Public commitment to child safety and cultural safety

Swimable is committed to creating and maintaining a child-safe organisation wherein protecting children, and preventing and responding to child abuse is embedded in the everyday thinking and practice of all employees and volunteers.

All children and young people who attend our swimming program have the right to be safe, and to be heard about decisions that affect their lives. Particular attention will be paid to the cultural safety of children of Aboriginal, and other culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds, as well as the safety of children with a disability, children who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community, and vulnerable children.

Every person employed by Swimable has an ongoing responsibility to understand the important and specific role he/she plays individually and collectively to ensure that the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people is central to their work.

In its planning, decision-making, and operations, Swimable will:

1. Take a preventative, proactive, and participatory approach to child safety.
2. Recognise and adapt to the diverse needs of children and communities and promote a        culturally safe environment for children of Aboriginal, culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds, children with a disability, children who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community and vulnerable children.
3. Value and empower children to participate in decisions which affect their lives.
4. Value and encourage the input from and communicate regularly with families and carers.
5. Foster and encourage a culture of openness that supports all persons to safely raise concerns regarding child safety risks.
6. Employ and train only the most suitable people to work with children and have high quality staff who undergo regular training and professional development sessions on promoting and cultivating a child-safe environment.
7. Ensure children and young people are informed of their rights and the support services available.
8. Ensure children and young people know who to talk to if they are worried or feeling unsafe, and that they are comfortable and encouraged to raise such issues with the appropriate personnel.
9. Report suspected abuse, neglect, or mistreatment promptly to the appropriate authorities (in line with the legal obligation for mandatory reporting under the Children Youth and Families Act 2005). Share information appropriately and lawfully with other organisations where safety and wellbeing of children and young people is at risk.

How to report Suspected Child Abuse

If a child is in immediate danger, call the Police on 000 (Triple Zero).

For immediate concerns and to report abuse, contact the Police and/or the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Southern Division 1300 655 795 / (after hours) 13 12 78.

The same process applies for concerns about the behaviour of a Swimable employee or volunteer.

To report the behaviour of a Swimable employee or discuss a child safety concern, please contact office@swimable.com.au or call us on 03 9521 1995/ 0410 989 766 and ask to speak with the Manager or Assistant Manager. You can also approach the on-deck staff during or after your child(ren)’s lesson if you would like to raise awareness about a possible child safety concern.

Swimable takes all reports of child abuse seriously and will investigate reported abuse in line with the Victorian Reportable Conduct Scheme.

Roles and responsibilities

Role/ Decision/ Action	Responsibility
Implementation of Child Safe Standards in Swimable’s swimming program	Manager (reviewed by Business Owner)
Establishing processes for responding to and reporting suspected child abuse	Manager (reviewed by Business Owner)

 

Definitions

Term	Definition
Aboriginal child	A child or young person up to the age of 18 who is of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent, identifies as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, and is accepted as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander by an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander community.
Abuse	Abuse is an act or acts which endanger a child’s health, well-being, and/or development. It can be a single event of a series of traumatic events. It includes: •          Physical abuse •          Sexual abuse •          Emotional abuse •          Cumulative harm •          Neglect •          Grooming •          Multi-dimensional harm
Children/ Young people	Any child/ young person under the age of 18.
Child-safe organisation	In the context of the Victorian Child Safety Standards, a child safe organisation is one that takes deliberate steps to protect children from abuse.
Children from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds	a child or young person who identified as having particular cultural or linguistic affiliations by virtue of their place of birth, ancestry or ethnic origin, religion, preferred language or language spoken at home, or because of their parents’ identification on a similar basis.
Children identifying as part of the LGBTQ+ community	A child or young person who identifies as gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans and gender diverse, queer, intersex, or any gender-related identification.
Children with a disability	Use of the term ‘disability’ is consistent with that in the Disability Act 2006. In relation to a child the use of the word ‘disability’ incorporates any physical, sensory, neurological disability, acquired brain injury or intellectual disability or developmental delay that affects a child’s ability to undertake everyday activities.
Cultural safety of Aboriginal children	Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander children be given the opportunity to be connected to culture and provided with a safe, nurturing and positive environment where they are comfortable with being themselves, expressing their culture, their spirituality and belief systems.
Cultural safety for children from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds	An environment which is spiritually, socially and emotionally safe, as well as physically safe for children; where there is no assault, challenge or denial of their cultural or linguistic identity, of who they are and what they need.
Grooming	As defined in the Crimes Act 1958, the act of communication, including online communication, with a child under the age of 16 or their parents with the intent of committing child sexual abuse. This includes predatory conduct undertaken to prepare a child for sexual abuse at a later time with the groomer (aged 18 years old or over) or another adult.
Mandatory Reporting	The legal obligation under the Children Youth and Families Act 2005, of certain professionals to report when a child is in need of protection. Mandatory reporters include: ·         Medical practitioners ·         Nurses ·         School Principals ·         Police Officers ·         Teachers
Staff	1.      Directly employed teachers, office staff, temporary and casual staff 2.      Trainees, volunteers and contractors