Help for non-English speakers
If you need help to understand this policy, please contact Donald Eddington, Principal. Non-English speakers can also access Google translate at the bottom of this web page.
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.
School
William Ruthven Primary School
Responsiblity
Gemma Albress, Wellbeing Leader
Endorsed:
Endorsed by:
Donald Eddington, Principal
Next review:
File location:
School website
Child Safe Standard 1 – Aboriginal cultural safety
Child Safe Standard 2 – School leadership, governance and culture
Child Safe Standard 3 – Children are safe, informed and actively participate
Child Safe Standard 4 – Family engagement
Child Safe Standard 5 – Equity and diverse needs
Child Safe Standard 6 – Suitable staff and volunteers
Child Safe Standard 7 – Complaints processes
Child Safe Standard 8 – Child safety knowledge, skills and awareness
Child Safe Standard 9 – Physical and online environments
Child Safe Standard 10 – Review of child safety practices
Child Safe Standard 11 – Implementation of child safety practices
RISK TITLE AND DESCRIPTION
RISK ASSESSMENT
Causes of the child safety risk
ASSESSMENT
Consequences if the child safety risk happens
EXISTING CHILD SAFETY AND WELLBEING CONTROLS
CONTROLS ASSESSMENT
NEW CONTROLS
New controls to mitigate the child safety risk further
BY WHEN
Student empowerment
Description:
There is a risk that students will not be empowered about their rights, participate in decisions affecting them or be taken seriously.
Risk type:
Vulnerability
Students don’t know how to make a complaint or raise a concern or don’t feel confident that they will be listened to.
Students don’t understand their rights
Student input in decision making is not supported or valued.
Student contributions or concerns are not taken seriously.
Students are not offered sexual abuse prevention education.
Students are coerced or silenced by adults at the school.
Lack of friendship or peer support
Abuse is more likely to happen if students do not feel supported to participate in decisions that affect them and do not feel like they will be listened to.
Failure to empower students with information about their rights, child safety risks, and sexual abuse prevention will increase the risk of abuse going unidentified and unspoken.
If students do not feel confident or empowered to raise a concern, they will be unwilling to report abuse
Lack of friendship or peer support may increase vulnerability to abuse.
Lack of friendship or peer support increases the risk that the student will not feel confident to discuss concerns with their peers, making it more likely that abuse will go unidentified and unspoken.
Physical and psychological harm as a result of child abuse.
Our Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy outlines the controls in place at our school to support child and student empowerment and is implemented.
Our Complaints Policy details how students can raise complaints and concerns and is promoted widely to parents and students.
Our Student Wellbeing and Engagement Policy outlines the controls in place to ensure student wellbeing is supported and prioritised at our school.
Our students are provided with age-appropriate sexual abuse prevention programs and relevant related information through the Department’s Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships teaching and learning materials and Catching on Early teaching and learning materials.
Our students are educated about their rights through the school’s Start-up program, cyber safety education, the Department’s Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships teaching and learning materials and Catching on Early teaching and learning materials
Friendship and peer support are promoted at our school through our Prep Buddy Program and cross age whole school activities/days.
We provide students who find it harder to speak up or be heard with multiple avenues for communicating, including regular AtoSS-style surveys.
We provide students with information about complaints processes.
Child Safety Champion regularly reviews PROTECT guidance and other relevant policies to ensure our own local child safety policies, procedures and practices are informed by best practice and updated where required.
Tolerable risk? Yes
