Resources

Child safety and wellbeing is embedded in organisational leadership, governance and culture.

• The NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian has produced a video that demonstrates how leaders apply the Child Safe Standards
• The NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian Secretariat has created a video outlining Standard 1. (While NSW and Queensland’s Standards have some differences, there are applicable messages.)
• The Victorian Children’s Commission provides an overview of the types of actions and documents an organisation would have in place to achieve this standard.
• The Australian Human Rights Commission has templates available to assist organisations to develop a Charter of Commitment, a Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy and a Code of Conduct.
• NSW has produced a set of templates and samples
• Victoria has an extensive library of resources.

Children are informed about their rights, participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously.

• The Victorian Children’s Commission provides an overview of the types of actions and documents an organisation would have in place to achieve this standard.
• Protection through participation: Involving children in child safe organisations is a practitioner resource providing practical guidance for involving children in child safe organisations.
• The QFCC Model of Participation and the Child and Youth Participation Framework  provide information on how to meaningfully engage young people in decision making.
• Victoria’s Empowerment and participation guide is a useful tool for organisations working with children and young people.
• The Centre for Multicultural Youth has developed a Good Practice Guide for strategies to engage young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds.
• The Youth Affairs Network Queensland (YANQ) has created a Resource Guide to Involving Young People with a Disability in Decision-making.
• For more information on the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child visit the UNICEF website.
• Children’s Rights Queensland has a range of resources and initiatives to raise awareness of the needs, rights and achievements of children.

Families and communities are informed and involved in promoting child safety and wellbeing.

• The Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) is a nationwide census of early childhood development captured as children transition into their first year of school. The information gained from the census helps to shape the future and wellbeing of our children by providing evidence to support education, health and community policy and planning.
• The Australian Institute of Family Studies has released a community engagement practice guide.
• The NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian Secretariat has created a video outlining Standard 3. (While NSW and Queensland’s Standards have some differences, there are applicable messages.)
• Child Safe Organisations: Guide for parents and carers will help parents and carers think about how organisations are providing safety and wellbeing arrangements for children.
• The Victorian Children’s Commission provides an overview of the types of actions and documents an organisation would have in place to achieve this standard.
• ACECQA have produced materials to help services involve families in service management and build partnerships with families.

Equity is upheld and diverse needs respected in policy and practice.

• The NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian Secretariat has created a video outlining Standard 4. (While NSW and Queensland’s Standards have some differences, there are applicable messages.)
• The Commission for Children and Young People in Western Australia outlines how organisations can work effectively with Aboriginal children and young people
• The Victorian Children’s Commission provides an overview of the types of actions and documents an organisation would have in place to achieve this standard.
• National Principles for Child Safe Organisations Consultation Report – Children and Young People with Disability outlines key findings and recommendations to inform the development of resources that will support organisations to better keep children and young people with disability safe.
• Australian Institute of Family Studies - Understanding safeguarding practices for children with disability when engaging with organisations is a practitioner resource explores how an understanding of abuse and neglect relating to children with disability can assist in establishing child-safe organisations.
• Rainbow Health Australia – Rainbow Tick assessment tool LGBTQI+ is a resource to assess your organisation’s safety and consideration of LGBTQI+ young people.
• The AHRC, in partnership with Sport Australia and the Coalition of Major Professional and Participation Sports, provides guidance to sporting organisations to promote inclusion and participation of transgender and gender diverse people within organisations, with transferable strategies for other organisations.
• The Forcibly Displaced People Network provides free online training on the intersection of LGBTIQA+ Settlement.
• Minus18 provides resources on creating safe environments for LGBTIQ+ young people focused on health and wellbeing.
• The Multicultural Youth Advocacy Network (MYAN) provides good practice strategies to work with young people from refugee and migrant backgrounds.
• The eSafety Commissioner has online resources translated into multiple languages focused on safety.  

People working with children are suitable and supported to reflect child safety and wellbeing in practice.

• The NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian Secretariat has created a video outlining Standard 5. (While NSW and Queensland’s Standards have some differences, there are applicable messages.)
• The Victorian Children’s Commission provides an overview of the types of actions and documents an organisation would have in place to achieve this standard.
• The Victorian Commission for Children and Young people has produced guides on choosing, developing and supervising staff and volunteers and sample learning and training action plans.
• NSW has produced a set of templates and samples to help achieve this standard.
• The Australian Institute of Family Studies provides information regarding Pre-employment and volunteer screening checks for each state.
• The NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian Secretariat has developed a handbook for Child Safe Recruitment and the Working with Children Check

Processes to respond to complaints of child abuse are child focused.

• The NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian Secretariat has created a video outlining Standard 6. (While NSW and Queensland’s Standards have some differences, there are applicable messages.)
• The Victorian Children’s Commission provides an overview of the types of actions and documents an organisation would have in place to achieve this standard.
• The National Office of Child Safety has produced a complaints handling guide and resources to support organisations to build their capacity in creating child safe cultures and handling complaints involving children.
• The  Western Australian Commissioner for Children and Young People has developed guidelines to support organisations to strengthen processes for children and young people to make complaints.
• The Western Australian Commissioner for Children and Young People provides videos, posters and brochures on making a complaint. Translated resources are also available.

Staff and volunteers are equipped with the knowledge, skills and awareness to keep children safe through ongoing education and training.

• NAPCAN offer training about protective behaviours: Protective Behaviours Training - NAPCAN
• The Victorian Children’s Commission provides an overview of the types of actions and documents an organisation would have in place to achieve this standard.
• CFCA Webinar - Responding to disclosures of abuse and neglect provides an overview of recent research on how to support and respond to children's disclosures of abuse and neglect.
• Australian Institute of Family Studies - Practice Guide provides guidance on responding to children and young people's disclosures of abuse.
• Emerging Minds has resources to assist people to respond to disclosures of sexual abuse.
• The Child development and trauma guide from Western Australia is a helpful resource to be trauma-informed when working with children.
• The Victorian CCYP has developed resources including a sample learning or training action plan.
• The NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian Secretariat has created a video outlining Standard 7. (While NSW and Queensland’s Standards have some differences, there are applicable messages).

Physical and online environments promote safety and wellbeing and minimise the opportunity for children to be harmed.

• The National Office for Child Safety has created a guide and  checklist to identify child safety risks.
• The NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian Secretariat has created a video outlining Standard 8. (While NSW and Queensland’s Standards have some differences, there are applicable messages.)
• eSafety Commissioner has a range of resources to help improve online safety for children and young people.   
  Child Safe Organisations – online safety checklist helps identify considerations for organisations about how they engage with children online.
• The Victorian Children’s Commission provides an overview of the types of actions and documents an organisation would have in place to achieve this standard.
• Australian Institute of Family Studies has produced this Online safety guide.
• Who knows what about me? from the Children’s Commissioner for England is a helpful guide for all the things to think about all the ways we are connected to the internet.
• Social and emotional wellbeing is the foundation of physical and mental health for many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. Refer to these resources for more information: Social and emotional wellbeing articles
• National Strategic Framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health and social and emotional wellbeing.

Implementation of the Child Safe Standards is regularly reviewed and improved.

• The NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian Secretariat has created a video outlining Standard 9. (While NSW and Queensland’s Standards have some differences, there are applicable messages).
• The Victorian Children’s Commission provides an overview of the types of actions and documents an organisation would have in place to achieve this standard.
• ACECQA offer this Information sheet: Practical ideas to support continuous quality improvement 

Policies and procedures document how the organisation is safe for children.

• The NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian has developed a video outlining the importance of policies and procedures in their work.
• The NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian Secretariat has created a video outlining Standard 10. (Whilst NSW and Queensland’s Standards have some differences, there are applicable messages).
• The Victorian Children’s Commission provides an overview of the types of actions and documents an organisation would have in place to achieve this standard.
• How to develop and update policies successfully (without the stress) from Child Australia provides guidance that can help you achieve this standard.
• The South Australian Department of Human Services provides guidance for developing a Child Safe Environments Policy aligned with the National Principles.

These resources will give you guidance on how cultural safety works with the 10 standards.

• Keeping Our Kids Safe – Cultural Safety and the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations guide has been produced by Secretariat National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care (SNAICC) offering practical advice on cultural safety in relation to the 10 principles.
• There is also a video: Keeping Our Kids Safe: Understanding Cultural Safety in Child Safe Organisations.
• The Victorian Commission for Children and Young People have developed material to assist organisations to learn more about cultural safety and how to create culturally safe environments and has more information that may assist you.

Organisations that develop and embed Foundation Documents will be well-positioned to be compliant with the Universal Principle and Child Safe Standards. Foundation Documents are core policy/procedural resources that must be in place before further progress can be made in implementing the Universal Principle and Child Safe Standards. 

• A charter of commitment has been developed by the AHRC for the National Principles as a tool to support organisations create their own version.
• The AHRC has developed a template outlining what an organisation’s Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy should contain.
• The NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian has created a handbook to understand and develop a child safe policy
• The AHRC has provided an example Code of Conduct to be used for Child Safe Organisations.
• The NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian has developed both a guide and an editable template that reflects the AHRC resource.

• Child Safe Organisations – information, tools and resources to support implementation of the National Principles
• Australian Human Rights Commission have information on the National principles and creating child safe organisations.
• TAS Interim Guide to the Child Safe Standards and Universal Principle
• VIC Guide for Creating a Child Safe Organisation (long)
• VIC Guide to the Child Safe Standards (short)
• NSW Guide to the Child Safe Standards

We welcome your support in promoting these resources among your networks so that we reach as many Queensland organisations as possible. You can find shareable resources for your communications channels below.

Guidelines and Self Assessment Tool - shareable toolkit

Child Safety Standards Flyer Access for Parents

Child Safety Standards Flyer Access for Organisations

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