Shire takes part in Child Safe Strategies training

THE Surf Coast Shire Council is the latest organisation to take part in Child Safe Strategies, a program devoted to the prevention of child abuse through education and training.

More than 50 shire staff members took part in the two-hour session last week, learning about new standards to be a child safe organisation.

Tuesday’s workshop, which was run by Child Safe Strategies CEO Debbie Boyse and Senior Trainer and Advisor Sophie Cieciwa, provided practical guidance in a safe and informative way, showing shire staff how best to respond if has someone has a concern.

 

“What we love is that the Council know that policies alone and ticking boxes doesn’t protect children, having a deeper understanding is what truly keeps children safe,” Ms Boyse said.

Ms Cieciwa added: “It was so wonderful to see passionate staff workshop their new learnings, have honest and constructive conversations and create action plans to take back to their centres.

“Continuous improvement is a must to keep kids safe and Surf Coast Shire has shown great commitment,” she said.

The Surf Coast Shire Council said the session would assist them to implement new standards in their Early Years Services.

 

“Ensuring the safety of children involved with any of Council’s services is paramount and we as an organisation must strive to uphold the highest standards in this area,” Surf Coast Shire Council General Manager – Community Life, Gail Gatt said.

“It is imperative that all staff within our organisation have a comprehensive understanding of their responsibilities around child safety.

“Our Early Years Services will update their philosophies and policies relating to child safety to reflect the changes, and teachers and educators will implement them within their teaching programs.”

On December 1, 2022, the Commission for Children and Young people released information regarding a change in laws, with strong penalties for those failing to comply with new standards.

Some of the key changes include –

– New powers for officers including the ability to inspect organisations’ premises without notice.

– New enforcement actions including official warnings, court injunctions, enforceable undertakings and the ability for a regulator to publish details about an organisation’s non-compliance.

– The introduction of a range of criminal offences and increased maximum penalties for non-compliance with notices and directions issued by the Commission.

Any organisations looking to train themselves up on the current standards, can go to childsafestrategies.com.au/