Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy

 

V2.0 - Approved 31/03/2026 by OM

Policy

Olivia’s Place works with children and young people under the age of 18. Children and young people are also routinely onsite at Olivia’s Place locations.

This policy serves to acknowledge the vulnerability of children and young people and is in place to ensure that they are safe at all times when accessing the services of or visiting Olivia’s Place premises.

Olivia’s Place acknowledges the Gunaikurnai people as the traditional owners of the land on which we operate. We acknowledge and respect their contributions, experience and knowledge as First Nations people. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.

This Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy demonstrates the strong commitment of the board, staff and volunteers to child safety and wellbeing, and how our organisation keeps children safe from harm.

Commitment to Child Safety

All children who attend Olivia's Place have a right to feel and be safe. We have a zero-tolerance approach to child abuse and harm. We want children to be safe, happy and empowered.

Purpose

This policy outlines how Olivia’s Place prioritises the safety and wellbeing of children and what steps we will take to do this.

Scope

This policy applies to all staff, volunteers (team members), students, clients and other individuals involved in our organisation. This policy applies to all activities conducted by Olivia’s Place; both onsite within the Organisation’s premises and offsite at other locations.

All Olivia’s Place team members must also agree to abide by our Child Safety Code of Conduct which specifies the standards of conduct required when working with children.

Definitions

Child means an infant, child or young person under the age of 18 years

Child abuse includes:

  •  a sexual offence committed against, with or in the presence of, a child whether or not a criminal proceeding in relation to the offence has been commenced or
    concluded;
  • sexual misconduct, committed against, with or in the presence of a child;
  • any behaviour which causes significant emotional or psychological harm to a child or significant neglect of a child;
  • physical violence against a child;
  • serious neglect of a child;
  • an offence committed against a child under s.49M(1) of
    the Crimes Act 1958 (Vic), such as grooming.

Complaint means an expression of dissatisfaction to Olivia’s Place related to one or more of the following:

  • our services or dealings with individuals;
  • allegations of abuse or misconduct by a team member or another individual associated with Olivia’s Place;
  • disclosures of abuse or harm made by a child or young
    person;
  • the inadequate handling of a prior concern.

Concern refers to any potential issue that could impact negatively on the safety and wellbeing of children.

Emotional harm occurs when a child is repeatedly rejected, isolated, frightened by threats or is experiencing family violence. It also includes hostility, derogatory name-calling and put-downs, or persistent coldness from a person, to the extent where the
behaviour of the child is disturbed or their emotional development is at serious risk of being impaired.

Exposure to Family Violence is a form of child abuse and should be reported to Child Protection. The effects on children exposed to family violence include emotional and psychological harm and socio-economic impacts and the potential for physical harm.

Grooming is a criminal offence and involves predatory conduct undertaken to prepare a child for sexual activity at a later time. Grooming occurs where an adult communicates by words or conduct with a child under 16 years or with a person who has care, supervision or authority for the child with the intention of facilitating the child’s involvement in sexual conduct, either with the groomer or other adult.

Harm is damage to the health, safety or wellbeing of a child or young person, including as a result of child abuse by adults or the conduct of other children. It includes physical, emotional, sexual and psychological harm. Harm can arise from a single act or event and can also be cumulative.

Mandatory Reporters are people (doctors, nurses, midwives, teachers [including early childhood teachers], principals and police) who must report to child protection if they believe on reasonable grounds that a child is in need of protection from physical injury or sexual abuse.

Neglect includes failure to provide the child with an adequate standard of nutrition, medical care, clothing, shelter or supervision to the extent that the health or development of the child is significantly impaired or placed at risk. A child is neglected if they are abandoned or left uncared for over unreasonable periods of time that are inconsistent with their age, stage and development.

Sexual Abuse occurs when any person uses their authority over a child to involve the child in sexual activity.

Role of the Leadership

The leadership of Olivia’s Place, including but not limited to the General Manager of Operations, Family Support Program Coordinator, Material Aid Program Coordinator and the Board of Directors, have the role of making sure that Olivia’s Place prioritises children’s safety and that action is taken when anyone raises concerns about children’s safety. 
The leadership will champion and model a child safe culture at Olivia’s Place. We encourage anyone involved with the organisation to report a child safety concern. The leadership will work to create a positive culture around reporting so that people feel comfortable to raise concerns.
Everyone at Olivia’s Place has a role in identifying and managing risks of child abuse and harm. The leadership will make sure that team members are conducting risk assessments and taking action to manage risks in accordance with this policy. They will also ensure that appropriate child safety training for team members is identified and completed.
The leadership will conduct an annual review of how effectively Olivia’s Place is delivering child safety and wellbeing. The input of people involved with Olivia’s Place will be sought as part of this review.


Families and Communities

Olivia’s Place is a family-centred organisation. Olivia’s Place recognises the integral role of parents and carers when making decisions about their child/ren. Parents, families and communities are welcome to provide feedback at any time through our contact email address and are encouraged to raise any concerns they have with us. Olivia’s Place provides information to families and the community about our child safe polices and practices including through:

  • publishing this Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy and Code of Conduct on our website;
  • including information about our child safety approach, our operations and our team structure in information published and publicly available onsite and in written advertising / informative materials;
  • including articles and information on child safety and wellbeing, and reminders about our policies and procedures, in our newsletter

Children’s Empowerment and Participation

Olivia’s Place seeks to actively include children’s views and ideas in our organisational planning, delivery of services, and management of facilities.

We respect the rights of children and provide them with information about their rights, including the right to be safe at Olivia’s Place. We actively seek to understand what makes children feel safe in our organisation and have available age-appropriate written materials in addition to communicating verbally with children about what they can do if they feel unsafe.

Olivia’s Place recognises the value of friendships and peer support and encourages children and families to engage in settings where appropriate friendships can be formed amongst children.

Olivia’s Place values the voices of children and will act on all safety concerns raised by children or their families.

Creating Culturally Safe Environments for all Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander Children and their Families

Olivia’s Place is committed to creating environments where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture is celebrated and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, families and community members are welcomed and included.

Olivia’s Place does not tolerate racism or discrimination towards people who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. Any instances of racism will be addressed by the leadership with appropriate consequences.

Strategies to embed cultural safety for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children within Olivia’s Place include:

  • an Acknowledgement of Country at all meetings and gatherings;
  • consulting with families and members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community to identify opportunities to promote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and practices;
  • providing opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children to share their cultural identity and express their culture
  • providing training opportunities for team members on the strengths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and its importance to the safety and wellbeing of
    Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children;
  • celebrating NAIDOC Week and acknowledging significant events including National Sorry Day, National Reconciliation Week and Mabo Day.

Valuing Diversity

Olivia’s Place values diversity and equity for all people. To achieve this, Olivia’s Place:

  • has zero tolerance of racism and other forms of discrimination. When acts of discrimination or other forms of exclusion are identified, appropriate action will be taken;
  • provides training opportunities for all team members on understanding diversity and how to support inclusion and cultural safety;
  • actively encourages applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people from culturally and / or linguistically diverse backgrounds and people with a disability;
  • welcomes and supports participation of all children, including children with disability, children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, those who are unable to live at home, LGBTIQ+ children and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their families;
  • offers students and families the opportunity to provide information about themselves, including any specific needs to participate fully in our programs;
  • strives to reflect the diversity of our community through representation in our team members and leadership positions;
  • acknowledges and celebrate days of cultural importance;
  • has a physical and online environment that actively celebrates diversity;
  • commits to ensure that our programs, or community participation and our online activities promote the inclusion of all children.

Code of Conduct

Olivia’s Place has a Child Safe Code of Conduct, which specifies the standards of conduct required when working with children.

All team members and students must comply with the Child Safe Code of Conduct at all times. Third-party contractors are also expected to abide by the Child Safe Code of Conduct whilst engaging with Olivia’s Place.

Breaches of the Child Safe Code of Conduct may result in disciplinary action including termination of a person’s involvement with Olivia’s Place.

Recruiting Team Members

Olivia’s Place takes all reasonable steps to employ skilled people to work with children. We develop selection criteria and advertisements which clearly demonstrate our commitment to child safety and an awareness of our social and legislative responsibilities. Our organisation understands that when recruiting employees and volunteers we have ethical as well as legislative obligations.


All people engaged in child-related work, including volunteers, are required to hold a Working with Children Check and to provide evidence of this Check prior to commencing activities with Olivia’s Place.


Olivia’s Place conducts out reference checks and Police Record Checks to ensure that we are recruiting the right people. Olivia's Place has 12 months access to the Crimcheck record, from date of submission, however the document is not retained on file, but the document is not retained on file. Olivia’s Place does retain our own records (but not the actual criminal record) if an applicant’s criminal history affected our decision-making process regarding whether or not to accept their application through the recruitment process.

Olivia's Place conducts reference and Police Record checks to ensure we recruit individuals that do not contravene our Child Safe Code of Conduct and Child Safety & Wellbeing Policies.

Supporting Team Members

Olivia’s Place is committed to ensuring that all team members receive appropriate training to ensure that they understand their responsibilities in relation to child safety and to support their engagement with children and young people. Training and education is important to ensure that everyone at Olivia’s Place understands that child safety is everyone’s responsibility.


Our organisational culture aims for all team members, parents / carers and children to feel confident and comfortable in discussing any allegations of child abuse or child safety concerns.

All team members receive an appropriate induction through which they are made aware of their responsibilities to children and young people, including record keeping, information sharing and reporting obligations.

Team members are offered training opportunities to identify, assess and minimise risks of child abuse and to detect potential signs of child abuse.

Olivia’s Place supports the Family Support Program team members through ongoing supervision to:

  • develop their skills to protect children from abuse; and
  • protect and promote the cultural safety of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, and the cultural safety of children from linguistically and / or culturally diverse backgrounds; and
  • protect and promote the safety of children with a disability

New team members will be supervised regularly to ensure that they understand our Organisation’s commitment to child safety and that everyone has a role to play in protecting children from abuse, as well as confirming that their behaviour towards
children is safe and appropriate in accordance with the Olivia’s Place Child Safety Code of Conduct.

Any inappropriate behaviour will be reported through appropriate channels, including the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (Victoria), Victoria Police and the Commission for Children and Young People, under the Victorian Reportable Conduct Scheme.

Complaints and Reporting

Olivia’s Place treats all reports of child abuse and child safety concerns seriously, whether they are made by an adult or a child and whether they are about the conduct of an adult or a child. All complaints and child safety concerns will be responded to
thoroughly and quickly.

We all have a responsibility to report an allegation of abuse if we have a reasonable belief that an incident took place. Team members are to be aware of their obligations whereby allegations can be made against team members even if the conduct occurred outside of their work.

If an adult has a reasonable belief that an incident has occurred, then they must report the incident. Factors contributing to a reasonable belief may be:

  • a child states that they or someone they know has been abused (noting that sometimes the child may in fact be referring to themselves);
  • behaviour consistent with that of an abuse victim is observed;
  • someone else has raised a suspicion of abuse but is unwilling to report it;
  • observing suspicious behaviour

Olivia’s Place has a complaint handling policy that includes information for team members about how a complaint or child safety concern will be responded to. An easy-to-understand complaints information sheet will be provided to children, families and the community to know about the complaint handling process and the support available to those making a complaint and those involved in the complaint process.

If a complaint includes an allegation or incident of child abuse, team members must report it in accordance with the complaint handling policy. Olivia’s Place team members are required to prioritise children’s safety in any response and to report all potentially criminal conduct to Victoria Police.

In accordance with Olivia’s Place policies, team members may be subject to actions to support child safety; including:

  • being stood down during an investigation or terminated following an investigation;
  • having their duties altered so they do not engage with children at Olivia’s Place;
  • not allowing unsupervised contact with children at Olivia’s Place;
  • removing their access to the Olivia’s Place IT system and facilities

Complaints can be emailed to operations@oliviasplace.org.au or you can speak with a Child Safety Person. Where concerns are in relation to the Organisation’s leadership and / or senior employees, reports can be made to any member of the Board of Directors or any other management position within the Organisation. 

If there is concern for the immediate safety of a child, immediately call 000.

Child Safety Person

Olivia’s Place has a Child Safety Person with responsibility for responding to any child safety related complaints or concerns.

Child Safety Persons are introduced to children so they know and understand who the appointed officer/s are, and how and when they may contact them. Photos and names of the Olivia’s Place Child Safety Person/s are displayed within the Organisation’s
premises and in our newsletters.

If a person does not feel comfortable making a report to a Child Safety Person, they may report their concern to their immediate supervisor or a member of the Board of Directors.

Record Keeping

Olivia’s Place is committed to making and keeping full and accurate records about all child-related complaints or safety concerns.

All child safety complaints, concerns, incidents and near misses will be recorded through the appropriate channels and noted on the Incident Register.

Records which may assist with the investigation of a complaint or safety concern will be identified and kept as part of the record of an investigation. Records will be kept even if an investigation does not substantiate a complaint.

All personal information considered or recorded will respect the privacy of the individuals involved, whether they be employees, volunteers, parents or children, unless there is a risk to someone’s safety. We have safeguards and practices in place to ensure any personal information is protected in accordance with legislative and ethical requirements. Everyone is entitled to know how this information is recorded, what will be done with it, and who will have access to it.

Information Sharing

Olivia’s Place may share relevant information to promote the safety and wellbeing of children, where it is appropriate and in their best interests.

The safety and wellbeing of children is our primary concern. We are also fair and just towards all team members. The decisions we make when recruiting, assessing incidents, and undertaking disciplinary action will always be thorough, transparent and based upon evidence.

Olivia’s Place will keep information about complaints confidential, except where it is necessary to share information to respond properly to a complaint or to prioritise child safety. If an allegation of abuse or safety concerns is raised, we provide updates to children and families on progress and any actions that we as an Organisation take.

We may also need to share information about incidents or complaints with external authorities to comply with relevant legislation or to prioritise safety.

Risk Management

Olivia’s Place recognises the importance of identifying and managing risks of child harm and abuse in the physical and online environments operated by our Organisation.

Olivia’s Place conducts regular risk assessments and has risk management strategies in place to identify, assess, and take steps to minimise child abuse risk; including risks posed by physical environments (for example, any doors that can lock) and online environments (for example, no team members is to have contact with a child on social media if that child is involved in an Organisation program).

Olivia’s Place takes our legal responsibilities seriously, including:

  • Failure to disclose: Reporting child sexual abuse is a community
  • wide responsibility. All adults in Victoria who have a reasonable believe that an adult has committed a sexual offence against a child under 16 have an obligation to report that information to the police
  • Failure to protect: People of authority in our organisation will commit an offence if they know of a substantial risk
  • of child sexual abuse and have the power or responsibility to reduce or remove the risk, but negligently fail to do so
  • Any personnel who are mandatory reporters must comply with their duties

Non-compliance with this Policy and Code of Conduct

Olivia’s Place will enforce this policy, the Child Safe Code of Conduct and any other child safety and wellbeing policies (see list below). Potential breaches by anyone will be investigated and may result in restriction of duties, additional training / supervision requirements, suspension or termination of employment or engagement, or other corrective action.

Review

Olivia’s Place will review all child safe practices and policies at least every 12 months.

We also review relevant practices and policies in response to a child safety incident or ‘near miss’. Findings from reviews will be reported to the people involved in our organisation and also inform our approach to continuous improvement of our child safety practices.

References - External

References - Internal

  • Olivia’s Place Vision, Mission, Values and Purpose
  • Olivia’s Place Rules of Association
  • Olivia’s Place Strategic Plan
  • Olivia’s Place Child Safety Code of Conduct
  • Olivia’s Place Privacy and Confidentiality Policy
  • Olivia’s Place Grievance/s Policy
  • Olivia’s Place Workplace Health, Safety and Wellbeing Policy
  • Olivia’s Place Disciplinary Procedures
  • Olivia’s Place Complaints Handling Policy
  • Olivia’s Place Diversity and Inclusion Policy and Procedure
  • Olivia’s Place Legislative Policy and Procedures
  • Olivia’s Place Risk Register
  • Olivia’s Place Employee Organisational Induction Checklist
  • Olivia’s Place Volunteer Organisational Induction Checklist
  • Olivia’s Place Child Safety Incident Reporting Procedure
  • Olivia’s Place Board Induction Checklist