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
Knowledge, skills and awareness
Description:
There is a risk that staff and volunteers are not equipped with the knowledge, skills and awareness to keep children and students safe through ongoing education and training.
Risk type:
Organisational
Child safety and wellbeing training not provided to staff and school council annually.
Child safety and wellbeing training is not refreshed or updated where policy, practice or law has changed.
Volunteers are not required to undertake child safety training that is appropriate to the nature of their role.
Training does not cover all necessary topics.
Training is poorly facilitated.
Also refer to Child Safe Standard 6 risks above.
Inability to identify child safety risks including inappropriate behaviour and signs of harm resulting in increased risk of failing to protect children from child abuse, and underreporting of child safety incidents to relevant staff and authorities.
Insufficient understanding about the school’s child safety and wellbeing policies, practices, and obligations results in increased risk that they will not be appropriately implemented by staff and volunteers and an increased risk to students of child abuse occurring and of continuing to occur undetected.
Physical and psychological harm as a result of child abuse
Our Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy outlines the controls in place to ensure school council and school staff receive appropriate annual guidance and training on child safety and is implemented.
Our Volunteers Policy provides information on training for volunteers.
Our volunteers, that are engaged to support our classroom or school programs where the volunteer may have more access to students in an unsupervised space, or where staff supervision may not always be present, are provided with child safety training that is appropriate to the activity and the volunteer’s role.
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?
