Schools - child safety knowledge, skills and awareness regulations

Clause 12 of Ministerial Order 1359 aligns to Child Safe Standard 8 and states:

12.1  Schools and school boarding premises must ensure that staff and volunteers are equipped with the knowledge, skills and awareness to keep children and young people safe through ongoing education and training.

12.2 In complying with clause 12.1, the school governing authority or school boarding premises governing authority must, at a minimum:

1. ensure that, at least annually, school staff or school boarding premises staff engaged in child-connected work receive training and information on child safety that includes:
   1. the child safety and wellbeing policy of the school or provider of school boarding services
   2. the child safety code of conduct of the school or provider of school boarding services
   3. the procedures referred to in clause 11.2(e)
   4. guidance on recognising indicators of child harm including harm caused by other children and students
   5. guidance on responding effectively to issues of child safety and wellbeing and supporting colleagues who disclose harm
   6. guidance on how to build culturally safe environments for children and students
   7. guidance on their information sharing and recordkeeping obligations; and
   8. guidance on how to identify and mitigate child safety and wellbeing risks in the school environment without compromising a child or student’s right to privacy, access to information, social connections and learning opportunities.
2. ensure that volunteers engaged in child-connected work receive training and information that will equip them with the knowledge, skills and awareness required to keep children and students safe and that is appropriate to the nature and responsibilities of their role
3. when determining the type of training and information to provide to volunteers in accordance with clause 12.2(b), consider whether or not it is reasonable and necessary to include training and information on:
   1. the child safety and wellbeing policy of the school or provider of school boarding services
   2. the child safety code of conduct of the school or provider of school boarding services
   3. guidance on how to recognise indicators of child harm including harm caused by other children and students
   4. guidance on how to respond effectively to issues of child safety and wellbeing and support colleagues who disclose harm
   5. guidance on how they can contribute to building culturally safe environments for children and students
   6. guidance on any obligations they have relating to information sharing and recordkeeping; and
   7. guidance on how to identify and manage child safety risks relevant to the role the volunteer will undertake, without compromising a child or student’s right to privacy, access to information, social connections and learning opportunities.
4. ensure that school staff, school boarding premises staff and volunteers are supported to implement the child safety and wellbeing policy of the school or provider of school boarding services to the extent that it is applicable to their role and responsibilities
5. ensure that, at least annually, appropriate training and guidance is provided to the members of the governing body about:
   1. individual and collective obligations and responsibilities for implementing the Child Safe Standards and managing the risk of child abuse
   2. child safety and wellbeing risks in the school environment or school boarding premises environment; and
   3. the child safety policies, procedures and practices of the school or provider of school boarding services.

Examples of actions and suggested training resources are available:

• Child safety knowledge, skills and awareness guidance(opens in a new window)

To learn more about the difference between ‘child-connected work’ and ‘child-related work’ read:

• Working with Children and other Suitability Checks for School Volunteers and Visitors(opens in a new window)