CHILD SAFETY POLICY
Squad Sports Child Safety Policy
Purpose
This policy was written to demonstrate the strong commitment of the management, employees and volunteers of Squad Sports to child safety and wellbeing and establishing and maintaining child safe and child friendly environments.
Context
This policy reflects our commitment to provide a safe environment where every person has the right to be treated with respect and feel safe.
It complies with our obligations under the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998 (NSW)
It also complies with the NSW government’s Working with Children Check in order to ensure that all directors, employees and volunteers are appropriately screened to ensure the safety of all children.
Scope
This policy, from the date of endorsement, applies to all employees, volunteers, children, parents, carers and other individuals involved in the organisation.
Commitment to child safety
All children who are involved in Squad Sports camps have a right to feel and be safe. We are committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people accessing our services and the welfare of the children in our care will always be our first priority. We aim to create a child safe and child friendly environment where all children are valued and feel safe.
We have appointed a child safety officer as a first point of contact to provide advice and support to children, parents, employees and volunteers regarding the safety and wellbeing of children in our organisation.
Children’s participation
Squad Sports employees, members and volunteers encourage children to express their views, and make suggestions, especially on matters that directly affect children. We actively encourage children who use our services to ‘have a say’ about those things that are important to them. We value diversity and do not tolerate any discriminatory practices.
Recruitment practices
Squad Sports takes all reasonable steps to ensure that it engages the most suitable and appropriate people to work with children. All employees are qualified school teachers. We employ a range of screening measures and apply best practice standards in the screening and recruitment of employees and volunteers. We interview and conduct referee checks on all employees.
We conduct criminal history assessment for people working with children, as set out in the NSW Children’s Protection Act 1993.
Code of Conduct
All employees and volunteers are made aware of, and must abide by, Squad Sports’ Code of Conduct.
Support for employees and volunteers
Squad Sports seeks to attract and retain the best employees and volunteers. We provide support and supervision so people feel valued, respected and fairly treated. We ensure that volunteers and employees who work with children have ongoing supervision, support and training so that their performance is developed and enhanced to promote the establishment and maintenance of a child safe environment.
Strategies to minimise risk
Risk assessment procedures may address (but are not limited to):
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Taking images of children
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Supervision of children
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Child safety officer
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Complaints procedures
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Physical contact
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Responsibilities
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Procedure for breaches of policy
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Harassment/bullying
Squad Sports opposes all forms of harassment, discrimination and bullying. We take this issue seriously and encourage anyone who believes that they, or another person, has been harassed, discriminated against or bullied to raise this issue with the child protection officer or management.
Communication
Squad Sports will ensure that everyone to whom this policy applies is aware of and has had an opportunity to read the policy.
We also ask employees, volunteers and parents (where appropriate) to acknowledge that they have read and will abide by our child-safe policy. This acknowledgement may be in the form of an online submission or written statement.
Related policies and procedures
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Code of conduct
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Template of statement to be signed by employees, volunteers and parents indicating they have read and will abide by this policy (where appropriate)
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Risk Assessment templates
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Registered as a COVID-Safe business