• ALL CHILDREN HAVE THE RIGHT TO FEEL SAFE ALL OF THE TIME

Our Commitment to Child safety

At Discovery Tree, we have a ZERO tolerance for child abuse, we believe that the safety and wellbeing of each child is paramount. This policy and associated procedures address the way child protection issues will be approached and managed, to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all children. The Victorian Child Safe Standards that came into effect in January 2017 will be observed and embedded into this policy.

This Centre is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children and their welfare will always be our first priority. The protection of children is a shared community responsibility and involves ensuring that all children are safe, have their needs met and that the possibility of child abuse and neglect is minimised.

Children who attend our Centre have a right to feel and be safe. Everyone in our organisation has a role to play in ensuring a safe environment for children. This includes management, educators, staff and volunteers working with children or in close proximity to them, and employees with access to the records of children.

Discovery Tree will take all reasonable steps to ensure that we engage the most suitable and appropriate people to work with children.

Child Safety at Child Care

Discovery Tree will use a range of screening measures and apply best practice standards in the screening and recruitment of employees and volunteers, including:

  • conducting phone and face to face interviews
  • conducting at least two employment related referee checks on all potential employees
  • raising awareness with employees of the Victorian “child safety standards”

Discovery Tree will comply with the requirements for mandatory child related pre-employment checks.

We will ensure that employees who work with children have ongoing supervision, support and training to develop and enhance their performance. This will help to create and maintain a child safe environment.

At Discovery Tree we encourage parents input in identifying and stamping out child abuse, please refer to the following fact sheet which will assist you in recognising the signs of child abuse and how to report it.

https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/about/programs/health/protect/EarlyChildhood_FactSheet_Parents.pdf