Being A Child Safe Organisation
New Zealand's Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry will be making recommendations for how New Zealand organisations can better care for children, young people and vulnerable adults/ adults-at-risk. However, until these recommendations are published (due 2023), our nearest international Child Safe Organisation guidance relates to Australia
The Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse resulted in recommending 10 child safe standards. To help broaden these into recognising all types of possible harm, the Australian National Children’s Commissioner developed the Australian National Principles for Child Safe Organisations.
Our Child Safe Organisation tree is based on the Australian National Child Safe Principles and visually represents how being child safe can provide a framework to your organisational family tree.
The roots of your child safety and continued growth sits within your organisation's Governance and Leadership. As well as other child safety responsibilities, they are responsible for embedding safeguarding within the organisation's culture.
Developing a child safe focus resides in the foundations of your organisation taking a holistic approach to capturing child safety into your policy framework, accountable practice and in staff's knowledge and skills.
Disseminating your child safety practice comes via your main and smaller branches, keeping child-focused when implementing your safeguarding solutions (leaves).
With firm child safety roots, trunk and branches, your safeguarding leaves will help safeguard your organisation and organisation whānau through low and high winds.
Click on the image to enlarge and select the link to download a copy.
Getting The Right Support
Many can misunderstand the term child safe and what it entails to be a child safe organisation. However, at Holistic Safeguarding, we have guided many organisations through child safe best practice models and external child safe accreditation standards. We know, being a child safe organisation relates much more to your safeguarding developments:
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Having a broad focus. Seeing child safety as applying to your whole organisation and all of your organisation whānau.
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Reflecting a holistic approach to the development and dissemination of your safeguarding solutions. Not so much having the solutions themselves.
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Creating and embedding a safeguarding culture. A culture that holds a child focus and safeguards everyone - children, staff and the organisation.
If you would welcome exploring how your organisation can develop its child safety practice and safeguarding culture, as well as safeguarding solutions, contact us for a free no-obligation consultation. We can happily guide you through the best approach for your organisation and organisation whānau.