Child Safe

Council’s Commitment to Child Safety

Council is committed to keeping children safe and taking child protection seriously.

We are working towards providing welcoming, safe and accessible environments where children feel valued, listened to and considered in decisions that affect their lives.

Child safety and protection is everyone’s responsibility, including Council workers, families and carers of Children and Young People.

Background

From 2012 to 2017 the Australian Government held a Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. This special inquiry looked at cases of child abuse in various organisations across Australia. It found that thousands of organisations had failed to protect children from abuse.

The NSW Government took action in response to the Royal Commission by introducing the Child Safe Scheme. While the Royal Commission focused on sexual abuse, the NSW Child Safe Scheme aims to prevent all kinds of abuse that children may experience.

Child Safe Scheme

In February 2022, legislation was introduced to create the NSW Child Safe Scheme. These laws aim to ensure that certain organisations are doing everything they can to keep children safe.

Under the Child Safe Scheme, child-related organisations, including all Councils, in NSW must put into action the Child Safe Standards recommended by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

Child Safe Standards

The Child Safe Standards help make organisations child safe by providing a framework to create a culture of safety and inclusion, and develop strategies to keep children safe from harm.

The implementation of the Child Safe Standards is monitored and enforced by the Office of the Children’s Guardian, an independent statutory body that promotes the interest, safety and rights of children and young people in NSW. 

The standards are designed to drive cultural change to create, maintain and improve child safe practices.

The Office of the Children’s Guardian has more information on the Child Safe Standards(PDF, 347KB) and how they apply across NSW 

 What Council has achieved to become a child safe organisation so far

Council adopted it’s Child Safe Policy in December 2022, which was the first step in becoming a child safe organisation.

The policy provides guidance on Council’s responsibilities and approach to creating and maintaining a child safe organisation. The Policy outlines Council’s expectations of those that provide services or activities for children in Council owned facilities.

Council continues to implement child safe practices and strategies on an ongoing basis.