Child safety knowledge, skills and awareness

There are many actions schools may use to address this standard. To get started, review the example actions on this page.

All schools

• Child Safety Wellbeing Policy guidance

Government schools

• Volunteers Policy template (login required)
• Visitors Policy template (login required)

The department will provide training resources for:

• staff
• school council members
• volunteers.

Use this checklist to make sure your school is doing everything required to comply with this standard:

• Government schools: Child Safety Action List (DOCX, 110KB)
• Non-government schools: Child Safety Action List (DOCX, 384KB)

Use these presentations to train your school governing authority, staff and volunteers:

• School council training- Child Safe Standards (PPTX, 741KB)
• School staff training- Child Safe Standards (PPTX, 1MB)
• Volunteer training - Child Safe Standards (PPTX, 2.3MB).

Schools must review their child safety and wellbeing policies:

• after any significant child safety incident
• at least once every 2 years.

• Nominate a child safety champion. Support them to facilitate the induction and training programs for staff and volunteers.
• Provide an induction for new staff, volunteers and new school council members on child safety that's appropriate to the person’s role. Induction should that cover:
  • the Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy
  • the Child Safety Code of Conduct
  • the Child Safety Responding and Reporting Obligations (incl. mandatory Reporting) policy and procedures
  • signs of harm and risk factors caused by peers or adults (including grooming and family violence) and the different ways young people express concerns or disclose harm
  • building culturally safe environments
  • privacy, information sharing and recordkeeping obligations
  • how to facilitate child-friendly ways for students to express their views, participate in decision making and raise concerns

• Deliver regular child safety briefings for all staff, for example through staff meetings, newsletters, year level briefings.
• Require all staff with Mandatory Reporting obligations to refresh their Protecting Children – Reporting and Other Legal Obligations (Mandatory Reporting) training at least once a year.
• Inform staff and volunteers (as appropriate) of their responsibilities under the information sharing and family violence reforms. These reforms support staff to meet their child safety obligations by enabling them to:
• Maintain records of annual child safety programs including presentation materials, agenda, minutes and list of attendees.
• Identify staff to attend information sharing and family violence reforms training, available as online webinars or eLearning modules.
• Offer further training appropriate to staff and volunteers’ level of involvement in the school community, on topics such as:
  • child safety (including family violence)
  • mandatory reporting
  • responding to student sexual offending
  • human rights and the rights of children
  • diversity and inclusion
  • harassment and bullying
  • cultural safety
  • privacy and information sharing.
• Offer a range of optional and compulsory education and training activities, including:
  • Staffroom briefings and ‘toolbox talks’
  • Professional Learning Communities
  • Peer discussions, scenarios and worked examples
  • Presentations, seminars or webinars
  • Training days
  • E-learning modules, for example the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations modules.
• Remind staff regularly that they need to be alert for signs of harm and risk factors and aware of physical and online risks to child safety.
• Provide staff and relevant volunteers with up-to-date contact details for local support services for students and families.
• Consider staff needs when designing training, such as:
  • Cultural safety for the needs of staff and volunteers who are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
  • Cultural sensitivity for staff and volunteers who are from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
  • Inclusivity of gender diversity and sexuality
  • Accessibility for those with a disability, including individuals mobility, visual or hearing impaired
  • Accessibility to those who are rurally or remotely located or unwilling to attend physically.

• Develop and communicate your Child Safe Code of Conduct, Child Safety and and Wellbeing Policy, and Child Safety Responding and Reporting Obligations Policy.
• Include child safety improvement and training in school planning.
• Provide time-release for teachers, non-teaching and auxiliary staff to undertake child safety and related training.
• Direct staff to PROTECT for guidance on:
  • information to assist them to recognise indicators and risk factor of child harm, including harm caused by other children and young people
  • the processes to follow if a concern is raised.
• Keep a record of all staff and volunteers who complete child safety training to ensure all are appropriately trained and training is refreshed as required.

• Child and Family Violence Information Sharing Schemes
• Duty of Care Policy
• Identifying and responding to all forms of abuse (PDF, 2.86MB)
• Information Sharing and Family Violence Reforms Toolkit
• Privacy and Information Sharing Policy
• Problem Sexual Behaviour
• Protecting Children – Reporting and Other Legal Obligations (Mandatory Reporting)
• Resilience Rights and Respectful Relationships: A Resource Kit for Victorian Schools
• Safe Schools
• School Council Training Policy

• Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority – Child Safe Standards
• Catholic Education Commission of Victoria – Child Safety
• Independent Schools Victoria

• Information Sharing and MARAM Online Learning System
• Information Sharing Leaders briefings and Professionals Workshops
• Protecting Children – Reporting and Other Legal Obligations (Mandatory Reporting)
• Resilience Rights and Respectful Relationships – Responding to Disclosures (contact your area’s Resilience Rights and Respectful Relationships Project Lead)

• Australian Human Rights Commission | Diverse needs | Child Safe Organisations
• Cultural safety and the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations
• eSafety Commissioner
• Keeping Our Kids Safe: Understanding Cultural Safety in Child Safe Organisations (Video)
• UN Rights of the Child (child-friendly version)
• Victorian Institute of Teaching Victorian Teaching Professional Code of Conduct resources