We are committed to being a child safe organisation.
We want your feedback on our draft Child Safe Policy and statement of commitment. These are our overarching documents which guide implementation of the NSW Government’s Child Safe Standards.
These documents were developed with input from families, children, and staff across Council.
Now we want to make sure we have captured everything.
Child Safe Standards
All local governments and many organisations are required to implement the NSW Child Safe Standards to make organisations safer for children. The standards guide organisations to create cultures, adopt strategies and act to put the interests of children first to keep them safe from harm.
We have developed a draft policy and statement of commitment and these will be supported by a series of procedures about:
- Our people.
- Our behaviours.
- Our empowerment approach.
- Our spaces.
- Our reporting approach.
Statement of Commitment
Byron Shire Council is committed to being a child safe organisation – we respect all children and their wellbeing. We will embed Child Safe Standards into our leadership, governance, and culture. We will support our staff and volunteers in their responsibilities. We will strive to keep children safe from harm and abuse.
Policy
This draft Child Safe Policy(PDF, 450KB) outlines our commitment to creating and maintaining a child-safe organisation. It seeks to:
- Demonstrate Council’s commitment to the safety and welfare of children and young people.
- Ensure Council complies with and embeds the NSW Child Safe Standards into our leadership, culture, and practice – such as including children’s voices in decision making, improving recruitment and training, reviewing physical and online spaces, and ensuring thorough and fair responses to allegations.
- Inform all staff and volunteers of their obligations and responsibilities in keeping children safe.
- Ensure that Council provides a safe environment for children and young people whilst on Council premises and utilising Council services.
Have your say
We want to hear from you!
Take five minutes to complete our short survey.
Complete the survey
Next steps
The outcome of this consultation will inform our Child Safe Policy.
See the project timeline for more information.