Policies
Commitment to Child Safety
Scripture Union Victoria is committed to the highest standard of child safety, and will take all appropriate steps to develop, implement and maintain principles, policies and procedures which ensure children are safe and protected from harm.
SU Victoria will fulfil all legal and other compliance requirements in relation to child safety and will fulfil the 7 Victorian standards for child safety for organisations working with children.
SU Victoria’s commitment to child safety includes taking all such steps as may be necessary to embed a continually improving culture of child safety throughout all levels of the organisation. To this end, we will:
Help leaders and managers create an organisational culture that protects children from abuse
Ensure the organisation’s policies and practices reflect a commitment to child safety
Ensure responsible leaders are aware of allegations and substantiated cases of abuse and responds in ways that protect children from abuse
Ensure staff and volunteers know and understand the organisation’s commitment to child safety
Commit to continuous improvement through regular reviews and updating policies and practices, and being open to scrutiny.
SU Victoria uses the ChildSafe SP3 safety management system to fulfil these commitments. All SU Victoria staff and volunteers are required to agree to comply with the ChildSafe SP3 Code of Conduct and procedures for the period of their engagement with SU Victoria.
SU Victoria’s commitment to child safety will be communicated to participants and their families where our activities take place, including information about how any concerns can be reported to the appropriate authorities.
SU Victoria’s commitment to child safety includes a commitment to the safety of Aboriginal children, children from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds and children with a disability.
SU Victoria has zero tolerance for child abuse, is committed to acting in children’s best interests and keeping them safe, and actively works to empower children. SU Victoria will not knowingly engage any person as a staff member or volunteer who poses an unacceptable risk to children.
ChildSafe SP3
ChildSafe SP3 is an integrated child safety management system. SP3 stands for ‘Safe People, Safe Programs and Safe Places’. Using risk management principles, ChildSafe SP3 involves policies and processes for:
The appointment of staff and volunteers who work with children and young people, including leaders with specific safety responsibilities under SP3
The training of staff and volunteers in their safety responsibilities under SP3
The safety planning for programs and activities
Permission for programs and activities to proceed, based on the required appointment and training of team members and safety planning
Review of safety practice and auditing of compliance to SP3
Response to emergency situations
SU Victoria recognises that child safety relates not only to the physical environments in which we conduct our programs and activities but also in on-line environments in which children and young people regularly interact.
Contacting us about any concerns
If you have any concerns about child safety, please speak first to the Program Leader.
If you need to raise any significant concern further, you can complete our online form.