Dalas FamilyDay Care is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people. We understand our responsibilities and statutory duty of care to comply with both the Victorian Child Safe Standards and the Reportable Conduct Scheme to build our capacity as an organisation to prevent and respond to allegations of child abuse.

Our Service is committed to implementing and abiding by our Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy based on Child Safe Standards in Victoria (2022), which accentuates our ZERO TOLERANCE for child abuse and raising awareness about the importance of child safety in our Service and the community.

We are dedicated to protecting children from abuse and neglect and promoting a child safe environment, maintaining children’s wellbeing. We adhere to our comprehensive Child Protection Policy, standing by our mandatory reporting responsibilities to protect children from physical, sexual, emotional and psychological abuse and neglect.

We work to ensure there is clear awareness between appropriate and inappropriate behaviour concerning adults and children. We require clear precincts between children and employees, volunteers and the community to maintain children’s safety.

We are dedicated to promoting cultural safety for Aboriginal children, cultural safety for children from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds, and to providing a safe environment for children with a disability.

We value diversity and DO NOT TOLERATE any discriminatory practices.

We are committed to ongoing professional development for employees to maintain their ability to distinguish and respond to situations of abuse and neglect, ensuring employees are responsive to their responsibilities in keeping children safe.

We work in collaboration with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and have confidence in educating children about their right to be safe. We believe in teaching children what to do if they feel unsafe and encouraging them to express their views and thoughts on matters that directly affect them.

As educators we listen to and empower children to act on any concerns, they or others may raise which is reflected in our policies and procedures in keeping children safe.

In its planning, decision-making and operations Dalas Family Day Care Staff and Educators will:

• Take a preventative, proactive and participatory approach to child safety and wellbeing;

• Value and empower children to participate in decisions that affect their lives;

• Foster a culture of openness that supports all persons to safely disclose risks of harm to children

• Respect diversity in cultures and child rearing practices while keeping child safety paramount;

• Provide written guidance on appropriate conduct and behaviour towards children;

• Ensure children know whom to talk with if they are worried or are feeling unsafe, and that they are comfortable and encouraged to raise such issues;

• Report suspected abuse, neglect, or mistreatment promptly to the appropriate authorities;

• Take our policy and legal responsibilities seriously, including:

  • Failure to disclose: Reporting child sexual abuse is a community-wide responsibility. All adults in Victoria who have a reasonable belief that an adult has committed a sexual offence against a child under 16 have an obligation to report that information to the police

  • Failure to protect: People of authority in our service will commit an offence if they know of a substantial risk of child sexual abuse and have the power or responsibility to reduce or remove the risk, but negligently fail to do so.

  •  Any personnel who are mandatory reporters must comply with their duties.

• Share information appropriately and lawfully with other organisations where the safety and wellbeing of children are at risk; and

Value the input of and communicate regularly with families and carers