Pleasant Sense Farm
Sustainability. Therapy. Connect.
Child Safe Environment Policy
Commitment to the safety of children and young people
We are committed to providing a safe environment to all children and young people. This policy complies with the Children and Young People (Safety) Act 2017, the Child Safety (Prohibited Persons) Act 2016 and aligns with the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations.
We support, value and respect children and young people and are committed to creating a child safe environment. We welcome all children and young people regardless of their abilities, sex, gender, or social economic or cultural background. Bullying and harassment will not be tolerated under any circumstance.
Scope of policy
This Child Safe Environment policy applies to all employees, volunteers, work placement students and contractors referred to throughout the policy collectively as workers.
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, on request, to children, young people and their families.
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
Our organisation strives to be a leading service provider and to provide a safe, healthy, and happy workplace. With that, caring for children and young people brings additional responsibilities for all our workers. We are responsible for promoting and protecting the safety and wellbeing of children and young people.
Our organisation is committed to the following:
- Adhere to the organisation’s child safe policy at all times and take all reasonable steps to ensure the safety and protection of children and young people.
- Treat 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.
- Be a positive role model to children and young people in all conduct with them.
- Set clear boundaries and maintain appropriate behaviours with children and young people. Boundaries help everyone to understand their roles.
- Listen and respond appropriately to the views and concerns of children and young people.
- Be alert to bullying behaviours and respond promptly and appropriately.
- Ensure another adult is always present or in sight when conducting one to one appointments, mentoring, instruction or other activity.
- Be alert to children and young people who have been harmed, or may be at risk of harm and report this quickly to the Child Abuse Report Line (13 14 78).
- Respond quickly, fairly and transparently to any complaints made by a child, young person or their parent/guardian.
- Encourage children and young people to ‘have a say’ on issues that are important to them.
- Our registered health practitioners will comply with the 11 principles in the Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency (AHPRA) shared Code of Conduct which outlines professional boundaries, ethical behaviour and unacceptable behaviour. AHPRA Code of Conduct
- Our Occupational Therapists will align behaviour with the Australian Occupational Therapy Competency Standards 2019 Occupational Therapy Board – competency standards
Our organisation 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 0439 181 409, or via email at therapy@pleasantsense.com.au. 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/placement 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 wellbeing.
- Face-to-face interviews that use behavioural questions to determine the applicant’s knowledge of child safeguarding.
- At least two referee checks and qualification checks.
In accordance with the Child Safety (Prohibited Persons) Act 2016, our organisation is registered with the DHS Screening Unit and we link all Working with Children Checks (WWCC) to our registration.
All persons running the organisation (e.g. business owner, board/committee members, directors, managers etc) are required to have a current, not prohibited WWCC. All workers over the age of 14 years must hold a current, not prohibited WWCC issued by the DHS Screening Unit if they are working in a role with children or have contact with children. A person will be taken to have contact with a child if:
- the person has physical contact with the child; or
- is in close physical proximity to the child; or
- communicates with the child (whether orally or by written, electronic or other means).
Evidence of a valid WWCC must be provided prior to employment and renewed every 5 years. We will verify the accuracy of all WWCCs in the DHS Screening Unit portal as required by law.
We 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
Our organisation has 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:
- As part of their induction, ensure all workers read and understand the Mandatory Reporting Information Booklet available at: https://dhs.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/103179/CSE-Mandatory-notification-information-booklet.PDF
- Complete Safe Environments ‘Through Their Eyes’ 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.
- Appointing a child safety officer who has an educating role within our organisation.
Reporting and responding to harm or risk of harm
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.
Mandated reporters in our organisation are workers who provide services to children and young people and those who hold 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 reporters have a legal obligation to report 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 has been harmed 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.
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 for Child Protection website: https://www.childprotection.sa.gov.au/report-suspected-harm
All adult workers (even if not a mandated reporter) have a legal obligation to report child sexual abuse by another worker 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.
We 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, at their first appointment, that they can provide feedback or make a complaint. This information is also available in their individual service agreements and our website.
We will deal with all complaints and feedback received promptly, sensitively and fairly. Any general complaints, concerns or feedback can be forwarded, in confidence, to the Director, Adrian Harry, either by telephone on 0439 181 409, or via email at therapy@pleasantsense.com.au.
The Director will contact the complainant as soon as possible and arrange a suitable time either in person or over the telephone to discuss any concerns.
Appropriate action will be negotiated by both the complainant and the Director and the Director will make sure that procedural fairness is followed at all times.
A formal complaints document will be completed and signed by both the complainant and Director and held on file for 5 years.
If the child, young person or their family is not happy with the outcome from the complaints process, they can contact:
- The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) on 1800 800 110.
- Health and Community Services Complaints Commissioner on 1800 232 007.
- Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Agency (AHPRA) on 1300 419 495.
- Occupational Therapy Australia on 1300 682 878.
- Australian Human Rights Commission by email to infoservice@humanrights.gov.au or telephone 1300 656 419.
- South Australian Equal Opportunities Commission (for complaints relating to discrimination), online at https://www.equalopportunity.sa.gov.au/complaints/making-a-complaint
Risk management
Our organisation has identified the following risks relevant to the services we provide, specific to children and young people. In addition are the actions we take to prevent and/or lessen each of the identified risks.
Identified Risk | Actions to minimise risk |
Culture of organisation is not child-safe focussed |
|
Workers harm children/young people |
|
Workers don’t understand their obligations to report harm and risk of harm to the Child Abuse Report Line (or SA Police if child/young person is at immediate risk) |
|
Physical contact |
|
Online communications |
|
Transport of children and young people |
|
Supervision |
|
Taking images of children and young people |
|
Physical environment |
|
Privacy and confidentiality |
|
Related policies and procedures
This policy must be read in conjunction with the following documents, policies and/or procedures:
- Children and Young People (Safety) Act 2017
- Child Safety (Prohibited Persons) Act 2016
- Pleasant Sense Therapy’s Complaints Management & Resolution System
- AHPRA Shared Code of Conduct
- Australian Occupational Therapy Competency Standards 2019
- National Principles for Child Safe Organisations © Australian Human Rights Commission 2018
Policy review
We will, at a minimum, review this policy and the related procedures once every 5 years as required by the Children and Young People (Safety) Act 2017. We will also review this policy when:
- New or added risks are identified for children or young people, which may require a change in the policy or procedures.
- A critical incident where a child or young person has experienced harm through involvement in the organisation.
- Concerns are raised by anyone involved in our organisation about child safety or welfare in the organisation.
- Awareness or compliance to the child safe policy and/or procedures is low.
- Legislative changes/requirements.
We will lodge a new child safe environments compliance statement with the Department of Human Services each time we review and update this policy.
Last updated: 04/02/2025
Review Date: 04/02/2030 unless otherwise sooner (as listed above).
Pleasant Sense Farm acknowledges the traditional Custodians of the land on which we work and live and recognise their continuing connection to land, water and community. Pleasant Sense Farm pays respect to Elders past, present and emerging.
