reporting and responding to general complaints or feedback‍ ‍

Providing opportunities for complaints and feedback ensures that children, young people and their parents/guardians feel valued and respected and enables me to improve the quality of my service. Children, young people and their families are informed that they can provide feedback or make a complaint at their first appointment or as part of their welcome pack when they begin tutoring sessions.‍ ‍

Compliments, complaints or feedback should be directed to me in person, by telephone on 0414 763 784 or via email at meganmaloney.education@gmail.com.‍ ‍

I will manage all complaints and feedback promptly, sensitively and fairly and will:‍ ‍

·     listen to the complaint/feedback‍ ‍

·     prioritise the safety and wellbeing of children and young people when handling complaints and concerns‍ ‍

·      respond to the complainant with an outcome in a timely manner‍ ‍

·      clearly document and securely store decisions and actions taken in response to complaints and feedback‍ ‍

·       make sure that procedural fairness is followed at all times.‍ ‍

Where my response about a complaint is not considered sufficient or appropriate, further advice/support can be obtaining through the following agencies:

·       Health and Community Services Complaints Commissioner Tel: 8226 8666‍ ‍

·       Australian Human Rights Commission Online: www.humanrights.gov.au Tel: 1300 656 419‍ ‍

·       South Australian Equal Opportunities Commission (for complaints relating to discrimination) Online: www.eoc.sa.gov.au Tel: 08 8207 1977.‍ ‍

Risk management‍

Actions to minimise risk

Physical contact

·  physical contact must be appropriate to the delivery of services being provided

·  if physical contact is required, this is undertaken in a safe way by explaining why contact is required and what will happen, and asking the child/young person for their permission (or their family if this is more appropriate) before proceeding – this would usually only be necessary when helping a child with letter formation with hand over hand assistance only when required

·  unnecessary physical contact is not allowed

Online communications

·  appropriate supervision is provided for all online activities

·  I will not communicate with children or young people via social media

Supervision

·  children and young people are to be supervised by parents/guardians at all times, or

·  one to one consultation with a child or young person will be in line of sight of another adult

Taking images of children and young people

·  consent of child/young person and their parent/guardian required

·  disclosure will be made to the child/young person and parent/guardian as to how the image is to be used

·  images must be presented in a way that de-identifies the child or young person

Physical environment

·  maintain a risk register that is reviewed annually to ensure effectiveness

·  conduct risk assessments for all activities

·  ensure all equipment is in good working order

Privacy and confidentiality

·  documents containing confidential information will be stored securely with restricted access

·  digital files containing confidential information shall be protected electronically

·  I will not disclose information regarding any child or young person without written consent of the child, young person and their parent/guardian unless legally required to‍ ‍

Policy review‍

I will, at a minimum, review this policy and the related procedures once every 5 years as required by the Children and Young People (Safety) Act 2017.  I will also review this policy when:‍ ‍

·       new or added risks are identified for children or young people, which may require a change in the policy or procedures‍ ‍

·       a critical incident occurs where a child or young person has experienced harm through involvement in the organisation‍ ‍

·       concerns are raised by anyone involved in my organisation about child safety or welfare in the organisation‍ ‍

·       awareness or compliance to the child safe policy and/or procedures is low‍ ‍

·       legislative changes/requirements.‍ ‍

I will lodge a new child safe environments compliance statement with the Department of Human Services each time I review and update this policy.

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Policy date:    24/06/2026

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Review date:  24/06/2031

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