OUR STATEMENT OF COMMITMENT TO CHILD SAFETY
The Victorian Government has announced new Child Safe Standards to further strengthen child safety across organisations and all places of education and care. We are committed to these Child Safe Standards and to the safety, wellbeing and empowerment of our children and have zero tolerance for child abuse and racism. We comply with all relevant child protection laws and regulations and our Child Safe Environment and Wellbeing Policy can be viewed on our policy page. We take allegations and concerns around child safety seriously and will respond to them consistently in line with our mandatory reporting responsibilities, policies and procedures. Our staff participate in regular, ongoing child protection training. We are committed to promoting cultural safety for Aboriginal children and for children from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds and to providing a safe environment for children with a disability.
To build our capacity to provide cultural safety for Aboriginal children in our setting we are committed to ongoing professional development of the knowledge, histories and cultural perspectives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples which has included community participation in our Welcome to Country ceremony, performed most recently at our kinder by representatives from the Bunurong Land Council
“Creating organisations that properly include Aboriginal children, young people and their families, and that acknowledge and appreciate the strengths of Aboriginal culture can make such a difference. We know that if Aboriginal children and young people feel safe to be themselves (identity and belonging) in an organisation, this better protects them from child abuse” Justin Mohamed, Commissioner for Aboriginal and Young People
“By embedding cultural learning in the early years educators can impart the wonder of Indigenous knowledge and support Aboriginal children’s sense of identity and belonging..” Care for Kids website
“Educators recognise that diversity contributes to the richness of our society and provides a valid evidence base about ways of knowing. For Australian children it also includes promoting greater understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ways of knowing and being and actively working towards Reconciliation” Belonging, Being & Becoming – The Early Years Framework for Australia (p.16)
For further reading;
Acknowledging and respecting Aboriginal peoples, communities, cultures and values.
Information on cultural rights, the strengths of Aboriginal cultures and the importance of culture to the wellbeing and safety of Aboriginal children
https://ccyp.vic.gov.au/assets/resources/tipsheet-cultural-safety-aboriginal-children.pdf
Information on the connection between cultural safety and the prevention of child abuse and harm for Aboriginal children
https://www.childsafety.gov.au/resources/keeping-our-kids-safe
