The Child Safe Standards were developed by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and have been adopted for use by state and federal governments. Find more information on the exhaustive research that went into developing the Child Safe Standards see here.
Implementing the standards in your church:
- Child Safety is embedded in institutional leadership, governance and culture
- Children participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously
- Families and communities are informed and involved
- Equity is upheld and diverse needs are taken into account
- People working with children are suitable and supported
- Processes to respond to complaints of child sexual abuse [and other types of harm] are child-focused
- Staff are equipped with the knowledge, skills and awareness to keep children safe through continual education and training
- Physical and online environments minimise the opportunity for abuse [or other types of harm] to occur
- Implementation of the Child Safe Standards is continuously reviewed and improved
- Policies and procedures document how the institution is child safe.