Colourful Inclusions Child Safe Policy 

Scope of policy

This policy applies to all employees at Colourful Inclusions. All workers are required to agree in writing to accept and act in accordance with the policy. 



Communication 

This child safe policy and related documents are available on our website (www.colourfulinclusions.com), on request and provided as part of a welcome pack when you first come to the company.

This child safe policy and related documents are provided to all workers as part of their induction following recruitment.

We encourage and respect the views of children and young people and involve them in decision making as appropriate.

We provide clear age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate explanations to children and young people including their right to safety, their right to be listened to and that they can provide feedback or make a complaint if they have a concern, to any worker or ask their parent/guardian to do this on their behalf. We will listen to and act upon any complaints or concerns that a child or young person raises with us. 



Code of Conduct

Caring for children and young people brings additional responsibilities for workers. All Colourful Inclusions staff are responsible for promoting and protecting the safety and well-being of children and young people by:

• sticking to the organisation’s child safe policy at all times and taking all reasonable steps to ensure the safety and protection of children and young people
• treating everyone including those of different race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, social class, physical ability or attributes and religious beliefs with respect and honesty and ensure equity is upheld
• being a positive role model to children and young people in all conduct with them
• setting clear boundaries about appropriate behaviour between yourself and children and young people – boundaries help everyone to understand their roles
• listening and responding appropriately to the views and concerns of children and young people
• being alert to bullying behaviours and responding promptly and appropriately
• ensuring another adult is always present or in sight when conducting one to one consulting, coaching, instruction or other activity
• being alert to children and young people who have been harmed, or may be at risk of harm and reporting this quickly to the Child Abuse Report Line (13 14 78)
• responding quickly, fairly and transparently to any complaints made by a child, young person or their parent/guardian
• encouraging children and young people to ‘have a say’ on issues that are important to them.

Staff must not:

• engage in rough physical games
• develop any ‘special’ relationships with children and young people that could be seen as favouritism such as the offering of gifts or special treatment
• do things of a personal nature that a child or young person can do for themselves, such as toileting or changing clothes
• discriminate against any child or young person because of age, gender, cultural background, religion, vulnerability or sexuality.

Breaches or suspected breaches of the Code of Conduct should be reported as soon as practicable to management either in person, by telephone on 0432239021, or via email at colourful.inclusions@gmail.com Breaches or suspected breaches of the Code of Conduct will be taken seriously and dealt with quickly, fairly and transparently. Any worker who breaches the Code of Conduct will face disciplinary action and depending on severity of the breach, the worker may have their employment terminated. 



Recruitment

To ensure we engage the most suitable people to work with children and young people we have the following recruitment practices in place: 

• our commitment to child safety is included in all job advertisements
• clear position descriptions that include our commitment to child safety and well-being
• written applications from applicants
• face-to-face interviews that use behavioural questions to determine the applicant’s knowledge of child safeguarding
• at least 2 referee checks and qualification checks.

In accordance with the Child Safety (Prohibited Persons) Act 2016, Colourful Inclusions is registered with the DHS Screening Unit and we link all Working with Children Checks (WWCC). All workers who will be working in a role with children and young people must hold a current, not prohibited WWCC issued by the Screening Unit of the Department of Human Services, provide evidence of this prior to employment and renew this every 5 years. We will verify the accuracy of all WWCCs in the DHS Screening Unit portal as required by law.

Colourful Inclusions will immediately contact the Department of Human Services Screening Unit when we become aware of certain information regarding any person involved with our organisation, including any serious criminal offence, child protection information, or disciplinary or misconduct information. 



Training, supervision and support for workers 

We have strategies in place to supervise, train and support workers to understand our organisation’s child safe policy, their mandatory reporting obligations, how to build culturally safe environments and their responsibilities to create a child safe and friendly environment. Our strategies include:

• Training:

          - ensure all workers read and understand the Mandatory Notification Information Booklet available at: https://dhs.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/103179/CSE-Mandatorynotification-information-booklet.PDF during induction

          - complete Safe Environments: Through their eyes training every 3 years or Responding to Risk of Harm, Abuse and Neglect Training every 3 years.

• Supervision:

          -regular supervision sessions that include a focus on child safety and wellbeing

• Support:

          -an induction process for all new workers including a copy of this policy document

          - regular performance appraisals that discuss child safeguarding 



Reporting and responding to harm or risk of harm

At Colourful Inclusions we aim to ensure that children and young people are safe from harm and risk of harm.

Section 17 of the Safety Act defines ‘harm’ to mean physical or psychological harm (whether caused by an act or omission), including harm caused by sexual, physical, mental or emotional abuse or neglect. 

The mandated notifier in Colourful Inclusions is a workers who:

• provide services to children and young people
• holds a management position in the organisation the duties of which include direct responsibility for, or direct supervision of, the provision of those services to children and young people

Mandated notifiers have a legal obligation to notify the Child Abuse Report Line (CARL) on 13 14 78 as soon as practicable if they have a reasonable belief that a child or young person is or may be at risk of harm. 

If the child or young person is at immediate risk, report to South Australia Police (SAPOL) on 000. In cases involving Aboriginal children and young people, support is provided by Yaitya Tirramangkotti - an Aboriginal team, via the CARL number. Even if not a mandated reporter, any person can report harm or risk of harm to a child or young person. The individual who identifies the harm or risk of harm is encouraged to make the report to authorities and can request the support from another worker to do so if required. Information about making appropriate reports of harm or risk of harm is available from the South Australian Department of Child Protection website: . https://www.childprotection.sa.gov.au/reportingchild-abuse 

All adult workers (even if not a mandated notifier) have a legal obligation to report child sexual abuse to the police and to protect a child from sexual abuse. Failure to meet these obligations may be considered a criminal offence. Following a report being made to CARL or SAPOL workers must make an internal report to management.

We will be guided by the Department for Child Protection and/or SAPOL after a report has been made as to whether we can conduct an internal investigation. If a worker is reported to CARL or SAPOL for causing harm or risk of harm to a child or young person, they will be removed from any role that involves working with any child or young person until authorities have concluded their investigation.

Following a report to CARL or SAPOL we will support the child or young person by:

• referring the child, young person or their family to other appropriate services
• continuing to provide a service to the child, young person and their family and monitor their circumstances.

Colourful Inclusions will document all information received regarding the report and store this securely in a separate file. 



Reporting and responding to general complaints or feedback

Providing opportunities for complaints and feedback ensures that children, young people and their families feel valued and respected and enables us to improve the quality of our service. Children, young people and their families are informed that they can provide feedback or make a complaint at their first appointment, as part of their welcome pack, when they join the organisation.

Compliments, complaints or feedback can be provided verbally or in writing to any worker or direct to management either by telephone on 0432239021, via email at colourful.inclusions@gmail.com or by post addressed to PO BOX 2162.

We will deal with all complaints and feedback received from children, young people or their families promptly, sensitively and fairly.

We will:

• listen to the complaint/feedback
• the person receiving the complaint will make a record of it if received verbally
• advise of the time expected for an outcome
• if a worker receives a complaint, they must forward it to management as soon as possible
• management will respond to the complainant with an outcome within 24 hours.
• clearly document and securely store decisions and actions taken in response to complaints and feedback
• make sure that procedural fairness is followed at all times. If the child, young person or their family is not happy with the outcome from the complaints process they can contact CARL 131 478.
• SAPOL 000 or 131 444.
• Health and Community Services Complaints Commissioner 8226 8666 or Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency 1300 419 495
• Australian Human Rights Commission Online: www.humanrights.gov.au Tel: 1300 656 419
• South Australian Equal Opportunities Commission (for complaints relating to discrimination) Online: www.eoc.sa.gov.au Tel: 08 8207 1977. 



Risk management