Child Protection Policy Training Package Jon Flood, May 2015

Child Protection Philosophy and purpose Responsibilities Legislative requirements Church requirements Role of HPP Educators Procedure Support Risk management Prevention

Philosophy and purpose Change this page to reflect the Philosophy of your service Hawkesbury Presbyterian Preschool aims to provide a friendly, caring and educational environment for children and parents. Within this we aim to provide a safe, secure and welcoming environment that fosters the wellbeing of children, families and staff. We as early childhood educators believe that each child is a competent and successful learner. Children are unique individuals who bring with them a range of experiences related to their family and culture which we acknowledge and embrace. We are aligned with Hawkesbury District Presbyterian Church and aim to provide a caring and nurturing environment where children are exposed to the Christian faith, as well as a link to the church community.

Responsibilities Nominated Supervisor: Ensure all educators complete WWCC Ensure preschool/centre complies with federal and state Child Protection laws Reporting Training Security and confidentiality of records CEO (Liz): Ensure all educators are aware of their obligations Ensure policies, procedures, practices in line with legislation Ensure systems for managing issues and reporting Educators: Read and comply with Child Protection policy Give assurance that not guilty of sexual offence (Prohibited Employment Act) Disclose if convicted of a reportable offence Report to CEO any reportable allegations Act with integrity, honesty and confidentiality

Legislative requirements The Ombudsman Act, 1974 Requirement to respond to allegations against Educators and to notify the Ombudsman of reportable allegations or convictions The Children and Young People (Care and Protection) Act, 1998 Reporting to Family and Community Services Policies, procedures and practices Reporting requirements for children “at risk of harm” The Child Protection (Prohibited Employment) Act, 1998 Ensure that “prohibited” persons are not employed The Commission for Children and Young People (CCYP) Act, 1998 Conduct employment screening Securely retain relevant records Child Protection Legislation Amendment Act, 2003 Amendment to the Ombudsman Act, replacing the term ‘child abuse’, with ‘reportable conduct’, and clarifying the types of matters that are not notifiable to the Ombudsman.

Church requirements Breaking the Silence – policy and code of conduct that governs all church organisations (http://www.breakingthesilence.org.au/) All church committees are trained in BTS BTS is used to establish early childhood services Child Protection policy and processes

Role of Educators Report where: You become aware that there has been a reportable allegation made in relation to an Educator Has formed a belief on reasonable grounds that a child or young person has been harmed or is at risk of harm If you have been charged or convicted of a reportable offence Most cases reported to the Nominated Supervisor Case Study 1 You become aware that a boy attending the service regularly has bruises on his legs. Mum says that he just falls over a lot. The boy is also quite thin and very quite. What process do you follow? Case Study 2 A parent turns up to pick up their child in the afternoon. You notice that the parent is clearly intoxicated, slurring their words and stumbling around, and feel uncomfortable that the child will be safe in their care. What process do you follow?

Procedure

CHILD PROTECTION PROCESS – EARLY CHILDHOOD SERVICES Reporting Requirements Staff should be familiar with the Child Protection Policy and Code of Conduct for their service. The following is a summary of reporting requirements. The Conduct Protocol Unit must be advised of all notifiable circumstances, including: o any fact, circumstance, allegation, notification, knowledge of, verbal advice of, direct or indirect connection to, or attempt of abuse, and o all allegations, complaints, reportable allegations and allegations of reportable conduct. An allegation can be a complaint, incident, allegation, or an allegation of reportable conduct. Abuse includes: o child abuse; o risk of significant harm; o reportable conduct; o sexual misconduct; and/or o conduct that breaches the service’s Code of Conduct. Reportable conduct is a defined term that appears in the Ombudsman Act 1974 (NSW) and also in the Commission for Children and Young People Act 1998 (NSW). Section 25A of the Ombudsman Act defines reportable conduct as: o any sexual offence, or sexual misconduct, committed against, with or in the presence of a child (including a child pornography offence), or o any assault, ill-treatment or neglect of a child, or o any behaviour that causes psychological harm to a child, whether or not, in any case, with the consent of the child. NOTE: There are exemptions, so if you are unsure about whether something is reportable conduct or not call the Conduct Protocol Unit. At risk of significant harm is a term used by Family & Community Services for situations where a reasonable person has current concerns about the safety, welfare or wellbeing of a child or young person. All staff are mandatory reporters. Conduct putting a child or young person at risk of significant harm may also be reportable conduct and is a notifiable circumstance. April 2014, Page 1 of 3

CHILD PROTECTION PROCESS – EARLY CHILDHOOD SERVICES Reporting Protocol Incident Action Contacts Child or staff member injured Staff member/Director reports to Children’s Services Manager who will provide necessary Incident and Investigation forms. Note: under insurance requirements any incidents are to be reported within 72 hours. For a child who is seriously injured, Staff member/Director to fill out form available from Education and Communities web site. Children’s Services Manager, Jon Flood – 0406 380 909 http://www.dec.nsw.gov.au/what-we-offer/regulation-and-accreditation/early-childhood-education-care/service-providers/forms Child at risk of significant harm Staff member, as mandatory reporter, uses online Mandatory Reporting Guide available at www.community.nsw.gov.au and reports accordingly. Staff member reports to Director/Supervisor* who reports to Conduct Protocol Unit (CPU). Dept. of Family Community Services , Child Protection Helpline - 133 627 CPU, Elizabeth McClean – 0427 421 467 Allegation of reportable conduct against an employee Staff member+ reports to Director/Supervisor* who reports to Conduct Protocol Unit (CPU). CPU will then contact the chair of the Social Services Committee (Head of Agency) and Ombudsman. Criminal offence / death of a child Director/Supervisor* to be advised who will call Police, Community Services and CPU. Police Assistance Line – 131 144 Dept. of Family Community Services , Child Protection Helpline - 133 627 for criminal offence Department of Education and Care Directorate - 1800 619 113 for death of a child Notes: * Notifiable Circumstances involving the Director/Supervisor must be directed to the Chair of Committee of Management / Preschool Committee (or for Windsor Pre-school the Children’s Services Manager on 0406 380 909) who will contact CPU, and Police and Community Services if required. + An allegation of reportable conduct against an employee may also be made to a committee member who would then advise the Director/Supervisor, or contact the CPU directly. April 2014, Page 2 of 3

CHILD PROTECTION PROCESS – EARLY CHILDHOOD SERVICES Staff, Training and Policy Requirements New staff member requirements: Working With Children Check in place, verified by the CPU, before starting work Reference checks performed, recorded and placed on file as part of the recruiting and selection process Read and sign the service’s Child Protection Policy and Code of Conduct as part of the induction process Ongoing staff requirements: Professional Child Protection training every three years provided by a suitably registered training organisation Staff team walk through the service’s Child Protection Policy and Code of Conduct on an annual basis Preschool committee requirements: Undergo Breaking the Silence (BTS) refresher training annually Review the service’s Child Protection Policy and Code of Conduct on an annual basis When requested, provide a copy of the Child Protection Policy and Code of Conduct to Presbyterian Social Services (PSS) for review against latest BTS and legislative requirements April 2014, Page 3 of 3

Support Once an incident is identified and reported we need to offer support to those affected: Offering a support person Providing Pastoral care and counselling For all those in the process

Risk management Initial risk assessment – how to do we address the risk right now? Ongoing risk management – what needs to change to manage ongoing risk? Risk mgmt./review at conclusion of investigation – have we responded appropriately to what has happened?

Prevention Strategies to minimise reportable conduct, eg. Code of Conduct Sign-off on Child Protection policy and Code of Conduct Policies reviewed regularly Clearly defined roles Pre-employment checks Information for families Training for Educators Raising awareness