Safeguarding Children and Young People

Monash Council is committed to creating a culturally safe environment for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across our services, within our municipal buildings, facilities and areas and across staff communication.

 We are developing a Reconciliation Action Plan that works to create a culturally safe Monash, in which the diverse and unique identities and experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people are respected and valued.

We are committed to helping our staff develop the skills, knowledge and cultural sensitivity that is required to foster a culturally safe environment. We do this by recognising the strengths of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, and the importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children's wellbeing and safety. 

It is expected that Monash Council staff are inclusive and supportive, and will encourage Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children to participate and express their culture in all council-led activities.

The Safeguarding Children and Young People Policy documents our clear commitment to keeping children and young people safe from abuse and neglect.

During the induction process, we communicate this commitment to all staff. Staff are required to read and acknowledge our policy through the Monash Council learning management system during online Child Safety training.

To safeguard children, we:

• Ensure all staff have a thorough understanding of their role and expected behaviour when working with children and young people
• Ensure all staff understand their responsibilities in reporting abuse and neglect 
• Use clear position descriptions that highlight essential safeguarding children requirements
• Require a Working with Children Check for all staff with direct contact with children
• Require a police check for all staff at commencement of employment
• Require all staff to read, acknowledge and follow the Safeguarding Children and Young People Code of Conduct that outlines expected behaviour towards children. 

Monash Council is a signatory to the Charter for Child Friendly Cities and Communities. We provide children and young people with the opportunity to participate in several programs that connect them with Council, the organisation and the Monash Community. 

Monash Council actively engages the opinions of children when making decisions that affect them.  

Read about what programs are available as part of our status as a Child Friendly City. 

Monash Council encourages families and communities to be involved in developing a safe, inclusive and supportive environment. We consult them when changes are made to policy, programs or services, and provide them with information (such as brochures, posters, handbooks, guidelines) about: 

• Our commitment to safeguarding children and their rights 
• The behaviour expected of Council staff
• How to respond to child abuse
• How to provide feedback or make a complaint.

Processes are in place to encourage two-way communication with families and communities, and we have a process for responding to feedback. We respect diversity and facilitate effective communication and involvement.

Visit our Contact page to provide feedback on a service or program.

Parents or carers of children and young people are expected to follow our Safeguarding Children and Young People Policy when they are involved in a Council program or service, for example in a volunteer capacity. 

Monash Council respects equity and diversity. We are committed to providing equitable and inclusive services to children, young people and families.

We promote this commitment by:

• Having clear policy and procedures for responding to the needs of children who are vulnerable or disadvantaged
• Actively anticipating children's diverse circumstances and responding effectively to those with additional vulnerabilities
• Giving children access to information, support and complaints processes
• Paying particular attention to the needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, children with disability, children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and children belonging to LGBTIQA+ communities
• Encouraging children to freely express their identity and culture.

Monash Council has procedures to minimise the likelihood of recruiting a person who is unsuitable to work or volunteer with children or young people.

During recruitment, we: 

• Communicate the safeguarding policy statement to potential applicants
• Hold face-to-face interviews, which includes asking safeguarding-related questions (for child-facing roles)
• Undertake two professional reference checks 
• Undertake screening processes, including checks for identity, criminal record and qualifications, as well as a valid Working with Children Check.

The procedure for responding to child abuse states: 

• Staff must immediately report abuse or neglect and any concerns with policies, practices or the behaviour of employees 
• Staff must meet any legislated mandatory reporting requirements 
• Staff must follow a specified process when reporting abuse or neglect, including who will receive reports 
• Failure to report may be considered serious misconduct.

Staff are given a copy of and have access to the reporting procedure and understand their responsibilities in relation to their role. Allegations, disclosures or concerns regarding child abuse are documented and responses to all allegations, disclosures or concerns are monitored. 

Complaints processes are available for children and young people within Monash. We provide children who participate in a Monash service or program with advice on how to make a complaint. We also provide staff with guidance on how to respond to complaints and disclosures made by a child.   

Monash Council:

• Considers the diverse backgrounds of children, and communicates complaints processes in culturally safe, accessible ways
• Provides information to all children who take part in Council programs in formats they can understand
• Does not solely rely on written documents, and instead communicates the complaints process through spoken language (or other relevant methods) for those children who are blind, vision impaired or are unable to read.

If a child would like to provide feedback or make a complaint they can do so in person during a program or service, or by visiting our Contact page. 

Monash Council considers all complaints from children and takes these complaints and children's concerns seriously. 

All staff are provided with information during their induction about Monash Council’s commitment to safeguarding children and young people.

The induction and training process requires staff to:

• Read and acknowledge the Safeguarding Children and Young People Policy at commencement via Monash Council’s learning management system
• Read and acknowledge the Safeguarding Children and Young People Code of Conduct at commencement via our learning management system
• Read and acknowledge the Safeguarding Children and Young People Practice Standards Commitment at commencement via our learning management system
• Complete online training on Safeguarding Children and Young People in the form of an e-learn module at commencement and every two years thereafter
• Complete a Safeguarding Children and Young People induction seminar at commencement
• Complete Safeguarding Children and Young People refresher seminars when required.

To ensure the safety of children and young people in both physical and online environments, Monash Council:

• Will conduct risk assessments before the commencement of any program in physical or online environments, and annually thereafter
• Develops risk management plans in response to identified risks to child safety, to minimise the risk of harm to children and young people
• Requires all staff to comply with the Safeguarding Children and Young People Policy and to use guidance materials in Monash Council’s practice and procedures, even where their usual work does involve direct contact with children.

To ensure our policies, procedures and practices to safeguard children and young people are reviewed and improved, Monash Council: 

• Assigns responsibility for maintaining and continually improving our policies and procedures to a Safeguarding Children and Young People Coordinator
• Undertakes formal policy and procedure reviews, every three years, to ensure they are up to date
• Monitors staff to ensure appropriate practice and behaviour, and policies are followed
• Communicates with staff to ensure that they understand the Safeguarding Children and Young People Policy and that the policy is applied effectively
• Requires staff to disclose convictions or charges affecting their suitability to work with children and reviews Working with Children Checks periodically
• Reviews service delivery to identify potential risks and adapt in line with continuous improvement plans
• Ensures that incidents of harm to children, or near misses are diligently recorded and reviewed so they can be monitored and reviewed as part of risk management procedure.

The Safeguarding Children and Young People Policy(PDF, 293KB) is available to read on the Monash Council website. In addition to the Policy, the following documents are publicly available:

Safeguarding Children and Young People: Child Friendly Poster(PDF, 626KB)

Child Friendly Poster description: It is the job of grown ups to keep me safe. I feel safe when: 

• Grow ups listen to me
• Adults care about how I feel
• The adults make me and my family feel welcome
• Grown ups offer me choices 
• Grown ups have fun with me
• People are kind to me.