Child Safety Policy

Contents

Contents        2

Child Safety Policy        3

Purpose        3

Scope        3

Participation        3

Employee Requirements        4

Support for Employees & Volunteers        4

Reporting and Response to Suspected Abuse & Neglect        4

Code of Conduct        4

Communication        5

Child Safe Procedures        6

Definitions        6

Policies        6

Child Safety Policy

Purpose

Euphorium is committed to the safety and wellbeing of children according to National Principles for Child Safe Organisations.

All children who come to Euphorium have a right to feel and be safe.

We are committed to the safety and well-being 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.

The primary consideration in planning any activity for youth will be the overriding importance of ensuring that it contributes to their well being and does not expose them to harm, including the risk of injury, sexual, physical or emotional abuse.

Scope

Euphorium offers a range of activities including but not limited to programs, workshops and performances in which youth take part or are otherwise involved.  Euphorium occasionally employs children, for example as school based trainees.

Euphorium staff, particularly Creative Coaches, may work with children in situations where other organisations and its staff also have responsibility for the children involved. For example at an excursion offsite or a workshop.

Euphorium staff will at all times observe protocols and follow Child Safe Procedures for child safety and protection. This includes occasions where staff are not working directly with or do not hold primary responsibility for the children involved.

Participation

Employees of Euphorium encourage children who participate in any activities and programs to ‘have a say’ about those things that are important to them.

We value diversity and do not tolerate any discriminatory practices. We value and respect the views of children and young people we work with. We listen to and act on any concerns children, their parents or carers, raise with us

Employee Requirements

All supervisory staff and Creative Coaches must hold a current Working With Childrens Check, First Aid Certificate, Mental Health First Aid Certificate and Inclusivity training.

Support for Employees & Volunteers

We provide support and supervision so people feel valued, respected and fairly treated.

We ensure that 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.

Reporting and Response to Suspected Abuse & Neglect

Although not formally mandatory reporters, Euphorium staff involved in activities with children must document any suspicions of child abuse and report directly to the Creative Director and General Manager.

Employees must also report to the Creative Director/General Manager any reasonable suspicion that a child has been, or is being, abused or neglected by another employee, external facilitator, or volunteer. Euphorium Employees have a duty of care to report any concerns about the behaviour of another employee to the Creative Director/General Manager.

Child Protection is everyone’s responsibility. Euphorium recognises that even where a report is made, we may still have a role in supporting the child or young person. We ensure that support is also available for the employee making the report.

Code of Conduct

All employees at Euphorium are required to:

• Follow Child Safe Procedures in place to help ensure the safety of children and young people.
• Ensure  activities are held in a safe environment and risks are eliminated or minimised.
• Treat everyone with respect and honesty (this includes staff, volunteers, students, children, young people, parents and caregivers).
• Be a positive role model to children and young people in all conduct with them.
• Set clear boundaries about appropriate behaviour between them and the children or young people participating in Euphorium activities
• Ensure children and young people understand their rights and explain to the child or young person in age-appropriate language
• Raise any concerns, problems or issues with the Creative Director/General Manager as soon as possible.
• Record and act quickly, fairly and transparently on incidents or complaints of abuse or other serious complaints made by a child, a child, young person or their parent/guardian.

All Euphorium Employees will not:

• Take part in any unnecessary physical or online contact with a child or young person
• Discriminate against any child or young person because of age, gender, cultural background, religion,  vulnerability or sexuality.
• Develop any ‘special’ relationships with children or young people outside of a professional mentoring relationship

Communication

Euphorium will ensure that everyone to whom this policy applies is aware of and has had an opportunity to read the policy.

We require employees, facilitators and volunteers (where appropriate) to sign a written statement indicating that they have read and will abide by our child-safe policy.

We retain a copy of all signed statements.

Child Safe Procedures

Definitions

The following definitions apply to this policy:

“Abuse” refers to sexual, physical, emotional neglect

“Child/children” refers to a person or persons under 18 years of age

“Activity” refers to but is not limited to workshops, incursions, excursions, performances and projects.

“Parent” refers to a parent or legal guardian

“Creative Coach” refers to any staff member of Euphorium who has responsibility for the welfare of children during an activity which the staff member is in charge of or is participating in.

“Student” refers to a person under the age of 18 years attending a program with Euphorium on a consistent basis.

Policies

Euphorium staff that are responsible for any activity involving children must ensure that they meet their obligations under the Children' s Protection Act, WA 1993, and any other relevant legislation. 

1. Where a Euphorium staff member, volunteer or relevant manager believes that a duty of care and the requirements of these procedures are not being met, the activity should be terminated or any children involved in the activity should be withdrawn from that activity.
2. Euphorium staff and volunteers must at all times observe protocols for child safety protection, and in particular:

1. Children must be supervised at all times while participating in a Euphorium activity. No employee or external facilitator is to leave children unattended at any period of time for the duration of the activity

1. In the instance that an individual employee is supervising and has to leave the room/area you must ask another employee with suitable training and requirements to supervise for the duration of that period of time.
2. If another employee is unavailable, ensuring it is safe the children must accompany you  

2. Young children must be dropped at the activity by an authorised parent or guardian and will remain at the activity supervised by staff, until collected by an authorised parent/guardian unless otherwise stated by parent/guardian.

1. If a parent/guardian is more than 10 minutes late picking up their child the Creative Coach/ Facilitator is required to contact parent/guardian and remain with the child until collected.  
2. If there is a court order inplace information is to be provided to the Creative Coach who will document and communicate to the Creative Director/General Manager so other employees are aware and a suitable action plan is in place as agreed upon by parent/guardian.

3. Employees must avoid transporting students to and from places other than that as detailed in written consent from their parents/guardians unless an emergency in which the parents/guardian is to be immediately notified.
4. Must avoid any situation, which may give rise to suspicion or complaint such as the unnecessary touching or showing favouritism of children.
5. External communications will not occur between students and Creative Coaches unless permission is given by a parent/guardian and only in relevance to workshops, programs or opportunities.

1. All online or phone communications between an employee and student without a parent must be kept and not deleted.

6. Must avoid contacting children through any social media i.e. Facebook, Twitter and all other social media websites including the use of text messaging and phone contact without parent/guardian permission and only in relevance to workshops, programs or opportunities.
7. Must not make or use audio, photographic or visual representations of children not directly related to the purpose of the activity or which may be deemed as inappropriate.
8. Students may at times have access to the internet through Euphorium. Euphorium has in place a content filtering system on their wifi to prevent access to inappropriate content
9. In all Euphorium activities involving children, staff and volunteers must be mindful of the safety of the children at all times, and must not conduct any activity for which they do not have the appropriate training.
10. Ensure activities are held in a safe physical and emotional environment and risks are eliminated or minimised.

1. All supervisory staff and Creative Coaches must have appropriate first aid training including asthma and anaphylaxis or ready access to a First Aid Officer at all times.
2. All supervisory staff and Creative Coaches must hold a current Working With Childrens Check
3.  All supervisory staff and Creative Coaches must have appropriate training in mental health first aid and Inclusivity training.
4. An appropriate First Aid Kit should be readily accessible and have a first aid sign displayed at all activities.

Breaches of the above protocols by staff or volunteers will be met with appropriate written warnings, professional guidance and further disciplinary action carried out as necessary.

3. All proposed activities involving children must be approved by the Creative Director or General Manager prior to the activity.

1. Approval is also necessary for any informal continuation of Euphorium activities or any related activity which may be construed by the public as a Euphorium activity and which falls within the scope of this policy.
2. In approving such activities the Creative Director/General Manager should have an understanding of this policy and its procedures, and in particular, the level of training for staff or volunteers in a supervisory role that is necessary for the activity to be conducted safely.
3. All activities covered by this policy and its procedures should be clearly described to all participants as a Euphorium activity.

1. In order for a student to be involved in a Euphorium activity that falls within the scope of this policy:
2. before the event Euphorium must provide the child's parent/guardian with information describing the nature of the activity, the measures to be taken to ensure children's health, safety and well being, contact details for the staff responsible for the child in the course of the activity and information on whom to contact if they have any concerns.

4. No child will be permitted to be involved in a Euphorium activity unless the staff member in charge of the activity has permission from the child' s parent/ guardian consenting to the child' s involvement in that activity.

4. In all Euphorium activities involving children, staff and volunteers must be mindful of the safety of the children at all times, and must not conduct any activity for which they do not have the appropriate training.

1. All supervisory staff and Creative Coaches must have appropriate first aid training including asthma and anaphylaxis or ready access to a First Aid Officer at all times.
2. All supervisory staff and Creative Coaches must hold a current Working With Childrens Check
3.  All supervisory staff and Creative Coaches must have appropriate training in mental health first aid and Inclusivity training.
4. An appropriate First Aid Kit should be readily accessible and have a first aid sign displayed at all activities.

5. Although not formally mandatory reporters, Euphorium staff involved in activities with children must document any suspicions of child abuse and report directly to the Creative Director and General Manager.

1. Concerns about the behaviour or intent of any person involved in the activity must be reported immediately to the staff member in charge of the activity and Creative Director/ General Manager