This policy outlines how the South Australian Housing Trust (The Trust) provides a safe environment for children and young people.

Commitment to the safety of children and young people

The Trust is committed to providing a safe environment for all children and young people. Our 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 value and respect children and young people and welcome them regardless of their abilities, sex, gender, or social economic or cultural background. Bullying and harassment won’t be tolerated.

This policy applies to all employees, volunteers, students and contractors referred to throughout the policy collectively as workers.

Communication

This child safe policy and related documents are available on our website and on request and are available to staff through our intranet page. Workers are notified of updates to this policy.

We respect the views of children and young people. Customers may wish to provide feedback or make a complaint on behalf of the children and young people in their care. Young people receiving a service independently may wish to provide feedback themselves.

Our website includes information for children and young people and their right to be listened to. We will listen to and act upon any complaints or concerns that a young person or parent or guardian of a child or young person raises with us.

Worker Conduct

Working with or around children and young people brings additional responsibilities for workers. Workers are responsible for promoting and protecting the safety and wellbeing of children and young people by:

  • adhering to this policy at all times and taking all reasonable steps to ensure the safety and protection of children and young people
  • treating 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
  • being professional and adhering to the Public Sector Values in all interactions with children and young people
  • listening to customers and responding appropriately when they provide feedback or make a complaint relating to or on behalf of the children or young people in their care
  • listening and responding appropriately to the views and concerns of children and young people, including giving children and young people a voice, and reporting any disclosures relating to welfare, harm, or risk of harm to the Child Abuse Report Line (13 14 78)
  • reporting harm or risk of harm quickly, and at the latest by end of that workday, to the Child Abuse Report Line (13 14 78)
  • responding quickly, fairly and transparently to any complaints made by the parent or guardian of a child, or an independent young person in line with the Customer Feedback and Complaints policy and procedure

Workers must not:

  • develop personal relationships with children or young people
  • interact with children in the absence of a parent or guardian except in the case of an emergency
  • discriminate against any child or young person because of their age, gender, cultural background, religion, vulnerability or sexuality

If workers become aware of any breaches to the behaviours that workers must not engage in, they should report this to their leader as soon as practical. Customers who are concerned about the conduct of a worker can make a complaint through our complaints and feedback process.

Any worker who breaches any of the behaviours described as ‘must not’ may face disciplinary processes.

Recruitment

In accordance with the Child Safety (Prohibited Persons) Act 2016, our organisation is registered with the Department of Human Services (DHS) Screening Unit, and we link all Working with Children Checks (WWCC).

The Criminal and other relevant screening policy and procedures outline which workers are required to hold a current and not prohibited WWCC issued by the DHS Screening Unit, provide evidence of this prior to employment and renew these 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 DHS 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

Child safety is important to us as an organisation. We have strategies in place to supervise, train and support workers to understand our organisation’s child safe policy and their mandatory reporting obligations. Our strategies include:

  • Training:
    • ensure during induction workers who come in contact with children in the provision of services read and understand the Mandatory Notification Information Booklet available for download
    • ensure workers who come in contact with children in the provision of services complete Safe Environments: Through their eyes training every 3 years
  • Support:
    • leaders are responsible for ensuring staff foster safe environments for children
    • regular supervision sessions that include a focus on maintaining child safe environments

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 notifiers in our organisation are workers who:

  • come into contact with children and young people in the provision of services
  • hold a management position in the organisation and have responsibility for workers who come into contact with children and young people in the provision of services.

Mandated notifiers have a legal obligation to notify the Child Abuse Report Line (CARL) as soon as practicable if they have a reasonable belief that a child or young person is 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.

Information about making appropriate reports of harm or risk of harm is available from the South Australian Department for Child Protection website: www.childprotection.sa.gov.au/reporting-child-abuse.

If an adult worker (even if not a mandated reporter) becomes aware that another worker has or may sexually abuse a child, they must report this to the police and notify their leader. Failure to do so may be considered a criminal offence under the Statutes Amendment (Child Sexual Abuse) Act 2012.

If a worker is reported to CARL or SAPOL for causing harm to a child or young person, we will be guided by SAPOL and the Department for Child Protection on the disciplinary processes to occur.

Following any report to CARL or SAPOL we will continue to support the child or young person by:

  • referring the child, young person or their family to other appropriate services
  • continuing to provide housing services to the child, young person and their family and monitor their circumstances.

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. Customers and their families are informed that they can provide feedback or make a complaint on our website.

Compliments, complaints or feedback can be provided in person, online via the feedback form, via email at housingfeedback@sa.gov,au, by phone on 131 299, or by post.

We will deal with all complaints and feedback received from customers about their children, young people or their families promptly, sensitively and fairly. The Office of the Chief Executive will:

  • record and acknowledge the complaint in writing
  • handle it in a fair and transparent way
  • use the information to identify potential trends and support continuous service improvement
  • report corruption, misconduct or maladministration by South Australian Housing Trust staff to the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption, Office for Public Integrity

If the customer is not happy with the outcome from the complaints process, they can contact:

Risk management

The below risks have been identified as important for creating and maintaining a safe environment for children and young people. Additional risks are detailed in our operational risk register.

Identified risk

Actions to minimise risk

Culture of organisation is not child-safe focussed

  • management have a strong commitment to the safety of children and young people
  • the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations are embedded in policies and procedures
  • we meet the requirements of the Children and Young People (Safety) Act 2017 (which mandates child safe environments) and the Child Safety   (Prohibited Persons) Act   2016 (which mandates Working with Children Checks)

Workers harm children or young people

  • recruitment processes and referee checks are undertaken to ensure people are suitable before they are employed or volunteer with our organisation
  • workers identified in the Criminal and other relevant screening procedures have  WWCC with ‘not   prohibited’ result prior to working with children and young people
  • WWCCs updated every 5 years and status remains  as not prohibited
  • our Child Safe Environments policy and complaints and feedback process are made available to customers online

Workers don’t understand their obligations to report harm and risk of harm to the Child Abuse Report Line (or SA Police if child or young person is at immediate risk)

  • all   workers who come into contact with children in the provision of services are trained in Safe Environments – Through their Eyes on commencement and refresher training every 3 years after
  • all workers must abide by the child safe environments policy

Physical contact

  • unnecessary physical contact is not  allowed

Online communications

  • cyber safety and social media guidelines are in place and provided to all workers
  • workers must not communicate with children or young people through social media

Transport of children and young people

  • workers must not transport a child or young person

Supervision

  • children are to be supervised by parents or guardians at all times
  • in the event of an emergency where a parent or guardian is unable to supervise,  SAPOL or the appropriate emergency service is to be contacted and workers are to escalate to their   leader.

Taking images of children and young people

  • If photographs of a property are required, children and young people are not to be included in the image

Privacy and confidentiality

  • all documents containing confidential information will be stored privately in a locked filing cabinet (or similar place with restricted access)
  • digital files containing confidential information are restricted to workers in specific roles
  • workers must not disclose information regarding any child or young person without written consent of the child, young person and their parent or guardian or in line with the   Information Sharing Guidelines

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 your 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.

Policy Date: 19 December 2024

Review Date: 19 December 2027

Related Information

Detail any associated internal or external policies, standards, guidelines or procedures including whole of government documents.

Controlling Documents

  • Children and Young People (Safety) Act 2017

Supporting Documents

  • Child safe environments procedures

Related Documents and Resources

  • Mandatory reporting guide
  • Home visits policy

Date this policy applies from

19 December 2024

Version number

1

The online version of the policy is the approved and current version. There’s no guarantee any printed copies are current.