The Child Safe Standards and the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations
The Child Safe Standards are drawn from the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations. They are designed to provide tangible guidance for organisations to create cultures, adopt strategies and act to put the interests of children first to keep children safe from harm.
Standard 1 | Child safety is embedded in organisational leadership, governance and culture |
Standard 2 | Children participate in decisions affecting them and are taken seriously |
Standard 3 | Families and communities are informed and involved |
Standard 4 | Equity is upheld, and diverse needs are taken into account |
Standard 5 | People working with children are suitable and supported |
Standard 6 | Processes to respond to complaints of child abuse are child focused |
Standard 7 | Staff are equipped with the knowledge, skills and awareness to keep children safe through continual education and training |
Standard 8 | Physical and online environments minimise the opportunity for abuse to occur |
Standard 9 | Implementation of the Child Safe Standards is continuously reviewed and improved |
Standard 10 | Policies and procedures document how the organisation is child safe |
The Child Safe Standards are set out in section 8C of the Children's Guardian Act 2019.
Child Safe Commitment
Charles Sturt University’s ethos yindyamarra winhanganha means the wisdom of respectfully knowing how to live well in a world worth living in. One way we contribute to a world worth living in is our commitment to the safety and wellbeing of all children who interact with or who may be impacted by Charles Sturt activities. This includes preventing child exploitation, abuse, harassment, neglect and/or any behaviour that is deemed inappropriate by the University.
All Charles Sturt staff, students and affiliates are required to familiarise themselves with the terms of the Child Safety Policy, regardless of whether they regularly work with children. Our Child Safety Policy defines a child(ren) as any person(s) under the age of 18 years.
Our staff and students should be mindful of their responsibility to provide a safe environment where everybody has the right to be treated with respect, work safely and be protected from harm. At all times our staff and students should maintain the highest professional and ethical standards, and to act in accordance with the University’s Code of Conduct (for staff) and the Student Charter.
Charles Sturt University’s Child Safe Champion and Key Contact is Dr Stacey Jenkins, Executive Director, Division of Safety Security and Wellbeing.
What is the University doing?
The University acknowledges the collective role that all staff, students and affiliates play in ensuring child protection and safety.
In response to the Child Protection (Working with Children) Act 2012 (NSW) (and where relevant, equivalent legislation in other States and Territories of Australia), the Children's Guardian Act 2019 (NSW) and the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations:
We have
- Established and maintain a Child Safety Policy – this policy establishes the principles and practice supporting the University's commitment and obligation to the safety, protection and wellbeing of all children who interact with or are impacted by the University's activities. It applies to staff, students and affiliates.
- Implemented an educative approach to child safety, typically through the online Child Safety – Awareness and Mandatory Reporting of Child Sexual Assault and Abuse module:
- All onshore students are enrolled in child safety training when they begin study at the University and will repeat this training every five years.
- All staff are enrolled in child safety training when they begin to work at the University and will repeat this training every five years – regular completion rate reporting is provided to management and governance committees as part of key risk indicator reporting.
- A Student Senate that includes as one of its principal functions to “identify, advance and promote the interest of all of the students of the University”.
- Included specific information about a child applying for admission into a course of the University in the Admissions Policy and Admissions Procedure.
- Outlined in our Information Technology Procedure – Acceptable Use and Access the obligations for authorised users of the University’s ICT resources and what is prohibited.
- Implemented the Communications and Marketing Procedure - Website and Social Media Platforms and the Communications and Marketing Social Media Guidelines which governs the use of the University’s official social media channels.
- Included Child Safety provisions within procurement consultancy template agreements.
- A dedicated webpage and resources for parents or guardians of high school students who are preparing to apply for and transition to University - https://study.csu.edu.au/information-for/school-leavers/parents
- Updated our Modern Slavery information for students to provide them with information about knowing their rights and protections. Our Modern Slavery Statement is available here.
We are
- Continually reviewing risks and refining our institution wide risk assessment for child safety which is required to be reviewed annually. This risk assessment has been developed in accordance with the University’s Risk Management Policy.
- Embedding the NSW Child Safe Standards and National Principles for Child Safe Organisations in the activities, programs and research that involves children. It is the responsibility of each divisional lead, program director or chief investigator (or relevant equivalent) to ensure that their activity/research is compliant with the Standards and Principles for the duration of the activity/research or contract, where relevant.
- Undertaking checks to ensure anyone engaged to provide a service to children is suitable to work with children:
- Staff - Requirements for appointment to a role that includes child-related work will normally be included as part of the position description.
- Coursework Students - who require a valid Working With Children Check clearance to participate in placements are advised of this requirement prior to admission in their Course Handbook and throughout their courses in subject and placement materials.
- Researchers and Research students engaging in research activity that is child-related must have a valid Working With Children Check clearance before applying for ethics approval and before commencing any interaction with children as part of their research project.
- Tracking and recording Working With Children Checks in accordance with the Child Protection (Working With Children) Act 2012(NSW) and advice received from the Office of the Children’s Guardian
- For staff – this is recorded by the Division of People and Culture
- For students – through our workplace learning management system.
Our Child Care Centres
The University owns and operates two Child Care Centres:
- Murray Children's Centre located at our Albury-Wodonga campus, and
- Early Learning and Nurture Centre located at our Wagga Wagg campus.
Each Centre complies with the ACECQA National Regulations and all staff, educators and volunteers working at the centre are required to maintain a valid Working With Children Check.
How to report a child safety concern or incident
Dial Triple Zero (000) for Fire/Ambulance/Police before calling campus security (1800 931 633) if your life is being threatened or you need immediate assistance.
Other reporting avenues and support options include:
- Student counselling support online referral form and our 24/7 student wellbeing service: 1300 572 516
- The University Ombudsman is an impartial and confidential resource for seeking to address university-related problems, complaints or concerns: Lodge a complaint
- The Charles Sturt Project Zero webpages - resources for Students about consent, conversations, and support
- Confidential free, counselling services for staff - Employee Assistance Program 1300 361 008 (24/7)
All student disclosures Charles Sturt staff members receive are to be reported via our online form . If the student does not wish to be identified, their personal details can be withheld from the report.
If you are concerned a child or young person is at risk of serious harm (through abuse, neglect or danger caused to themself), you can contact the NSW Child Protection Helpline on 13 21 11 (or interstate equivalents ) (this includes Mandatory Reporters). The Department of Communities and Justice provide information to help you decide if you should make a report.
In addition to the information about reporting child protection breaches in the University’s Child Safety Policy, if you are concerned that a University staff member, student or affiliate has potentially caused harm to a child, this needs to be managed and reported via the Executive Director, Safety, Security and Wellbeing (or nominee) to the Office of Children’s Guardian . If staff become aware of such allegations or information related to child safety, reports must be made as soon as possible to your manager and/or inform the Executive Director, Safety, Security and Wellbeing, so that this can be escalated and managed appropriately.
