Child Protection Policy Simulated Business for Workplace Project Task CHILD PROTECTION POLICY HAPPYVILLE COMMUNITY CENTRE Scope This policy applies to all employees of the Happyville Community Centre as well as parents/guardians, children, young people, volunteer workers, students, and visitors to the centre. Policy The Happyville Community Centre is committed to providing a safe environment for all children, and this policy outlines our process to protect the children who use our services and programs. All employees have a legal and ethical responsibility to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people who use our services and programs. The best interests of children and young people will always be foremost in our thoughts and actions. All staff is expected to assume appropriate personal and professional boundaries. All children will be treated with respect and understanding and will be nurtured and supported to: Feel safe and secure Be listened to Have their best interests upheld To keep children safe, we will make sure that all of our staff: Are trained to recognise and respond to child abuse Know how to access support services Understand the risk management process Correctly handle complaints and disclosures Uphold the rights of children and their families Under relevant state/territory legislation, the centre is required to ensure that all allegations or disclosures of child abuse are appropriately addressed. These procedures provide a framework for the protection of children and to guide staff who may need to report allegations of child abuse. Procedures Recruitment: It is essential that staff are recruited who will work diligently, safely, and in the best interest of the children in the Centre. To assist us to recruit the right staff and to follow correct procedures, the following will occur: All staff members will have a current Working with Children Check prior to recruitment - Every staff member will have a current police check - On recruitment, all staff will attend an in-depth induction process which will include training in child protection protocols Allegations against staff members: Any allegations about staff members must be advised to the supervisor, who will arrange with the Centre Manager to report the matter to the child protection authority or Police if required. When an allegation has been made against a staff member, consideration must be made about the risk to children of this person continuing to work during an investigation of the allegations. Legal advice may be sought with a view to the possible stand-down of the staff member - either with or without pay. At the least, the staff member will need to work under supervision at all times, pending the outcomes of the investigation. Allegations against people outside the centre: Where a staff member has a reasonable belief that a child has experienced, or is at risk of, abuse or neglect, they must immediately inform their supervisor. The supervisor will then confer with the Centre Manager to make a report to the child protection authority. In cases of urgency, the Police must be contacted immediately. Reporting of information: We take seriously any allegations of abuse and treat them seriously, reporting to the appropriate authorities. A staff member who has a reasonable belief that a child is subject to abuse or neglect will write a report that contains the following information: - Child's name, address, and date of birth - - - - - - - Reasons for concern; report facts only Family circumstances (where known) Record of the staff member's observations. For example, bruising, child's demeanour, the reaction of the parent, and so on Record of any conversation regarding disclosure. For example, 'Jimmy said that...', 'I asked him...', 'I told him I would...' Assessment of risk of harm to the child at this current time Current location of the child Information of any known history of abuse The staff member will write the report in a non-judgemental, factual, and professional manner. The report may be required for court processes at a later date. What are 'reasonable grounds of suspicion of harm'? Reasonable grounds for suspicion of harm is: A child tells you that they have been harmed Someone else tells you that the child has been harmed The behaviour of the child changes significantly The child has suspicious injuries that cannot be satisfactorily explained The harm is witnessed What to do if a child makes a disclosure? Listen to what they have to say Believe what they say Comfort the child and let them know that it is NOT their fault Tell them they have done the right thing by telling someone what has happened Use open-ended questions and do not try to lead the child's answers Only ask for enough information to find out whether there is a suspicion of risk - do not pry into the details of the abuse as this could cause stress to the child and could cause problems during any court process. Tell the child that you will need to talk to someone else (supervisor) so that the child can be helped. Do not tell the child that you will keep it a secret for them - but let them know that they will be protected from harm. Take notes if you need to Do not investigate the matter yourself, report it immediately Write a report detailing all information Provide the report to your supervisor immediately What is abuse, and how is it recognised? Abuse may be: Physical Sexual Emotional Neglect Descriptions of the nature and indicators of each type of abuse can be found on the Australian Institute of Family Studies website at Task 1: Justin You work at Happyville Community Centre, a busy centre that runs lots of fantastic community programs for people of all ages. Ruby and her five-year-old son Justin come to the centre for some of the family activities. Ruby has been doing a computer skills program to help her find a job when Justin starts school next year. Justin sadly has a history of abuse, as his mother's boyfriend (Paul) was known to be violent with him. An intervention order was previously put on Paul, and he left town several months ago. Ruby had disclosed this to you after Paul left. All has been well with Justin and his mother, Ruby. During visits to the centre, you have seen Justin start to come out of his shell, make some friends. However, at today's visit, Justin appears quiet and withdrawn. He sits in a corner and draws aimlessly on a piece of paper. He doesn't engage in conversation and shies away from any interaction with his friends. When it is time for them to leave, you see Justin pull away from Ruby. She kneels down to ask him what's wrong. You hear him tell her that he doesn't want to go home because Paul is there. Ruby says to him it will be okay, things are different now, Paul is nice, he won't hurt him. Justin starts to sob quietly. Ruby looks up and realises you have heard them. She comes over to you and says, 'I don't want you to tell anyone about this - this is private information between us as a family. Paul is being nice to Justin - he knows he has to, or I won't let him stay. He is only here for a couple of weeks because he got a new job locally and he can't afford a place yet. He is looking for a rental, and as soon as he gets approved and has the money, he will be gone. I'm so relieved he is finally sorting himself out - Paul has stopped drinking and wants a new start to life.' Justin starts crying louder. Ruby picks him up and leaves, refusing to enter into any further discussion on the matter. Task 2: Julia Julia works with you at Happyville Community Centre. You have been friends with Julia for many years, whom you met at high school. You have worked together for about five years. Julia gets on well with everyone who comes to the centre and has been a model employee. Lately, she has been going through a breakup with her husband, and she has been very touchy and losing her temper easily with others. Her behaviour has not extended to the people who come to the centre, however. Today is a busy day due to a variety of school holiday programs. There are lots of children running around, and it is chaotic at start/end program times with everyone milling about for a chat. A group of pre-schoolers is running around the centre while their parents chat in a corner. Julia asks the parents politely to keep an eye on them, as the children are knocking into others, entering rooms they shouldn't, and upsetting some of the quieter children. The parents call out to their kids but don't do much else as they are intent on hearing some local gossip. Eventually, one of the children knocks into Julia, and she drops the folder of paperwork she is carrying. You see her grab the child's arm and smack the back of his legs. It isn't a hard smack, but it is enough to shock the child make them cry. Julia realises what she has done and quickly apologises to the child. She gives him a cuddle to try to stop him from crying. You see Julia tell him something intently, and the child nods, looking down at their feet. You have a feeling she is asking him not to say anything to anyone. When Julia stands up, you turn away. You don't want her to know you have been watching.