Creating Child Safe Organisations

1. Creating Child Safe Organisations Kerryn Boland and Morgan Lander Office of the Children’s Guardian 18 August 2014

2. Functions of the Children’s Guardian The OCG is an independent, statutory regulator that: • promotes the best interests of children and young people • ensures their rights are safeguarded and promoted • accredits and monitors statutory OOHC agencies • accredits NGO adoption service providers • administers the voluntary out-of-home care system • administers the Working With Children Check and Carers Register • regulates employment of children in certain areas • encourages organisations to become child safe

3. How do we fulfil our functions? Regulatory tools • Accreditation of out-of-home care and adoption service providers against child-centred standards • Licensing children’s employment – Code of Practice • Working With Children Check – accredit individuals • Compliance systems Education • Encourage organisations to be child safe – training, workshops and resources.

4. Strengths-based practice System compliance Child-centredoutcome focus Pass/fail Strengths based

5. Child Safe Organisations • The Working With Children Check is an essential element of child safe – it’s not enough on its own. • Child-focused organisations must understand and reduce the risks of harm to children • Situational crime prevention • Creating safe environments, not safe individuals. • Reduce opportunity and increase effort to offend • Increase risk of detection

6. Elements of a ‘child safe’ organisation • Systems to ensure continuous improvement • Education and training • Governance and culture • Participation and empowerment of children • Human Resources Management

7. Practicalities of implementation • Becoming a child safe organisation takes commitment from those at the top • Requires whole-of-organisation approach • Strong leadership • Transparency • Organisational culture is a key determinant of success

8. Child Safe Case Studies Project • To investigate current ‘child safe’ measures and identify model practice • Outcomes will inform policy and decide role of regulation • Professor Stephen Smallbone advising • 7 organisations from 4 sectors participating

9. Early insights • One size does not fit all • Policy vs practice vs policy and practice • In every sector there is still some reluctance to: • immediately report suspected abuse without more concrete evidence • immediately report a child’s disclosure or abuse without first observing the worker and child together • Limited understanding of grooming behaviours