Have your say on how Council can keep children safe
Published on 06 August 2024
Respect for all children and their wellbeing is central to Byron Shire Council’s draft Child Safe policy which has been released for public comment.
Esmeralda Davis, Director of Corporate and Community Services, said that Council wants to make sure we have captured the community’s expectations on how the organisation keeps children safe.
“After initial input from families, children and staff across Council, we want input from the community to make sure we have a wide range of views on this policy,” Ms Davis said.
“The policy outlines a commitment to being a child safe organisation including that we respect all children and their wellbeing, we embed Child Safe Standards into our leadership, governance, and culture, support our staff and volunteers in their responsibilities, and strive to keep children safe from harm and abuse.
“The policy will be supported by a series of procedures about our people, behaviours, empowering children, Council spaces and our reporting approach.
“This may look like strengthening our checks during recruitment processes, involving children in the design process for projects like play spaces and place plans, being clear about how we behave around children and knowing what to do if we suspect abuse or harm towards a child.
“We will use the results from the survey to inform our final Child Safe Policy and look forward to receiving everyone’s thoughts on this important document.
“People can go to Council’s Your Say page to do a short survey now. There is also the opportunity to leave your email if you would like to be kept informed about the project and be involved in more in-depth community consultation later this year,” she said.
Council’s draft Child Safe Policy and Statement of Commitment are overarching documents which guide implementation of the NSW Government’s Child Safe Standards and were developed with input from families, children, and staff across Council. Feedback is open to Friday 16 August.