William Ruthven Primary School is a Child Safe School. We have a firm commitment to uphold the Child Safe Standards and to embed a culture of child safety. Strategies that seek to prevent harm and neglect (including physical, sexual, emotional, neglect, racial and cultural or religious abuse) all contribute to a child safe culture. It is therefore critical that child safety is part of the everyday thinking and practice of all within the school community.Protecting the safety and wellbeing of children enrolled at our school is our highest priority. Families put their trust in the staff, volunteers and external providers to keep their children safe as they learn and play. We know students learn best when they feel they are in a safe and supportive environment.
Our child safety and wellbeing policies outline the measures and strategies we have in place to support, promote and maintain the safety and wellbeing of our students.
Meeting the Standards is about considering the needs of all children, particularly those who may be vulnerable due to age, family circumstances, abilities, or indigenous, cultural or linguistic backgrounds. All members of our community share the responsibility for keeping our students safe so if you have concerns for a child’s safety you must take action.
As valuable partners in promoting and maintaining child safety and wellbeing at William Ruthven Primary School, we welcome and encourage your feedback.
If you have any suggestions, comments or questions in relation to our child safe policies and practices, please contact the Principal, Donald Eddington via email, donald.eddington@education.vic.gov.au.
Help for non-English speakers
If you need help to understand our policies, please contact Donald Eddington, Principal. Non-English speakers can also access Google translate at the bottom of each web page.
This standard requires schools to make sure Aboriginal children and young people feel safe.
The term ‘Aboriginal’ includes Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It is important to be respectful of how individual children, students, their families and community refer to themselves, and use appropriate language.
Cultural safety includes being provided with a safe, nurturing and positive environment where Aboriginal children:
School policies:
Department resources, programs and initiatives implemented at the school:
Policy consultation period with parents and carers: June 2022.
For a complete list of all policies, review dates and consultation processes, please see: School Council Policies.
This standard emphasises the vital role that school leaders and governing authorities have in establishing:
Schools must take deliberate steps to promote child safety and wellbeing and protect children by
Department policies and resources:
This standard supports schools to create a culture that values and promotes student participation. This includes:
This standard highlights the importance of an open and transparent child safe culture for families and communities.
Schools must provide families and communities with accessible information about their child safe policies and practices and involve them in their approach to child safety and wellbeing.
School policies
This standard focuses on creating environments where all children and young people feel welcome.
Equity is a state of fairness in which all children and young people can participate freely and equally in areas of life, regardless of their background, characteristics or beliefs. This means their safety is not dependent on their socio-economic, family or personal circumstances.
As part of this standard, schools must:
This standard focuses on ensuring that people who work with children and young people are suitable and supported to act in a child safe way. Schools should make child safety and wellbeing a key consideration when recruiting staff and volunteers.
This standard focuses on ensuring that schools have complaints processes that are child-focused, culturally safe and accessible to everyone.
Schools must have policies, procedures and practices to
Child Safe Standard 8:
Staff and volunteers are equipped with the knowledge, skills and awareness to keep children and young people safe through ongoing education and training.
This standard focuses on building child safety knowledge, skills and awareness in staff, volunteers and school governing authorities.
All schools should deliver training to new and existing staff and volunteers. The training must be tailored to the needs of the school and the role the person performs at the school.
This standard focuses on child safety and wellbeing in physical and online environments and ensuring that procurement also reflects child safety.
Schools need to have policies and strategies:
Schools must analyse and understand potential risks to students. It is important to think about risks created by school structure and culture, activities and physical and online environments.
Online technologies are constantly changing which presents significant challenges for schools, parents and carers. Online behaviour needs to be addressed in the Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy and Codes of Conduct to promote child safety.
Arrangements with external agencies also create child safety risks. They create opportunities for unknown people to have contact with students.
This standard focuses on continuous improvement in child-safe policies, procedures and practices.
Schools must:
This standard focuses on incorporating the 11 Child Safe Standards into school policies, procedures and practices, which work together to create a child-safe culture.
Schools should ensure these policies and procedures are:
Department policies:
