Rushworth P-12 College is committed to looking out for each child’s best interest by providing a child-safe school environment with a zero tolerance to child abuse. We actively seek to listen to the voices of our students as a collective or as individuals so they develop a sense of positive empowerment.
In order to achieve this goal, specific policies will be developed and/or reviewed on an annual basis by all staff, our college council members and student leaders to ensure they are relevant and known. These policies will also be displayed on our website so that they are accessible to all interested parties.
All policies that specifically relate to our commitment to providing this child-safe school environment will have the following statement inserted so they are readily identifiable.
This policy helps guide the actions of all staff, students, parents and other visitors to the college to ensure that Rushworth P-12 College provides a child-safe school environment with a zero-tolerance to child abuse. It will be shared with and reviewed by:
- All staff at the beginning of the school year
- College Council members at the first meeting after the AGM
- Student Leaders in their first Student Voice meeting of the year on an annual basis.
All of these identified policies will be inclusive with particular attention being paid to:
- The cultural safety, participation and empowerment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and their families
- The cultural safety, participation and empowerment of Same Sex Attracted and Gender Diverse (SSAGD) children and their families
- The cultural safety, participation and empowerment of children from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds and their families
- Those children and families who are identified as having a disability
- Ensuring that the language of such policies is understood by the various age groups that exist in our P-12 College
In our planning, decision-making and operations, Rushworth P-12 College will:
- Take a preventative, proactive and participatory approach to child safety;
- Value and empower children to participate in decisions which 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;
- Engage only the most suitable people to work with children and have high quality staff and volunteer supervision and professional development;
- Ensure children know who 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;
- Share information appropriately and lawfully with other organisations where the safety and wellbeing of children is at risk; and
- Value the input of and communicate regularly with families and carers.
Any breach to this commitment will be taken seriously and appropriate actions taken.