CAPS HEALTH CHECK _ TEST by Danish Chiragh

CAPS Health Check

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CAPS Child Safe Leaders

HANK YOU! I would first like to commend <insert customisable space for organisation name> for letting CAPS conduct a confidential, non-judgmental assessment of the organisationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s policies, practices and culture in regards

environment where childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rights are recognised and championed. This Health Check report is the first phase of our Child Safe Leaders program. It provides a high-level review of how your organisation is currently meeting the National Principals, as well as the NSW Child Safe Standards. The report also sets out a clear direction on what needs to be done for your organisation to create a workplace environment that actively identifies diverse needs, mitigates potential risks and handles any complaints in a meaningful and compassionate manner. For early childhood education

to the protection of children.

organisations, the Health Check

With over 40 yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; experience

it can improve its ratings under

delivering front-line child protection services, we are all too aware of the need for organisations to have in place the people, policies and processes that will keep our most

also provides guidance on how the National Quality Standards. Thank you for choosing CAPS as your partner on this important journey. We hope that you find

vulnerable safe and supported.

this report to be of value and we

By working with us in this way

your organisation on its path to

your organisation is sending a clear message to its clients, stakeholders

look forward to further supporting becoming a Child Safe Leader!

and community that it is committed to not only fulfilling its child protection obligations long before any legal requirement to do so, but also to creating a workplace

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To drive a child safe culture across organisations in all sectors, to protect the safety and wellbeing of children and young people across Australia.

CAPS Child Safe Leaders

What are the National Principles? The ten National Principles for Child Safe Organisations (National Principles) were created in response to the recommendations made by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Their aim is to “drive a child safe culture across organisations in all sectors, to protect the safety and wellbeing of children and young people across Australia”. The National Principles are: Underpinned by a child rights, strengths-based approach • Designed to allow for flexibility in implementation across all sectors and in organisations of various sizes • Aligned with existing child safe approaches at the state and territory level • Include indicators that show whether each principle is being implemented in practice. CAPS contributed to the development

engage with children are required

of the National Principles at the

to adhere to existing child safety

National Office for Child Safety

requirements in their state or territory.

Co-Design Workshop in March 2019. At the workshop we provided expert advice on the implementation of the principles and gave recommendations for future actions in relation to the prevention of child abuse.

What do the National Principles mean for my organisation? It is not currently mandatory for any Australian organisations to implement

In NSW, this means that organisations should comply with the Child Safe Standards. The Child Safe Standards are functionally the same as the National Principles but also include legal requirements such as the Working with Children Check, the Reportable Conduct Scheme and the need for organisations to report child safety concerns to the NSW Police and the Department of Communities and Justice.

the National Principles. At CAPS, we want to support all organisations that wish to do so and help them to create safe and supportive environments for children. However, organisations that directly 5

NATIONA L PRINCIPL E S

Your Health Check Summary Placeholder Text : The ten National Principles for Child Safe Organisations (National Principles) were created in response to the recommendations made by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Their aim is to “drive a child safe culture across organisations in all sectors, to protect the safety and wellbeing of children and young people across Australia”. The ten National Principles for Child Safe Organisations (National Principles) were created in response to the recommendations made by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Their aim is to “drive a child safe culture across organisations in all sectors, to protect the safety and wellbeing of children and young people across Australia”.Placeholder Text. Placeholder Text : The ten National Principles for Child Safe Organisations (National Principles) were created in response to the recommendations made by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Their aim is to “drive a child safe culture across organisations in all sectors, to protect the safety and wellbeing of children and young people across Australia”.

more work is needed

on the right track

meeting or exceeding child safe requirements

CAPS Child Safe Leaders

Score

Principles 1. Child safety and wellbeing is embedded in organisational leadership, governance and culture.

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

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

4. Equity is upheld and diverse needs respected in policy and practice. 5. People working with children and young people are suitable and supported to reflect child safety and wellbeing values in practice.

6. Processes for complaints and concerns are child focused.

7. Staff and volunteers are equipped with the knowledge, skills and awareness to keep children and young people safe through ongoing education and training. 8. Physical and online environments promote safety and wellbeing while minimising the opportunity for children and young people to be harmed. 9. Implementation of the national child safe principles is regularly reviewed and improved.

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

NATIONA L PRINCIPL E S

Your Health Check Results Score

Principles

Recommendations

Findings

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

Just a place holder textCommission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Their aim is to â&#x20AC;&#x153;drive a child safe culture across organisations in all sectors, to protect the saJust a place holder text

CAPS Child Safe Leaders

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Principles

Recommendations

Findings

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

NATIONA L PRINCIPL E S

Your Health Check Results Score

Principles

Recommendations

Findings

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

CAPS Child Safe Leaders

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Principles

Recommendations

Findings

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

NATIONA L PRINCIPL E S

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

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6. Processes for complaints and concerns are child focused.

NATIONA L PRINCIPL E S

Your Health Check Results Score

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

CAPS Child Safe Leaders

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Principles

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8. Physical and online environments promote safety and wellbeing while minimising the opportunity for children and young people to be harmed.

NATIONA L PRINCIPL E S

Your Health Check Results Score

Principles

Recommendations

Findings

9. Implementation of the national child safe principles is regularly reviewed and improved.

CAPS Child Safe Leaders

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Principles

Recommendations

Findings

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

NATIONA L PRINCIPL E S

What are the next steps? Now that your organisation has undergone its Health Check, CAPS will provide whatever additional support is needed to implement each of our recommendations. We recognise that every organisation has different goals and is on its own child protection journey.

CAPS Child Safe Leaders

The services we can offer include: • The development of a tailor-made Child Safe Policy that provides a clear framework for all interactions with children and reflects your organisation’s culture and goals. The policy will take into account the National Principles, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and all relevant legal requirements for your state or territory. • The delivery of training workshops where your staff will learn about child safety, their role in supporting and protecting children, and the need for child safe policies and frameworks such as the National Principles. • The provision of master classes for experienced childcare professionals that will teach them how to champion child rights, manage potential risks, and drive the implementation of an exemplary child safe culture at work. Once we are satisfied with the impact of our services CAPS will certify your organisation as a CAPS Child Safe Leader. This sends a clear message to your community that your organisation has a child safe culture verified in accordance with the National Principles, along with a deep commitment to protecting children and promoting child rights!

Benefits of CAPS certification Certification as a CAPS Child Safe Leader

manner that prioritises the

means that your organisation can

best interests of the child

publicly promote its commitment to: • Recognising and implementing the National Principles and complying with all legal obligations regarding the protection of children • Supporting our most vulnerable and keeping them safe • Responding to all child safety concerns in an accountable

• Protecting the rights of children in all interactions with them • Giving children a meaningful voice in all decisions that affect them. • CAPS will also provide ongoing child safety and wellbeing support to certified Child Safe Leaders as needed, including expert advice on how to handle any child protection issues that may arise

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Create Your

Your organisation may wish to use the many

Own Child

the recommendations of our Health Check

Safe Culture

We want all organisations to be able to choose

existing resources that are available to implement report and create its own child safe culture. the solution that best suits their needs!

The Australian Human Rights Commission The Australian Human Rights

statutory authority that promotes

Commission is an independent third

and regulates the quality of child

party which investigates complaints

safe organisations, services and

about discrimination and human

people. It has created a range of free

rights breaches. The Office of the

resources to help NSW organisations

National Children’s Commissioner

become child safe. These include:

has developed a variety of free resources to help organisations implement the National Principles in their workplace. These include: • a self-assessment tool • a charter of commitment to children and young people template • a child safety and wellbeing policy template • an example child safe code of conduct • an online safety checklist • e-learning modules to support implementation.

• resources to help organisations create a child safe policy • a factsheet on the Child Safe Standards • guides to help organisations create child safe recruitment processes and manage the Working With Children Check • a template complaints management policy and child safe code of conduct • videos for parents and carers of children with disability • face to face and online child safe training courses.

NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian The NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian is an independent

CAPS Child Safe Leaders

Other Resources Other useful child safe resources that are available for organisations to use include: • Safeguarding Children and Young People Portal - The Australian Catholic University Safeguarding Children and Young People Portal offers information on range of research, development opportunities, and capacitybuilding tools to help organisations keep children safe from harm. • Responding to Disclosures of Child Abuse and Neglect - A Child Family Community Australia (CFCA) webinar that provides an overview of research on how to respond to disclosures of abuse and neglect.

• Protection through Participation: Involving Children in Child Safe Organisations - A CFCA practitioner guide to involving the voice of children in child safe organisations. • Understanding Safeguarding Practices for Children with Disability when Engaging with Organisations - A CFCA resource that explores how an understanding of abuse and neglect relating to children with disabilities can help to create child safe organisations. • Making Institutions Child Safe - This volume from the final report by the Royal Commission examines the role that community prevention can play in making institutions child safe.

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Our other offerings In addition to Child Safe Leaders,

violence and provide important harm

CAPS can provide your organisation

prevention skills for refugee and

with the following services:

migrant women in local communities. Through a supported playgroup

• Safe Children, Safe Families

setting, participants learn about the escalating nature of abuse and

Delivered in preschools, our expert

how to safely access the variety

staff provide young children with the

of services available to them.

knowledge, skills and capabilities to avoid potentially unsafe situations

• Customised Solutions

and to get help sooner if they do experience maltreatment. Parents

The specialist team at CAPS can

are taught to recognise the early

create child protection programs

signs of abuse and how they can

that are tailor-made to suit

build strong support networks

your organisation’s needs. This

around their children. Childcare staff

includes master classes, train

learn about child safety strategies,

the trainer workshops or clinical

reportable conduct, and how to apply

supervision packages. We

risk-reducing practices at work.

welcome the opportunity to codesign a bespoke program that

• Safe Arrival

reflects your organisation’s unique requirements and culture.

The aim of Safe Arrival is to raise awareness of domestic and family

Contact Us Should you have any questions about this report or wish to learn more about how we can continue to help your organisation on its child safe journey, please contact us at hello@capsau.org.

Thank you again for choosing CAPS!

CAPS Child Safe Leaders

hello@capsau.org www.capsau.org 23

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